The Ugly Truths Behind Those Instagram-Worthy Travel Photos

Anyone who has an Instagram (IG) account surely follows at least one or two people who have fashionable grids. When I say fashionable, I mean it in many aspects — fashionable backgrounds, themes, clothes, even poses. Such elements are often seen in travel photos of people who take extra effort to ensure their photos are “Instagram-worthy”. At some point, perhaps all of us are guilty of trying to get that IG-worthy photo whenever we travel. But we all take pains just to get it. Here are some ugly truths behind those IG-worthy photos.

Also read: 7 Tips to Improve Your Instagram Travel Grid

1. You’ll get the perfect photo after a hundred attempts

One is never enough. You need a backup photo, and once you get it, you notice that it could have been shot better. So you have your photo taken again and again until you and your photographer are satisfied. Once you upload on Instagram, you realise that you’ll only have to pick one photo out of the hundred shots you took because all the elements and location that compose the picture are the same anyway. Although it’s worth it in your eyes, the idea of repeating that process in the span of your trip isn’t as appealing.

2. You’ll have to wait

Aside from taking a lot of time just to get the perfect photo, travellers often have to wait their turn for other people to clear the area when they want to take a photo in an iconic tourist attraction. If you’re lucky, your turn will come in the blink of an eye, but more often than not, it’s a test of patience. This is definitely an infuriating task for those who don’t like to be kept waiting.

3. People might stare

So you get to the spot where you want to take a photo. Your makeup is on fleek, your clothes look perfect, then you strike your model-like poses and people start staring and turning their heads your way. You shrug it off for the first few minutes, but as you take longer and longer because you want to get the perfect photo, you start to get conscious of the attention you’re getting from random people. Some strangers might even laugh at you and whisper to each other. But that’s what comes with posing “candidly” or working it like a model in a scenic area. You just have to suck it up.

Also read: Travel in Style: 7 Easy & Instagram-Worthy Fashion Pieces for the Summer

4. You might get in the way of other travellers

Remember that wherever you’re taking a photo, other tourists might be waiting to take a photo on the same ideal spot you chose. Aside from that, you may not notice that you’re already blocking the path for passersby or photobombing another traveller’s photos. You could get called out if you’re not careful. None of us seek unwanted attention on our travels, but because we want that IG-worthy photo, unwanted attention is exactly what we get.

5. You won’t always have a good photographer…or be one

What’s even more frustrating is when your travel buddy isn’t good at taking photos and vice versa. When you don’t get the photo you always envisioned in your head, you know it means trouble. This could lead to bitterness, frustration, and ultimately, arguments. Fighting with your friend on a trip that was meant as a bonding experience? Now THAT is ugly.

Also read: Tricks You Can Do If Your Travel Buddy Sucks At Taking Photos Of You

6. It can grow into an obsession

You should never be ashamed of wanting to take IG-worthy photos. It’s your choice, time, energy, and IG grid anyway. Plus, who is to dictate how you take your photos, right? But things can get ugly when you’re driven because of the likes and comments your photos get on IG. The need to post IG-worthy photos turns into a misguided obsession. Don’t let the attention get to your head. They’re only photos, and before they’re for anyone else, they’re for you to safekeep when you look back on them in the future.

7. It’s tiring

Mentally and physically, taking IG-worthy photos is definitely tiring for you and your travel buddy (who’s supposedly your photographer) if you’ve been touring and taking photos in each attraction all day. Rather than simply enjoying your destination for what it is, sometimes you get so preoccupied in taking the perfect photo to the point that the vacation drains you instead of it invigorating you. That’s not the point of travel at all.

Also read: No Travel Photos: Did You Even Travel At All?

It goes without saying that getting an IG-worthy photo entails a lot of work, patience, and even practice that not all travellers can be bothered by. You have to determine for yourself if you’re jumping on this bandwagon because it’s definitely not for everyone.