Underwater Dancing in Greece with @laliou

For more photos and videos from Valia’s underwater adventures, follow @laliou on Instagram.

“I think all underwater shots have an ethereal feel to them, but I have a soft spot for the ones where the subject is closer to the surface,” says says Valia Efstathiou (@laliou), a translator in Athens, Greece. “They’re so much brighter, you get amazing skin tones and the reflections are just out of this world.”

Valia shoots and models in most of her underwater scenes in Cape Sounion, which she describes as “a truly unique setting, under the shadow of the ancient temple of Poseidon, God of the Sea.” Her camera of choice is a compact underwater camera. “My country is famous for its crystal-clear waters,” she says. “It would be hard not to be inspired by all its beauty. Greece is full of hidden treasures and I’m just happy I get to share some of them with the rest of the world.”

Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPfeelslikehome

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and 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 prompt was #WHPfeelslikehome, which asked participants to take creative photos and videos that capture the feeling of being at home. Every Monday we feature some of our favorite submissions from the project, but be sure to check out the rest here.

2014 Community Look Back: Backstage at Paris Couture Week, Dressing Up for the Kentucky Derby and Finding the Force on May 4th

For more creative moments from our community this year, visit blog.instagram.com and follow @instagram on Instagram.

This week we are looking back at some inspiring stories we’ve featured in 2014 from around the Instagram community. Today’s spotlight is on Parisian graphic designer and street photographer Adrien Brunel (@neriad), New York-based photographer Landon Nordeman (@landonnordeman) and UK-based food and lifestyle photographer Darryll Jones (@darrylljones).

Backstage during Paris Couture Week this fall, Adrien took us behind the scenes for a glimpse into some of the most exclusive moments of the fashion industry.

Landon, a professional photographer who often covers fashion events, revealed to us the exuberant outfits donned each May at the Kentucky Derby.

Darryll and his muse, a Star Wars stormtrooper action figure named Eric, celebrated Star Wars Day with fans across the galaxy on May 4th, also known as “May the Fourth be with You.”

2014 Community Look Back: World Cup Kickoff, Surrealist Taxidermy and Art from Everyday Objects

For more creative moments from our community this year, visit blog.instagram.com and follow @instagram on Instagram.

This week we are looking back at some of the inspiring stories we’ve featured in 2014 from around the Instagram community. Today’s spotlight is on Rio de Janeiro-based Instagrammer Arthur Maciel (@arthurmartins), the Belgian taxidermist duo Mothmeister (@mothmeister) and Israel-based creative director Dudi Ben Simon (@dudibensimon).

Participating in the Weekend Hashtag Project prompt of #WHPGameOn, Arthur captured the fervor and excitement on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro at the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Mothmeister, a two-part team of Belgian creative directors, explained their inspiration for creating masked figures that create a sense of uneasiness and curiosity.

In a feature on his artistic use of household objects, Dudi discussed his fascination with the creative results of disconnecting daily items from their everyday use.

The Week on Instagram | 163

News

• The New Yorker: The Year in Instagram
• Jezebel: These Celebs Went Christmas Ham on Instagram This Year
• Daily Mail: Elton John provides live coverage of his wedding to David Furnish on Instagram as pair tie the knot in front of a star-studded audience

Get Involved

• Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPfeelslikehome. View photos from the last project, #WHPfairytale.

Around the Community

• Meet Santa and the Elves @santaclausoffice
• Herding Reindeer Across Lapland with @annamariafjellstrom
• 2014 Community Look Back: Surfing in the Clouds, Space Dreams and Life on the Trail

2014 Community Look Back: Underwater Shark Photography, Documenting the Global Water Crisis and Sitting Beachside in Spain

For more creative moments from our community this year, visit blog.instagram.com and follow @instagram on Instagram.

This week we are looking back at some of the inspiring stories we’ve featured in 2014 from around the Instagram community. Today’s spotlight is on shark photographer Michael Muller (@michaelmuller7), photojournalist Balazs Gardi (@balazsgardi) and Spanish Instagrammer Fernando Muller (@nanduss).

Michael explained in our #HowIShoot series the secrets to staying calm and photographing sharks in their native habitats.

Photographing in the “cradle of mankind” in the northwestern tip of Kenya, Balazs shared images on the effects of the unfolding water crisis across Africa and the Middle East.

Spanish Instagrammer Fernando Muller captured a quintessential European summer beach scene from Nerja, Spain that was selected for The Week on Instagram in July.

Picturing a Picture with @mzavialov

To see more of Maksim Zavialov’s pictures of pictures, follow @mzavialov on Instagram.

“Every person has his or her own story, which deserves to be told in one form or another,” says Instagrammer Maksim Zavialov (@mzavialov) of Khabarovsk, Russia. Maksim tells his story in the hashtag series he began, #timethroughphoto, in which he takes a photo of himself holding up a photo made with instant film in the same location. “I find the technique interesting because you really only have one chance to make the picture,” says Maksim, adding that it takes precision to get the details in both images to align the way he wants them to. He says his work offers insight into time and place. “Even in the same place, something new is always happening,” he says.

After moving to Khabarovsk in 2013, Maksim became inspired by the city’s rich history, and especially its extreme winter weather. “It’s famous for its frost,” he says. “I’ve seen huge drifts of snow in the middle of October. I like that unpredictability. Through my photos, I try to share the simple energy I get from Khabarovsk.”

Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPfeelslikehome

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and 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 creative photos and videos that capture the feeling of being at home. Some tips to get you started:

• If you’ve traveled home for the holidays, look for the objects and places that remind you of your childhood. Be sure to tell their stories in your captions.
• For some, family traditions involve home-cooked meals. Share photos of the recipes that you’ve kept close to heart.
• Finally, remember that “home” is as much as about people as it is place. Get your friends and family together and share portraits from your community.

PROJECT RULES: Please add the #WHPfeelslikehome hashtag only to photos taken over this weekend and only submit your own photographs to the project. If you include music in your video submissions, please only use music to which you own the rights. Any tagged image taken over the weekend is eligible to be featured Monday morning.

2014 Community Look Back: Surfing in the Clouds, Space Dreams and Life on the Trail

For more creative moments from our community this year, visit blog.instagram.com and follow @instagram on Instagram.

This week we are looking back at some of the inspiring stories we’ve featured in 2014 from around the Instagram community. Today’s spotlight is on Hawaiian Instagrammer Sarah Lee (@hisarahlee), Texas-based photographer Lauren Marek (@laurenmarek) and National Geographic contributor Joe Riis (@joeriis).

Photographing below the water’s surface, Sarah exposed us to the atmospheric beauty of the underside of breaking waves.

Lauren used tinfoil, a football helmet, a black curtain and her little sister to make a stellar photo for the Weekend Hashtag Project #whpspacedreams.

Joe, a wildlife photographer following the Yellowstone elk migrations, captured the flying embers of his campfire and was selected for The Week on Instagram in July.

#12daysoffaffing with @juliabesidethesea

For more photos of Christmas preparations from the Instagram community, browse the #12daysoffaffing hashtag and follow @juliabesidethesea on Instagram.

“I love a house full of people and the scents of Christmas, log fires and cinnamon, the coziness and twinkling lights,” says UK Instagrammer Julia Smith (@juliabesidethesea). “I love the traditions, some that are generations old, and some gathered along the way.”

Taking a creative twist on the classic Christmas carol, Julia started the #12daysoffaffing hashtag series last year to share the festive preparations that were underway at her home in Eastbourne. From baking the Christmas cake, to decorating the house and wrapping gifts, “Faffing is a bit like procrastinating—in this case in the most pleasurable way,” says Julia. “It’s taking time to enjoy the task in hand rather than going through the motions to get it done.”

Julia says she has always been a crafter. As a child she learned to sew and was constantly doodling and making paper crafts. She says many of the projects she makes with her family—and shares on Instagram—are adapted from her childhood. “Taking time to make and create things is as important as any purchase,” she says. “These are the memories we are making as a family and I know that this is what my children will remember.”