Photo trips to Russia.

photoexpedition · Apr 6, 2011

Welcome to Russia!

Russia not so is popular as the country of Asia for photographers. I think, it is connected with an information lack. The majority of people associate Russia with Moscow, the Golden Ring, St.-Petersburg... The few will remember Baikal Lake or Altai. But Russia is much more and is much more interesting.

Various nationalities live in this country. Some of them have kept the most ancient crafts and culture. A separate layer of history and culture - old believes settlements. Besides many monuments of an epoch of the USSR have remained up to now: GULAG, the Transpolar highway, separate cities with architecture of 50-60th years of 20 centuries... The Photographers, who specializing on abandoned places, will find a lot of interesting too - the abandoned factories, mines, military facilities and even the abandoned towns.

Also the main thing, than Russia - unforgettable and various landscapes is rich!

I am ready to answer your questions about travel across Russia. I can advise interesting places, tell about features and complexities etc.

If are you interesting of photo trips to Russia, but you need the help to implement it, then you can pass go to link to learn more: Dead Link Removed
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Mustafa Umut Sarac · Apr 6, 2011

Hello ,

As you know Visas between Turkiye and Russia discarded. I am thinking to go to StPetersburg by train from Georgia Border or around.
First question , is there a open Russia - Georgia border gate which I can pass from land.
Second question , Is there a train to StPetersburg from this border area or from which city ?
How much train tickets costs and are they daily or how ?

Thank you ,

Umut
Istanbul

bwrules · Apr 6, 2011

Given the not so distant war between Russia and Georgia, I wouldn't go that route.

tomalophicon · Apr 6, 2011

Russia would be amazing.
I'd like to go there and use a FED to take lots of pictures whilst reading Dostoyevsky and Pushkin.

Alas, I'm poor.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Apr 6, 2011

BWRules ,

I hope everything settles down but I have no information , well 17 April is the first visa free day , people will be on the roads to see russian girls legs They will toss to the borders and there will be big fanfara.

Tomalophicon,

I am poor also , I dont know where you are , oz land or england but you have a big country to travel. I made 3000 kilometers hitchhiking in 3 days and may be you travel by this way.

Let me check the trains , My mother is very upset but I am hoping to reach to an agreement with her this summer.

Thank you ,
Umut

tomalophicon · Apr 6, 2011

Umut, Australia. No amount of hitchhiking can get me to Mother Russia.

Say, what do you mean Visa free day? Can Turks travel to Russia without a visa?

benjiboy · Apr 7, 2011

It's not getting to Russia that's the problem, it's getting out again.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Apr 7, 2011

Tomalophicon ,

Yes , There is no visa to Turks to Russia. You can hitchhike to trade ships , if you can find a ship to singapore , you can go to anywhere. Yes , its difficult but not impossible. Or you can get a license and work at the ships. I have deckhand papers and ship radio operator papers.

But you can go to indonesia and travel 17000 islands and listen live gamelan concerts also.

Best wishes ,

Umut

photoexpedition · Apr 7, 2011

Umut,
Russia - Georgia border gate is open. Control on border more careful only. The name of this border gate is "Kazbegi" or "Verhnij Lars". The nearest railway is located in Vladikavkaz. You can go to http://pass.rzd.ru/ and take all information about russian trains (English interface present)

Wars between Georgia and Russia aren't present. But the North Caucasus which is territory of Russia - dangerous enough place. I advise to came to Russia directly or through Ukraine, if you can.

The hitchhiking is a good way of travel across Russia. You can pass 1000-1400 kilometers for light day in the summer. You should know only a few Russian and at once warn, that you travel a free of charge.

benjiboy · Apr 9, 2011

Somehow hitch hiking across thousands of miles of a country where I don't even speak the language with a load of expensive photographic equipment seems to me to be a disaster waiting to happen to both the equipment and myself.

photoexpedition · Apr 12, 2011

Ben, you are the pessimist
200-300 words in the lexicon suffices for successful hitch hiking travel. It is not the hard work. 1-2 months of easy work at leisure time.
Danger of a hitch hiking is strongly exaggerated. I am hitchhiker more than 10 years. I feel bigger safety on a road, instead of in Moscow.
But talks about hitch hiking beyond this forum. I am ready to discuss details , on other resource with that who are interested.

Erik Petersson · Apr 12, 2011

Train travel in Russia is very pleasant. Not too expensive and there is always hot and sweet tea available.

I have hitch hiked a lot in Moscow and other large cities in Russia. You stop a car, tell where you want to go and then negotiate a price. It is a quite normal way to earn a few extra rubles. It is generally not free. The only danger that I have experienced has been bad driving and lack of seat belts.

Moscow is a wonderful place to photograph. Full of contrasts, both rough and beautiful and full of expressive people.

There are some very good and cheap photo labs in Moscow, for example one close to Kuznetski Most.

Erik Petersson · Apr 12, 2011

I too would recommend Ukraine over dangerous Kaukasus. Take the train to Kyiv - very picturesque. Then continue.

Erik Petersson · Apr 12, 2011

benjiboy said:
It's not getting to Russia that's the problem, it's getting out again.

Have you experienced problems leaving Russia? This is very unusual, please tell us more.

benjiboy · Apr 12, 2011

Erik Petersson said:
Have you experienced problems leaving Russia? This is very unusual, please tell us more.

I've never been to Russia, but It's not too long ago that they wouldn't even let Russian citizens out of the country.

Erik Petersson · Apr 12, 2011

benjiboy said:
I've never been to Russia, but It's not too long ago that they wouldn't even let Russian citizens out of the country.

I think we might have different perspectives. The Soviet Union fell apart twenty years ago, which is all my adult life.

benjiboy · Apr 12, 2011

photoexpedition said:
Ben, you are the pessimist
200-300 words in the lexicon suffices for successful hitch hiking travel. It is not the hard work. 1-2 months of easy work at leisure time.
Danger of a hitch hiking is strongly exaggerated. I am hitchhiker more than 10 years. I feel bigger safety on a road, instead of in Moscow.
But talks about hitch hiking beyond this forum. I am ready to discuss details , on other resource with that who are interested.

I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist, if one was trying to buy travel insurance and the insurance company asked me how I was travelling and I told them hitch hiking, do you think they'd insure me ?

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Apr 12, 2011

Benjiboy ,

Nobody force you to travel by hitchiking . But it is fun if you want to know new people and see the land slower than plane. I dont think no british insurance company can handle the situation when you are at Siberia . Go to spanish islands , rent a car and have fun , Russia is for the men with big balls. I dont think also no british man easily can get a visa , you must be very rich and proof it. Let me have romance with StPetersburg women when watching the white nights and the bridges , palaces and the Neva ships. No british army can beat the russian army but we did countless times , so its my birthright the russian women

Umut

Erik Petersson · Apr 12, 2011

Dear Umut,
I am sorry to have to correct you on one point: it is actually rather easy for EU-citizens to get a Russian visa. You are right on all other points though!
Erik
(by the way, did you know that Sweden - my country - and Turkey once were close to join up against the Russians?)

polyglot · Apr 12, 2011

lol Mustafa. I shall have to tell my other half she has the big balls as it was her idea that we do the trans-siberian railway for our honeymoon.

While we're talking about the old USSR; has anyone here been to Pripyat? I enjoy a spot of urbex and would *really* love to spend a day in a city abandoned 20+ years ago. I hear there are tours and am looking for recommendations as to which operators are good/bad and who will allow a fair amount of freedom to wander. Are there any tours of the more industrial parts or was the town purely accommodation?

David Henderson · Apr 12, 2011

I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist, if one was trying to buy travel insurance and the insurance company asked me how I was travelling and I told them hitch hiking, do you think they'd insure me ?

Have you noticed that all pessimists term themselves realists? If you leave it to pessimists, there are no pessimists.

And this pessimist should note that none of the several annual travel insurance policies I've bought in the last ten years have even bothered to ask questions about how I intend to travel. and have certainly not attempted to exclude for cover any means of travel including hitchhiking. These Insurers plainly don't have evidence to the extent that hitching is more risky than other forms of travel.

michaelbsc · Apr 12, 2011

benjiboy said:
Somehow hitch hiking across thousands of miles of a country where I don't even speak the language with a load of expensive photographic equipment seems to me to be a disaster waiting to happen to both the equipment and myself.

No problem. Within a few days you'll begin to pick up the language. And limit yourself to one camera and a couple of lenses. I'd take a Kiev 4 or a FED-2 with a Jupiter 12 and a Jupiter 9. The lenses were available in both mounts, so you can find them if you look.

Hardly a fortune in equipment there, and if it's serviced properly it's as reliable as anything else. If you loose it, some shop wherever you happen to be will have another one, probably cheap.

Forget a meter. Use this: http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

Just protect your exposed film. That's the valuable thing anyway.

Now, if you aren't hitchhiking, then you can take more equipment, and you can also be a lot more versatile. But for a hitchhiking trip, treat it like a hitchhiking trip.

Photo trips to Russia.

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