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Is the Online Photography Community Toxic?

15 Feb

The post Is the Online Photography Community Toxic? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.

is the online photography community toxic?

Is the online photography community toxic? It certainly feels like it sometimes.

There seems to be a lot of toxicity to go around right now – and not just in photography.

Every time I look at social media these days, things get angry very quickly. You only have to look at anything political on Twitter and it generally takes just a few tweets before everything descends into accusations and hatred. 

When I look at the photography groups I follow, I’m sad to say I tend to find similar issues. Not in every group, but you only have to look at news of any camera release before things generally descend into tribalism:

“My brand is way better! What were they thinking? This is garbage!”

And my personal favorite:

“You call yourself a professional with opinions like that?”

Sometimes it’s easy to drop the popcorn meme and sit back and enjoy the fireworks. But it does make me question whether there is value in staying in these groups and reading these sites (and comment threads). For pretty much all of us, photography is a hobby that some of us have been lucky enough to turn into our career.

So we need to think about why the photography community can be so toxic.

And we need to ask ourselves:

How can we do better?

Why are online communities toxic?

There any many in-depth essays from people way more qualified than I who have looked into this. It tends to boil down to the fact that not looking in someone’s eyes when you are talking to them removes inhibitions. There is no person and no feelings to be seen, just text on a screen.

That, combined with the ability to hide behind a username, gives people the power to be the vilest version of themselves without consequence. 

It’s hard not to retaliate when faced with somebody sniping at you, whether you’re talking online or in person. However, what makes things harder is the fact that, when talking online, we lose the subtlety of delivery and expression.

I am sure everyone reading this has received an email, got the tone completely wrong, and sent a blunt reply. Our ability to articulate through speech is much more advanced and allows for many more subtleties than the written word.

This inability to read tone can get amplified when people from different backgrounds and cultures clash. The internet is worldwide, and as such, cultural differences can be misunderstood and can lead to innocent comments being taken the wrong way.

Finally, we need to take into account the stresses of real life. These days, we tend to lead less social lives. We work longer hours in incredibly stressful jobs where we cannot always say what we want to due to the repercussions.

So we need an outlet for our frustration.

Each of us responds in a different way. For some, it may be going for a run, whereas others may blast away their stresses on the latest first-person shooter video game.

But some people haven’t found a healthy outlet for their frustration, and the release of their anger occurs in online conversations.

With photography, every discussion tends to have two opposite viewpoints. And so, depending on the way your brain is wired, you may struggle to see other community members’ points of view.

Let me explain what I mean in the next section:

crooked horizon boat image
The horizon is crooked. What a joke! Idiot!

Two schools of thought: technical and artistic

Have you ever seen someone from an arts background make conversation with someone from an academic background?

It’s usually very awkward, and both individuals will struggle to find some common ground.

Because while artists tend to deal with unquantifiable factors such as feeling and emotion, academics prefer to work with facts and theory.

Photography, however, is the point at which science and art meet. This brings in two distinct schools of thought – which tend to be polar opposites of each other.

Those who prefer the academic side of photography enjoy technical perfection. The fact that engineers made sensors with the ability to capture so much detail and lenses that are so amazingly sharp is fascinating to them. They look at composition based on mathematical formulae, and past this, they may struggle to make sense of their art.

On the other hand, there are artistic photographers. Those who like lenses that have character, those who do not mind blur in photographs. Those for whom the feeling and the moment are the keys to the perfect photograph, not how sharp it is or whether it follows the golden ratio.

These photographers feel the confines of technology should not stop them from capturing the perfect moment.

Who is right in this argument depends on where you sit on the scale. Without getting too psychological about it, people generally fall into one of two character types: academic or creative. This is due to the makeup of each person’s brain and goes some way toward explaining these differing schools of thought and why people don’t see eye to eye.

In other words:

People are approaching the same problem from different angles.

But this doesn’t explain why there can be so many arguments about photography brands. For this, we need to look at sports teams and the problems of tribalism. 

Is the online photo community toxic?
What the hell is this?! Are you trying to be Banksy or something?

Tribalism

Tribalism is clearly present in sports. But is it also rife in photography?

As photographers, we tend to find a brand that we like, and we stick with it. If the company (and their marketing team) do their job properly, we become loyal to that brand.

Now, we invest a lot in photography from an emotional standpoint. We all know that feeling when you get a shot that turns out better than you expected. It releases the same chemicals in the brain as when your favorite sports team scores.

And the camera you used to take the photograph becomes your team. Your investment in the camera (both emotionally and financially) means it plays a part in your victories.

Ultimately, your camera brand becomes part of your photography and therefore part of you.

Canon EOS R5
They should have called it the H5 for “hot.” Canon sucks!

Over time, this can lead to tribalism. You love your brand, your brand has helped you in many photographic victories, and in many cases, it has been with you since your youth. So hearing someone talk badly about the brand you shoot with becomes associated with them talking badly about you. You feel the need to defend yourself and your team.

We also tend to surround ourselves with people who love the same brands that we do, which reinforces our opinions. Canon users frequent Canon groups, where Canon is the best and everyone else sucks. The same with Sony, with Nikon, and with every brand. This leads to our opinions becoming reinforced by those we surround ourselves with, cementing the inevitable tribalism. 

No brand seems to personify this tribalism more than Sony. If Sony were a football team (or soccer, depending on where you’re from), it would be Manchester United – a team with incredibly adoring fans, but that is also despised by many others.

I have wasted too much of my life reading comment sections of Sony releases (and every brand!) that erupt into arguments about how much Sony rules or Sony sucks. Each time fans attack, then defend their side until the final whistle. 

However, unlike sports, these arguments always end in a draw. Nobody wins, nobody loses. It just creates a deeper rivalry between those on either side of the argument and increases tensions for the next meeting. 

Also, when you’ve invested thousands into a system, you don’t want to feel like you’ve made the wrong decision. You need to be secure in the knowledge that you have made the right choice, which leads nicely to my next point:

Sony a7S
Do Sony users have their own chant yet?

Insecurity

It’s scary to put something that you are so passionate about out into the world.

Sharing a photograph you are proud of is like putting a part of yourself out there for people to talk about. And to have people pick your photo apart can be soul-destroying. It can feel like people are saying that they don’t like you

How people deal with this critique differs. Some people get depressed and withdraw. Others don’t take criticism very well and lash out toward those giving the critique. It depends on the person, their mood, and a multitude of factors that, quite frankly, are none of anyone else’s business.

A photo similar to yours getting more likes doesn’t mean anything. Unfortunately, thanks to social media, we are now conditioned to associate likes with validation.

Personally, I feel this is shallow, meaningless, and only serves to stroke the ego rather than nourish the soul. However, some see likes and positive comments as the holy grail of photography. It all comes back to our cultural values and our personal belief system.

Art is subjective by nature; remember, we are allowed to have different opinions. It’s not a bad thing to disagree with other people, but it is important that you respect other opinions. It is okay to agree to disagree.

And always try to remember:

Different is good.

Otherwise, there would only be one camera brand, one style of photography, one editing style. It’s also fine to be passionate and argue your case, but always keep it civil. Your bad day, boredom, and whatever else you have going on have nothing to do with your “opponent” or their creativity. 

Remember that ripping something to pieces just to make yourself feel better is a pretty lousy way to interact with other people.

Which brings me to my final point:

Autumn Leaf
It’s just a nice-colored leaf. It sucks, right? I mean, how many leaf photos does one article need?

Some people are simply not very nice

All groups have people that are amazing, kind, and like helping others out.

Unfortunately, all groups also contain people who are simply not nice.

And these are the ones who make the online photography community toxic.

There is nothing much you can do about it, apart from blocking those who you simply cannot agree with and trying not to let them bother you. Life is too short.

For some, going online to try and get a reaction from people is almost like a sport. And what better place to spark a reaction than a creative space where people are giving something of themselves?

seagull on a cloudy day
A seagull! Jeez, you can’t even find a rare bird of prey to photograph. Give up as a bird photographer!

What’s it like having to moderate all of this?

While websites and forums may seem full of hate, remember that there are moderators behind these pages trying their hardest to make people’s experience the best it can be.

I caught up with Simon, who moderates the Digital Photography School Facebook page and works with other camera companies’ social media, to see what it is like trying to keep a photography community a nice place for users to interact. 

Here’s our exchange:

Can you describe your job and how it works?

I’ve been a social media/community manager for about 12 years now – 10 full time, and part-time for the two prior. I manage all aspects of social media, from content creation to community management to customer support.

Have things gotten better or worse over that time?

When Digital Photography School was in its infancy, I was working in the VBulletin forums that we had back then. I don’t think things have become particularly worse or better. I think, ever since people had a platform where they could speak their mind with little (to them) consequence, we’ve seen people talking without thinking.

How much toxicity do you deal with on a day-to-day basis in your work?

I see negativity on many levels every day: commentary on politics and religion, right through to “your horizon is crooked, are you stupid?” The sad part of what I see is that, with minor wording changes in the photography space, I think there’s potential for a lot less online anger and toxicity. From “Your horizon’s crooked, idiot!” to “I wonder how this photo would look if you straightened up that horizon?”

What is the most common thing that sparks arguments/toxicity in your experience?

In my opinion, insensitivity is what sparks most negative sentiment online. From insulting someone’s photography skills to insulting their way of life, we never can know what someone’s going through on the other end of that interaction; someone has a bad day and takes a comment badly, and up and up it goes until someone’s very upset. I see it daily. 

Do you feel that photography is better or worse than other communities for this type of behavior?

I feel like photography is similar to any other, but I’ve always asked myself why. (I mean, I feel like I know the answer! We are making our vision come to life through photography, and when someone leaves an insensitive comment, we respond passionately…)

As someone who sees the worst of the photography community, does it depress you how bad it has become? Do you tend to avoid parts of the community due to this?

It does depress me. Obviously, it’s a little different for me than I guess most people, as it’s my job to wade into those conversations where it has an impact on a community that I manage or a brand that I manage, so I can’t avoid it. If I were a reader or contributor in one of our groups or on the blog, after seeing the conversations that I have seen spiral out of control so many times, I’d teach myself to have patience with people and to skip through threads that made me angry or sad; life is too short for that stuff! 

What one thing would you ask of dPS readers when they are posting comments that could be considered obnoxious/rude/toxic?

I don’t want to ever control people’s commentary on a topic; sometimes I need to close and remove threads or give people little “timeouts.” But I’d ask that, if they were replying to something that made them angry, to maybe take a minute and think through what is happening in that thread; find a different way to respond. Don’t use incendiary phrases like “You’re an idiot!” It never achieves anything. Be kind. 

Blurry Seascape
You didn’t use a tripod for a long exposure?! How can you call yourself a photographer?

How can we do better?

To conclude, I wanted to find a way to try and help the photography community. After many hours of thought, I came up with four simple words you should think about before you post to a website. They are as follows:

Don’t be a jerk!

I hope that helps.

Now over to you:

How do you feel about the photography community? Do you think that things are pretty toxic? How does that make you feel, and what can be done to make things better? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Is the Online Photography Community Toxic? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.


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DPR Community Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S20/S20+/S20 Ultra

26 Jun

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Mobile imaging technology is evolving dramatically with each new year, new model and often each new software update released to the public. That’s part of the reason why we’ve enlisted our readers to help us better understand their capabilities in a wide range of photographic situations. We asked DPR members to share their photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra for this purpose, as well as to offer a chance to show off their best shots.

We’ve been delighted to see all of the photos submitted – over 250 total – and have selected just a few of our favorites here. Thanks to all who shared their photos and participated! We hope to continue to involve our users’ input and photography as we learn more about these fascinating devices in the months and years to come.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Call for submissions: Samsung Galaxy S20/S20+ community sample gallery

10 Jun

We’re looking for more ways to showcase our readers’ photography and at the same time, to see how the complex technologies that power smartphone cameras behave in a wide range of situations. That’s why we’re calling on all Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20+ owners to send us your favorite images you’ve taken with either device – they may be included as part of DPR’s first-ever community-powered sample gallery. By curating a gallery of images from our readership, we get to learn more about these devices and show off the work of our talented readers. Win-win.

To participate, upload images taken with either the Galaxy S20 or Galaxy S20+ to your DPR gallery and tag them with s20-gallery. Selected images will be featured in a story on our front page and will be seen by tens-of-thousands of your fellow readers.

Upload your Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20+ images for consideration

A little fine print – images should be uploaded at full resolution with minimal (if any) processing. The standard terms and conditions of our gallery system apply:

We respect your copyright and intellectual property. By uploading your image to your gallery you agree to allow dpreview to host, link to and subsequently display the image on our website for the purpose of providing the service. Images marked as public may appear on the gallery home page and other gallery widgets from time to time. We acknowledge the copyright and ownership of the image remains yours, and you represent and warrant that you are the sole owner of all intellectual property rights in the image.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Adobe Announces $1M Community Fund to Aid Artists During Pandemic

05 May

The post Adobe Announces $ 1M Community Fund to Aid Artists During Pandemic appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Adobe community fund creative residency

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Adobe has announced a new Creative Residency Community Fund, designed to “help visual creators stay on track and achieve their dreams.”

The Fund is an offshoot of Adobe’s annual Creative Residency program, which supports several artists over the course of a year. But creatives have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, leading Adobe to look for additional ways to support artists in need.

And so the Creative Residency Community Fund was born. With the support of the Fund, artists can undertake a project of their own or complete a project commissioned by Adobe.

Adobe Community Fund

The Fund has been given $ 1 million USD to offer creatives support through mid-2021. Several application deadlines have been established over the next year, and artists will be notified on a rolling basis of their acceptance into the program.

Successful applicants will receive a sum between $ 500 USD and $ 5000 USD to support the project. Applicants will also receive a Creative Cloud membership, in addition to “career guidance workshops.”

For those who are interested in applying, the details can be found on the Adobe website. Note that you must specify up-front whether you’d like to be considered for the personal project or the commissioned project. Your application will ultimately go before a selection committee, which will determine both the success of your application and the funds you’ll be allotted.

Creatives can apply from all over the world, though Adobe does require English proficiency (excepting Japanese applicants). Applicants must also be 18 years or older.

As for the type of project that will be successfully funded:

Adobe explains that they “always consider great projects of all types if they showcase Creative Cloud capabilities,” but will focus on:

  • Video
  • Photography
  • Photo art
  • Graphic design
  • Illustration
  • 3D
  • Motion design
  • Product or interface design

So if you’re a creative that’s looking to complete a new project, go ahead and apply! The first application deadline is June 1st, though you’ll also have an opportunity to apply in September 2020, December 2020, and March 2021.

The post Adobe Announces $ 1M Community Fund to Aid Artists During Pandemic appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Chaos, color, and community: 10 days in India

08 Dec

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Photographer and Resource Travel writer Brandon Cunningham recently embarked on a long-awaited photographic journey. After 36 hours of travel, he arrived in India for a soul-affirming 10-day trip with the non-profit The Giving Lens—an organization that empowers local communities and their youth by encouraging them to pursue their creative aspiration.

Cunningham describes his experience in an article on Resource Travel, bringing us along on a travel photography trip that clearly left an indelible mark.

India was everything and more than I imagined. I prepared for what seemed like forever, but all of the preparation in the world could have made me ready for the connections, love, and inspiration that I gained in this complicated and beautiful country.

[…]

While reading, talking and watching motion pictures provide some insight to the visiting community, until you put your feet on the ground, breathe in the local aromas and watch life unfold in front of your camera, there is simply no preparation for the joy and overwhelming appreciation of being welcomed into homes, families and communities.

We’ve included a small selection of the colorful and chaotic photos Cunningham returned with at the top of this post. To see more and read all of his thoughts on the journey, head over to Resource Travel where a full 45-photo gallery awaits.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Why to Consider Doing Photography Related Volunteering in Your Community

13 Feb

There is so much power in photography, as the old adage goes: A picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine if you did more than just create a photograph? Imagine if you taught a generation of people how to tell a story with a camera? Would you?

I have, and find it terribly rewarding! Well perhaps not an entire generation, but I have worked with some awesome teenagers in the Seattle area. Let me just say, it’s truly wonderful to see what can happen when you work with young curious minds.

I have mentored with a Seattle area non-profit, Youth In Focus whose mission is to empower urban youth, through photography, to experience their world in new ways and to make positive choices for their lives.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Youth In Focus offers film and digital photography classes at different levels; this includes a full darkroom and a digital lab. It’s a kind of after-school program, providing a lot of these kids an opportunity to have a creative outlet that may not be available to them through their schools. Students are issued a camera, film/media and receive assignments weekly. There are also field trips to local museums and even photowalks.

One of our outings was at Pike Place Market in Seattle. Some of the kids in the group hadn’t been to the market before, this made for a great opportunity to see the market as well for them to have access to us while taking photographs, real time. The bonus was that we teachers and mentors take photos too.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

During my time with Youth in Focus, I worked with three different groups of students. Each group was amazing and entertaining too! The best moments are a round table discussion of each student’s images. Every week they select, edit, and print their favourite image from the previous week’s assignment. They may ask for guidance in selecting that image, especially in the beginning of the classes, as they’re just learning. You’ll find the best way to help them is to ask questions about the story they’re trying to tell or how they believe the composition could be better, etc. The goal is to get them talking about it, get them involved.

Connecting with the students via the art they’re creating is so powerful; seeing their improvement each week makes you proud. You’re excited for what’s to come and where they’re going to take it. It’s an experience not yet matched by any work I’ve done in my professional life. Perhaps if I were a full-time teacher I’d feel that, every day. I imagine you’ll get as much, if not more out of the experience if you try it.

At the end of each quarter the kids select their best one or two images to display as a part of an open house show. There’s a potluck dinner, and a gallery of images to view from each class. It’s so impressive to see what these kids create.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Now you’re thinking, “Wow! I want to do that, I want to help kids and teach photography!” but then you think, “I don’t have the time” or perhaps, “I’m not a teacher”. That’s okay, you don’t have to be a teacher, you just need to have a desire to share the knowledge you already possess. As for time, if you really want to do it, you can you can make it happen. I did, and will again.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Other challenges may be that there’s not a program like this in your city. Do a little research to see if you can find one, or reach out to a local high school and see if you could collaborate with them to put one together. I’d be willing to bet you can find other photographers in your area that would help you make it happen. If you’re in New York City, check out NYC Salt, which offers a similar mission for youth there.

If for some reason you can’t find the time to invest in such an opportunity, but you still want to be involved, you might consider making some sort of donation; old cameras, photo equipment, or of course good old hard cash. These kinds of groups are always in need of cameras, film, memory cards, rechargeable batteries and the like. Youth In Focus uses eBay to sell equipment that is donated but can’t be used in the classroom, then puts that money back into the classrooms.

Working with a non-profit like Youth In Focus or NYC Salt are not the only options. There are projects like Help Portrait, founded by Jeremy Cowart and Kyle Chowning, or The Giving Lens founded by Colby Brown. Those are just a couple, there are so many opportunities available, you just have to seek them out.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

There is great joy in giving back to your community, it’s challenging, educational, and it fills up your heart.

Are you ready?! Get out there and make it happen!

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The post Why to Consider Doing Photography Related Volunteering in Your Community by Kate Hailey appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Vertical City Farming: Undulating Mixed-Use Urban Community

12 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

urban farming city concept

Designed to provide a spaces for public gardening as well as senior living, this hybrid complex has a rich array of green roofs, terraces and facades allowing for locally-grown produce as well as civic interaction.

urban farm terrace plan

urban farm gardening community

Responding to the fact that by 2030 a full 20% of Singapore’s population will be retirement-aged, SPARK Architects sought to address high-density housing, sustainable architecture and urban agriculture in this complex.

urban farm design concept

urban farm walkway singapore

The layered concept involves ground-level farms and gardens open to the citizenry as well as individual, upper-level plots that retired persons can work at their leisure.

urban farming design section

urban farming aquaponics module

urban farming design diagram

Further, “the environmental sustainability and efficiency of ‘Home Farm’ [is] enhanced by proposed features such as the collection of rainwater, for use in aquaponic systems, and the use of plant waste for energy production.”

urban farm ground floor

urban farm undulating form

The curvilinear master plan provides maximum sun exposure and variegated views throughout the complex, encouraging residents to walk around to exercise, interact with neighbors and experience a diverse set of internal and city views.

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Social Structure: Apartment Tower Fosters Community Creation

24 Aug

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

social apartment complex balconies

Tall residential complexes often share very little common space, leading to a relatively solitary living experience despite the density of dwellings – this design aims to change that paradigm dramatically.

social interaction building

Indeed, helping people get to know their neighbors the driving concept behind this building in Antwerp, Belgium, where similar units are clustered around shared balconies and gardens.

social structure community interactions

Communal dining, rooftop deck, bike repair and indoor green spaces also encourage further interaction, increasing opportunities for chance encounters. As Black Swan author Nassim Nicholas Taleb writes, “This makes living in big cities invaluable because you increase the odds of serendipitous encounters — you gain exposure to the envelope of serendipity”

social housing site plan

Designed by C.F. Møller Architects and Brut Architecture and Urban Design, the idea is to increase interactions both within smaller sets of apartments and throughout the complex.

social building site section

All of this is meant to help residents form bonds more quickly, beyond the one-off greetings in elevators and periodic meetings in one-per-building community rooms.

social urban design strategy

The conceptual intent is also cleverly legible on the exterior of the building, with a facade that is broken down into different sections to create a series of scales showing small individual units and collections thereof within the framework of the larger structure.

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Rural Urbanism: Forest Community of One-Pole Tree Houses

06 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

treehouse model

Pristine nature versus urban development seem ever at war, but this designer proposes a low-impact, small-footprint approach for cross-kingdom co-habitation between people and trees.

treehouse community rendering example

treehouse forest close up

Konrad Wójcik of Aalborg, Denmark has modeled his design on the shape and functions of trees, envisioning a forest where these living modules are found interspersed within existing organic ecosystems rather than displacing them.

treehouse impact study diagram

treehouse elevation plan inspiration

treehouses situated in forest

tree house presentation

He notes that “for most of the animals, trees are the best natural shelters against predators, moisture and weather. Coincidence? We must remember that in nature nothing is accidental. Everything has a reason and a purpose. It all balance out.”

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Rural Urbanism Forest Community Of One Pole Tree Houses

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Bunker City: Underground Suburb for Survivalist Community

02 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

survivalist subterranean community space

Preparing for doomsday means going solo for some, but most see survival needs including some sort of micro-society, be it for mutual defense and cooperation or, in the most extreme cases, perhaps even repopulating a devastated planet.

Instead of individual bomb shelters, Terra Vivos is working to create a series of autonomous communities around the world in underground complexes made to withstand anything from a 20-megaton nuclear blast or 1,250-degree fire to 450-mph winds or a magnitude-10 earthquake.

bunker city communal shelter

The locations of these individual bunkers are kept secret for obvious reasons, and each is being outfitted with enough food, water, clothing, fuel and medicine to survive a year in their subterranean spaces, as well as frozen seed banks, animal and human DNA, all to grow food, recreate lost species and/or provide genetic diversification as needed. And, of course, there is a wine vault.

survival bunker shelter design

survival shared living spaces

Their ultimate goal is to provide thousands of units ranging from Economy to Luxury class, all to a limited set of pre-screened individuals (vetted for psychological attributes as well as practical skills) at prices as low as $ 25,000 – arguably a lot of money, but perhaps not so much if you really believe the world as we know it is about to end. Of course, even with space for thousands, less than one in a million people would be saved should the worst come to pass.

unit floor plans

underground bunk floor plan

For those looking to learn more, a quick glance at their sitemap provides a lot of fascinating material for further reading, with pages about various kinds of natural disaster and prevalent conspiracies, on the one hand, to nuts-and-bolts issues like security, secrecy, air supplies and pet policies on the other.

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