( CNN ) -- Time has effectively stood still in the Ukrainian city of Pripyat , which was evacuated in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion . At the time of the disaster during the Soviet era , about 49,000 people lived in Pripyat , located less than two miles from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant . They left behind schools , homes , factories , parks and gyms that have remained largely undisturbed for the past 30 years . Armed with a camera and a dosimeter Geiger counter , cinematographer Danny Cooke explored the remains of Pripyat and Chernobyl . He pieced the footage together in a three-minute video that boasts drone footage of sweeping shots of abandoned buildings and parks . He also photographed building interiors on foot , capturing haunting scenes of empty schools and homes . Cooke visited Pripyat and Chernobyl in June while working for CBS News on a `` 60 Minutes '' episode . He created the video to showcase his camerawork from the shoot for his portfolio . Postcards from Pripyat , Chernobyl from Danny Cooke on Vimeo . It was his first time there , though he has memories of Chernobyl 's effect on his family living in Italy at the time . `` The nuclear dust clouds swept westward towards us . The Italian police went round and threw away all the local produce and my mother rushed out to purchase as much tinned milk as possible to feed me , her infant son , '' he said . `` It caused so much distress hundreds of miles away , so I ca n't imagine how terrifying it would have been for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens who were forced to evacuate . '' The visit was a life-changing experience , he said . `` It 's very hard to explain , however , I feel different from when I set foot into the zone to when I left . My perspective of life changed slightly , '' he said in an email to CNN . `` On approaching the zone , I was aware that radiation is an invisible sensation but regardless my body reacted in a psychological way . My brain was telling me that perhaps I 'd made the wrong choice and this was n't such a good idea , '' he said . `` It was too late to go back now , but I 'll never regret ever entering the zone . The sight of the school canteen floor in Pripyat will be something I will never forget in my lifetime . What the evacuees must have gone through is unthinkable . '' More : The city Chernobyl built .
Filmmaker uses drone camera to capture remains of Italy and nearby city of Soviet . Cooke visited the area for work on 60 Minutes '' The visit changed his `` perspective of life , '' Danny Cooke said .