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Saturday, June 20, 2015

The exquisite beauty of India seen through Instagram

IMAGE: LAUREN BATH

Lauren Bath, who says she was the first person in Australia to claim the title of professional Instagrammer, recently traveled to India, where she captured some amazing shots of the people, the architecture and the landscapes.

SEE ALSO: 20 photos that show the exquisite beauty of America's National Parks

It's not uncommon for a photographer to show off her work on Instagram. But for Bath, it was the other way around: She didn't buy a "real" camera until after she started an Instagram account and begun to post photos taken with her iPhone.

Bath, who had never before been to India, went on the trip for Intrepid Travel: "It was a destination I had wanted to visit for a very long time," she told Mashable. "For some reason it kept not happening."

As for what she ended up photographing, Bath said she had no master plan.

"I never research my destination — I always like to arrive and see what takes my fancy when I'm there," she said.

One of the many highlights of the trip, she said, was a stay in northern India, in a more rural area outside Jaipur. "We stayed in a palace, that still has a royal family living in it, and they take in guests to earn money."

Check out the photos for some of the amazing sights Bath Instagrammed:

So I have something pretty cool to share - I just got to INDIA! I'm doing a really different job working with @IntrepidTravel ! This means that although I'm in India I'm also promoting the company as a whole and so far I'm really impressed. I'm with a group of 7 and a trip leader who's a local! Intrepid is super affordable too so it's well within many peoples reach! So go at me - what do you want to see in India and what do you want to know about Intrepid? #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
I didn't shoot as many portraits in India as I thought I would, we were always busy busy and I felt a little shy asking sometimes. This woman was in the cow shed when we were exploring the palace we stayed at in Karauli and she was inviting me in with her eyes! @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
Now this is the photography that I love, just simple moments captured in travel. I took this shot of a big basket of chapati being prepared for the congregation at a Sikh temple. Sikh followers are commonly characterized by wearing turbans and, in the older days, carrying swords. My group had access to the kitchens and a couple of the girls joined the locals to roll out dough, I looked for the light. ;) @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
What's the point of going to India and visiting awesome palaces if you can't take a mirror selfie?! Lol. This was also shot at the Karauli City Palace which was a total favorite for me. Incidentally we also stayed in a palace, a real palace with a royal family still in residence!

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
A very good morning from New Delhi! Today I'm catching the train to Jaipur and come tonight I should be watching a Bollywood movie in one of India's most famous cinemas. India is not going to be a destination for landscapes, more for people and food and chaos! I hope that you guys like seeing something a little different from me! @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
This is the view of the Taj Mahal as seen from the Agra Fort. I loved the story of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan who died here imprisoned by his own son. Shah was the emperor responsible for building the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his favorite wife and he spent his last days with this view of his beloved. Upon his death his daughter had him buried at the Taj Mahal alongside his wife. The graves are below ground with replicas housed in the main area but I got to see the real deal! @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
I've got one more shot to post of the Taj Mahal and this is the "classic" shot, straight down the line! On the day I went it was free entry so the place was absolutely packed! After I was done shooting I managed to sneak in a quick FaceTime to my Dreamboat and my parents and got to show them the Taj Mahal in all its glory, how easy has technology made staying in touch? @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
Good morning from India! This is a shot of the Taj Mahal as you enter the site, the first glimpse you get. I was awed in this corridor and spent ages getting this shot before moving forward. Yesterday I learned that the Taj Mahal was never built to be lived in or to serve any other function than that as a mausoleum for the ruling Mughal's deceased wife. Later his daughter saw to it that he was buried there too which was never originally the plan and the reason the Taj now houses two graves. Fascinating! @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
Who wants to know what the Taj Mahal really looks like? I took this shot because I rarely see a close up like this and the details in the building are gorgeous! The sun sets in the west and lights up that side beautifully. @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
If anyone really wants to know what an Intrepid trip is like this shot kind of sums it up for me. Intrepid really help you to get amongst it by providing a mix of group activities and plenty of down time to go off and do your own thing. In Jaipur I went for sunrise with Jo, the writer, and Charissa, one of our group members, and we had a wonderful morning. Since we weren't quite in position for a full sunrise I chose to capture this moment instead. A group of cows were heading past and as Jo put her hand out they each in turn came and gave her a sloppy kiss. The cows really are sacred here and they really are everywhere. @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
I just want to take a second to talk about something important, animal tourism. I photographed this elephant yesterday at the Amber Fort so that I could broach the subject of animal tourism. While this elephant looks beautiful, it's being used for tourist rides every day. Intrepid Travel is one of the very few tourism brands in the world that discourage the riding of elephants and visiting animal attractions that may compromise the welfare of the animal. They invested in research that shows that often the treatment of captive elephants in tourism is cruel and unnatural to the animals. As a responsible tour company they advocate for animal friendly activities instead. It's important to realize that riding elephants, such as this one, doesn't make you a bad person but everyone should be aware of the repercussions to the animals before they make that decision, they belong in the wild! I'm posting a link to their blog post on the subject for those that are interested. I'm so proud to be working for a company after my own heart when it comes to animal protection! @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
I'm sure you've noticed that my photography from India was very different to my usual style and I have to say - I LOVED IT! I especially enjoyed the challenge of working with daytime light as I was rarely in a great position for sunrises and sunsets and the smog can greatly impact them anyway. I shot this at a temple in New Delhi. @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
Good morning from INDIA! I know that I totally suck at symmetry shots but I still like this and in my defense nothing really lined up at all! This was shot in New Delhi whilst out and about exploring. Local time is 4:45AM and I'm heading out for my first sunrise shoot. I hope it's nice out, I can hear lots of birds chirping! @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
Someone asked me to share a photo of the renovations at the city palace in Karauli so this one is by special request. This is the roof in one of my favorite rooms and I think I actually lined it all up symmetrically! @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
Argh, I can't thank you all enough for the overwhelmingly positive response to my last post, it can be hard to talk about the important things sometimes! Here's another one from my early morning outing yesterday, an awesome switch back road spotted from the Tiger Fort and looking over Jaipur. India is incredibly beautiful. @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM
Alrighty, at long last I have been shooting some landscapes! This morning I headed out for sunrise with a couple of the girls in my Intrepid group. We went to the Tiger Fort in Jaipur but I was shooting in and around it since it wasn't open yet, still absolutely worth it! I snared this shot from the road on the way back to the hotel. It's the Jal Mahal, "water palace" and it's kind of gorgeous! @IntrepidTravel #IntrepidTravel

IMAGE: @LAURENEPBATH ON INSTAGRAM

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The unbearable appeal of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

IMAGE: ADAM SCHWEIGERT

BY JESSICA PLAUTZ

Established in 1934, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park attracts as many as 10 million visitors a year.

The name is no mystery to those who have been — most days the skies over the mountains are covered by a smoky blue haze. The park's 800 square miles, stretching from Tennessee to North Carolina, includes the highest peak on the East Coast and a rich and complicated history.

SEE ALSO: 20 photos that show the exquisite beauty of America's National Parks

Also, there are black bears. And that means, depending on the time of year, there are baby black bears.

I could tell you more about the park, but wouldn't you rather look at a baby bear — spotted in May of this year — instead? Let's do both.

Even before the park, the mountains were a popular destination for travelers because of the mountain climate and natural springs.

"Early lodging establishments introduced people to the beauty of the Smokies, who spread the word which led to the national park movement," Carroll McMahan, local historian and special projects facilitator at the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce, told Mashable.

Sevierville is one of the small towns, near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, on the northern side of the park.

Combined, the three towns welcome almost 15,000,000 visitors annually, according to Amanda Marr, marketing director at the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. Easy access to the park has made the region a tremendous tourism success.

While typical tourist attractions are a big focus for development, the region also promotes its natural resources — like ample wildlife — as a big draw.

Biologists estimate about 1,500 bears live in the park, according to the National Park Service.

That's almost two bears per square mile of the park, making sightings common. The park service is tasked with keeping bears (and humans) safe, so warnings about the animals are even more common.

If you spot a bear in the park, remember: They're best observed from afar. It's not only dangerous to get close to a black bear, it's illegal to intentionally get closer than 50 yards.

More about the beginnings of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: