Exploring the Big Four Ice Caves with @mattbg

To see more photos and videos of the Big Four Ice Caves, explore the Big Four Ice Caves location page.

Two hours outside of Seattle in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, a natural spectacle draws Instagrammers to Big Four Mountain: ice caves. Created from years of cascading water, warm winds and avalanche-deposited snow, the Big Four Ice Caves first attracted Los Angeles Instagrammer Matt Gee (@mattbg) a year ago. As a lover of epic landscapes, Matt immediately knew he had to plan a visit: “This was one place that I absolutely had to see in person. The photos I saw conveyed such an otherworldly and unique landscape.”

"Photographing the caves was an incredible experience. There was a beautiful backdrop of snow-covered mountains and the cascading waterfalls surrounding the caves created an amazing soundtrack for the experience." Capturing the caves’ magnitude was particularly tricky—a problem Matt solved after being drawn to the texture of the cave walls as a backdrop for portraits. "It was really important to have people in my shots to give the photos some scale," Matt says. "It was great to have the subject wearing a pop of color against the cool blues and whites of the walls."

Capturing Graduation Season in South Korea

To see more photos and videos of graduation celebrations in South Korea, browse the #졸업식 (graduation ceremony), #졸업 (graduation), #졸업축하 (congratulating graduation) and #학사모 (mortar board) hashtags on Instagram.

This week, students across South Korea celebrate their graduation as many schools reach the end of their school year. During this season, streets in and around school campuses turn festive with numerous pop-up shops lining sidewalks with flower bouquets, food and party favors to add to the excitement of the joyous day.

With one of the world’s highest high-school-graduation and college-enrollment rates in the world, the schooling environment in the country is extremely competitive, making graduation an especially important milestone in South Korean life. Classmates, family members and extended relatives gather for the celebration, and Instagrammers attending graduation ceremonies are sharing their special moments with the world.

Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPfromwhereiwalk

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes & hashtags chosen by Instagram’s Community Team. For a chance to be featured on the Instagram blog, follow @instagram and look for a post announcing the weekend’s project every Friday.

This weekend’s tag was #WHPfromwhereiwalk, which asked participants to take a creative video looking down as they walk. Every Monday we feature some of our favorite submissions from the project, but be sure to check out the rest here.

Looking Back at the Winter Olympics on Instagram

To view more photos and videos from the Sochi 2014 Closing Ceremony explore the Fisht Olympic Stadium location page and browse the #ClosingCeremony hashtag on Instagram.

On Sunday, the 2014 Winter Olympics officially came to a close. Over the past two weeks athletes from 88 different countries competed in Sochi, Russia, before thousands of fans. Spectators and athletes alike captured some of Sochi 2014’s finest moments, from The Opening Ceremony to life in the Olympic village and from the events themselves to, finally, the Closing Ceremony. The Closing Ceremony celebrated Russia’s rich artistic heritage, with references to Kandinsky and Chagall, music by Rachmaninoff, Rubinstein, and Vladimir Horowitz, as well as Ballet from the Bolshoi. As the games came to an end, Sochi officially passed the torch to South Korea for 2018.

The Week on Instagram | 119

News

• The New York Times: An Instagram Travel Diary
• People: Be Their Valentine: Celebrity Chefs Share Sweet Desserts
• UK Metro: Is Instagram changing the way we see fashion week?

Get Involved

• Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPfromwhereiwalk. View photos from the last project, #WHPinteractivegrams.

Around the Community

• Murmuration in Motion
• Inside the Demonstrations in Venezuela
• Joining “The Wall Club” (#ザ壁部) with @ka_nai

Local Lens: Finding Peace in Tokyo with @hirozzzz

In this series, local Instagrammers show you their favorite places to shoot around where they live. To explore more of Tokyo, follow @hirozzzz on Instagram.

Tokyo Instagrammer Hiroaki Fukuda (@hirozzzz) is one of the many who have fallen in love with the dense crowds that populate the Tokyo cityscape. From the industrial areas of the Tokyo Bay to Tokyo Tower standing in the heart of the city, Tokyo’s dynamic scenery is one-of-a-kind. For Hiroaki, the beautiful constructions found all over the city fuel his creativity on Instagram.

Hiroaki likes to capture places like the tranquil Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and the scenic route of the Yurikamome train line that rides along the Tokyo bay. “I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of what Tokyo would feel like if it was emptier,” he says. “Whether it is an empty train, a passageway, an empty bench in a park or a street in a busy district, I feel like I’m always striving to create a sense of calm in what I know to be one of the most densely populated regions in the world.”

Other locations Hiroaki enjoys shooting are the narrow alleys found in the vibrant districts of Shibuya and Shinjuku, the architecture in Omotesando and Ginza and the chaos of the Tsukiji Fish Market. Even among the hustle and bustle of these places, Hiroaki finds and captures a moment of peace.

The Art of #muttmuggin with @muttadventures

For more photos of mutts in mugs, browse the #muttmuggin hashtag and follow @muttadventures on Instagram.

"Over the last couple of years I have fallen in love with the creative, unique and supportive community on Instagram," says Emily McCracken (@muttadventures), who shares whimsical portraits of her three rescued pups: Gertie the bull terrier, Boston the Dane mix and George the mutt. “It has allowed me to connect with people around the globe.”

Several months ago, Sarah posted a photo of George that would spark a new trend: #muttmuggin. “I was originally inspired when a friend showed me #babymugging photos by the ever talented @mommyshorts,” explains Emily. “The pictures were hilarious and adorable, so naturally I put George (my ‘fur-kid’) inside a mug.”

Since then, hundreds of other canines and their human accomplices have joined in. Interested in giving #muttmuggin a shot? Emily offers these tips:

• "Every dog photographer needs to have three things on hand: a full bag of smelly treats, a nice squeaky toy and a tennis ball (or two). If you make it a fun experience for your pup, she or he will enjoy all the #muttmuggin that you can offer!
• "For me #muttmuggin is all about the pup. Focus in on him or her and try to capture a funny angle, maybe a sideways mug or give a ‘bottoms up’ shot a try. Have fun with it!
• "Try capturing the picture from the dog’s point of view, get down to their level, or set them up on a sofa or bed."

Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPfromwhereiwalk

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes & hashtags chosen by Instagram’s Community Team. For a chance to be featured on the Instagram blog, follow @instagram and look for a post announcing the weekend’s project every Friday.

The goal this weekend is to take a creative video looking down as you walk. Some tips to get you started:

• Hold your phone steady and level to the ground as you walk to avoid shake. If you’re filming with the Instagram camera, make sure Cinema Mode is on for a super stable video.
• Even though you have a fixed perspective, the setting brings your video to life. For example, bare feet walking through a field tell a very different story than high heels walking down a busy city sidewalk.
• Keep your ears open as you shoot! Whether it’s traffic rushing past, voices in the background or the sound of the ocean, the sounds around you add context to your film.

PROJECT RULES: Please only add the #WHPfromwhereiwalk hashtag to videos taken over this weekend and only submit your own videos to the project. Any image taken then tagged over the weekend is eligible to be featured right here Monday morning!

Behind the InstaMeet: @jpanleu, Guatemala City

In this series, we hear from the Instagrammers organizing InstaMeets in different parts of the world. To view more photos and videos from the first major InstaMeet in Guatemala, browse the #InstaMeetGT hashtag and follow @jpanleu on Instagram.

For Guatemala Instagrammer José Pablo Anleu (@jpanleu), the people he follows on Instagram are a constant source of inspiration, helping him to develop his own eye as a photographer and expand his worldview. Inspired by the communities around the world he saw gather for InstaMeets, José decided to gather Guatemala Instagrammers together and kickstart an Instagram community just in time for the eighth Worldwide InstaMeet.

Inspiration

"I stumbled upon fellow Guatemalan Instagrammer Carlos Castañeda (@monodelespacio), met him in person and found a great friend to go and shoot with. We started going out and taking shots and had so much fun in the process that we wanted to replicate this in a bigger scale. Back then Instagram was barely being adopted around here, so we started putting together a bigger group with our friends, and it all started from there—the desire to nurture a creative community—because what makes Instagram beautiful is the human factor. That’s what draws me to Instameets, the people, many of whom I call friends now.

"Our Instameets are also our way to showcase Guatemala to the world—its people, sights and warmth. It’s our way of putting Guatemala on the map for the world to see and appreciate as much as we do."

Organization

"For our big meetup, we wanted to bring people to a historic place. Thanks to the support from local authorities, we decided upon Edificio de Correos, The National Postal Service central, which is a historic place and national landmark as the perfect place to explore.

"Before this meet, we had a small test run, exploring El Barretal, a coffee farm and ecotourism site, with a small group of friends using #chasingwaterfallsIM just in time for the #WWIM8. We had so much fun that we knew we had to take this experience to the next level.

"Then came our Edificio de Correos meet. To have access to such a beautiful building was unprecedented. The meet went exceptionally well. Being that it was the first big InstaMeet, we were nervous about the attendance—we honestly expected around 30 people, and to our surprise, over 140 Guatemalan Instagrammers joined us that day! To meet the faces behind the usernames was the best part, to share in person, laugh and go crazy together. Instagrammers as young as 13 years old to professionals of every field, we all shared an afternoon of good talks and awesome ‘grams."

Reflection

After his first two events, José Pablo has a few pieces of advice to share with those planning InstaMeets of their own:

• Plan ahead and keep creativity in mind: “Planning ahead of time and getting all permits if they are necessary is definitely needed. That will guarantee a smooth experience without any setbacks. Getting support from local authorities to have access to otherwise out-of-boundaries locations will get people excited to go somewhere few have gone and get great images. That provided, spontaneity will take over. Just make sure the locations have enough visual richness to frame the creativity of a group of visually hungry Instagrammers!”
• Have the community spread the word: “The best way to spread the word about an InstaMeet is through the people! InstaMeets are for the Instagram community and by the Instagram community so reach out to your local Instagram family to help spread the word! Word of mouth is powerful.
• Put people first: “Something I learned from this meet is that community is first on Instagram. The pictures are beautiful evidence to the good times shared with like-minded individuals.

José Pablo also made a short film documenting the first Guatemala InstaMeet. See it below and check out our InstaMeet Documentaries channel on Vimeo for films from other InstaMeets around the world.

Exploring the Nelson Mandela Statue in Pretoria

To see more photos and videos of the new Nelson Mandela statue, explore the Union Buildings location page.

In Pretoria, South Africa, a statue of the former president Nelson Mandela stands out across the skyline. The statue was unveiled on South Africa’s Day of Reconciliation, a public holiday which marks the end of racial conflict in South Africa, shortly after Mandela passed away at the age of 95.

Standing nine meters (30 feet) tall in front of the Union Buildings at the government headquarters, the bronze statue shows Mandela’s hands outstretched to show how he embraced the whole nation. Sculptors Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren also hid a bronze rabbit in Mandela’s ear, symbolizing the haste with which they took to finish the statue.