Indonesian Instagrammers Meet at Mount Bromo, East Java

This weekend (April 6-7), we’re challenging people around the globe to host their very own photo walk or InstaMeet, just like this Indonesian crew. Organizing is easy: grab some Instagram friends, pick a location and add a hashtag to the photos that you share that’s unique to your InstaMeet! Learn more here.

Inspired by the @pilgramers, Indonesian Instagrammers Ernanda Putra (@ernandaputra) and Jagat Natha (@jagatnatha) hosted their own InstaMeet in Jakarta in January. They were amazed by the success. “18 people came from all around the country. We had so much fun that day and got lots of feedback and requests to do it again.” So Ernanda and Jagat, along with Dicky Irman Nassa (@anomalu) from Jakarta and Sigit Hartanto (@sigithartanto) and Arie Novwan (@konservatif) from Bandung, began planning their next InstaMeet at Mount Bromo, an active volcano in East Java.

The game plan was simple: the five organizers announced the InstaMeet on their Instagram accounts and invited anyone to participate, so long as they could arrange their own transportation to Mount Bromo and pay for lodging.

23 Instagrammers made the trip, many of whom met for the first time at the three-day event. They spent most of the first day on the road together, splitting three cars en route to Bromo. On the second day, the group summited the mountain at 3:00AM to see the sun rise, and later explored Bromo’s “green savana” and “whispering sands.” Each night, they returned to their shared lodging, a local villager’s house, and got to know one another better. “For me this small event was really special,” Ernanda says. “Instagram actually brings me exciting new experiences— meeting new people, exploring new places—and this was a truly unforgettable experience.”

To view more photos from the Mount Bromo InstaMeet, visit the hashtag #instameetbromo and follow @ernandaputra and @jagatnatha on Instagram!

How I Shoot: Levitating with @JunantoHerdiawan

How I Shoot is a series where we ask Instagrammers to tell us about the set-up and process behind their photos. This week, @JunantoHerdiawan shares how he takes photos where he appears to be levitating.

Camera: iPhone & iPad.

Vantage Point: “Levitation is like philosophy. It’s not just a jump shot; it is a floating moment. I like to travel and see many interesting places in the world. My idea is to levitate in any interesting place or interesting moment. By doing that, I feel like I can float or fly in any place in the world.”

Shooting: Using an application that takes multiple photos at a time while you jump makes it easier to capture the perfect levitation photo. “I use the Fast Camera application on iPhone or iPad to capture the moment. It is a continuous-shoot application that can capture every second of my levitation.”

Editing: While Junanto may touch up the lighting or tones in his photos, there are no special apps or programs used to create the levitation effect. “I don’t use editing for my levitation photos, no special application. I only adjust for lighting and other effects.”

Follow Junanto’s levitating adventures in Jakarta, Indonesia, and throughout the world at instagram.com/junantoherdiawan.