Photographing the Development and Industry of Tbilisi by Drone

I have been exploring a lot lately with the changes in the weather, and having a ton of fun with it as the sun finally came out and the views become even more spectacular with that light. Alongside the building of a portfolio regarding the video content side of things, I have been shooting pretty much everything I can come across and trying to frame it in any creative manner I can. Tbilisi's skyline is changing quite rapidly, and that's coming with the development of new high rises to push more investment and property speculation into the city, mostly to ensure all growth doesn't just unfold within Batumi, it's more appealing and tropical city with booming resorts. Most of the skyline of Tbilisi is Soviet era, some really beautiful buildings that stand tall and proud in various shapes and styles. Some of which are more rounded, others are more rectangular and with some more of the stereotypical "commie bloc" style. I've been living in one of those latter ones for the past ten months now. An odd experience! Though despite the newer styles appearing and the older Soviet styles, there does seem to be something new to capture and appreciate at almost every corner of the city. Most of my focus has been around the Saburtalo area. 

I walked up the hilly areas on the outskirts of the district, where the architecture is more Soviet, tall high rises that stand upon the landscape, where one of the city's more famous landmarks resides: the Skybridge. I have posted about these three buildings before, so I won't be showcasing those again here. But it gives an idea of how this hilly landscape is designed. Bending roads leading upward, few pathways due to the environment's history and less dense population that would've relied on cars, public transport (mostly) and worked in nearby factories that would've have required much travel. The views of the city from here are beautiful, you really see the changing scenery from above, and I type this from a cafe balcony with that view, as the sun shifts across the sky and the warmth continues to hit (and blind me slightly). It's probably one of the worst areas to be walking through given the lack of pathways, the constant steps or roads going up. But my curiosity forever gets the best of me. Fortunately, I have the drone to help me get the perspectives my feet can't lead me to. This area is sandwiched between the main area of Saburtalo and the Lake Lisi environment that I have also posted about recently. There isn't really much to do here beyond the odd cafe and questionable restaurant. An area so old in its Soviet ideology but so new in its attempts to develop and modernise. A little too stuck in the middle to be worth any sort of tourism.

But that's what fascinates me the most: those areas that aren't really seen. The areas that locals live in and drive through with little thought. And tourists see no importance in roaming through. These posts feature a few of the recent areas I have been exploring, showcasing the variation in the landscape and how it's shifting. I certainly want to do more of these, though I'm not sure how to go about writing about them. It's something that often results in the same thoughts and opinions: often the slow decline in culture and creativity. The endless need to develop any land imaginable. The loss of the past and the designs that were once cherished now decaying and considered low quality living. The neglect and poverty that came with the collapse of the Soviet Union. History slowly replaced and dwarfed by the new, as buildings grow taller and the older ones slowly fade into nothingness beneath them. This is often felt when I walk through these areas and see the large cracks in the buildings, the windows missing, glass shattered everywhere. Roads so beaten over the decades that they're crumbling. Yet in these areas I still feel and imagine the strength of their importance sixty years ago when they were built. How the landscape would've looked and been lived in back then. And what the remaining inhabitants in these buildings of that era think of what it's all become. Especially with a new high rise being built directly in front of them, removing the natural light and views they cherished before.

Shooting all of this has been a lot of fun. Especially capturing the older buildings and architecture. Sometimes the city feels a little small, but throwing the drone up and seeing the landscape and how the new and old buildings interact within the space makes it seem so much larger. With so many streets to walk down and get lost within.