It has reached the point of winter where much of the surroundings of Yerevan turn into miserable looking wastes. Where there's no colour in anything anymore, where the trees are naked and barely even something one can take note of. Where the skies are grey and the dusty landscape of the ground hold a strong depressing looking brown. I don't mind it though. In fact, it actually feels like a nice change of pace for once. After the dry strength of summer and the lack of rains since, where the past few days have seen some snow appearing for brief parts of the day. Somewhat visible in these images. I was nervous flying in this more populated area. I was afraid of gaining some unwanted attention, so I went to the most empty looking space I could find nearby and ensured I took off and landed from an area where I could not be seen by anyone.
I even walked down and around a huge abandoned factory space that I found utterly fascinating, but I think I'll share those images in a different post given the other context they hold. But here, this was a short flight. A nervous one. I knew what I wanted to capture but the winds were picking up a bit and my DJI Mini 2 isn't the best at holding the battery in them. I could see the timer ticking down with little movements. I really want to upgrade this thing! I knew I'd be able to maintain that stealth with something with a bit more power, but that's how it is I guess. I flew it around for less than five minutes in total, running just a single battery. I intentionally walked around without the backpack and had the drone gear in my coat pockets as to ensure I didn't gather unwanted attention. Looking like any other person just out walking around. No slowing down with backpacks and gear, just batteries in and ready to go.
I flew around an abandoned factory space that looked incredibly inviting to me. I wanted to fly around it more but again that battery caused some struggles. I ended up using the 4x zoom function with the Mini 2 to punch in a bit more and try to find some more detail of the space. All it did was make me want to investigate it all on foot more. To see what was hiding away inside those historic buildings which go back as the 1940s. What Soviet secrets do they hold? What historical stories remain from throughout the decades? Perhaps one day I'll find a legal way inside. Perhaps I'll be able to photograph it all and share it with the world. Until then, I torment myself with images of it from afar. Watching it sit there on borrowed time, knowing it'll likely all be gone within the next five years as the city strives to demolish and develop.
I tried to ensure I wasn't flying around sensitive areas, and took note of a park nearby. This entire district built to house the workers of the factory in the previous image. Where their lives were combined with the industrial might of the Armenian SSR. I saw old women on their balconies and wondered of their stories. I saw little market stalls selling fruit and vegetables given the lack of actual shops nearby. I felt the history here. I felt the completely different ideology and the decay of the area as the work at those factories which the locals once relied on disappeared. And all that remains are the wintery wastes.