Instagrammer of the month #5: National Geographic Traveller

Reading Time: 3 minutes

National Geographic Traveller (UK) seeks to bring its readers great storytelling, authentic travel experiences and ‘you-are-there’ photography, plus insightful, reader-friendly information to help would-be explorers travel widely and safely. It aims to inspire those who are passionate about experiencing the world, champion sustainable travel and celebrate journeys from a local or cultural perspective. @NatGeoTraveller

What makes NGT special?

They are always looking for great photography not just worthy of the National Geographic standard, but also shots that really capture a moment in time and tell a great story. They aim to get their photographers up close and involved in cultures and events all across the globe, and in its feed they aim to cover every continent. It’s obvious they try to mix it up from one shot to the next, appreciating all kinds of photographs, from those capturing the minute detail of a market stall right up to the awesome landscapes that are often so difficult to photograph and do justice.

What caught our eye?

One of its greatest successes was an entry by Angus Stead to their photography competition. It was of three curious lion cubs, which was captured after Angus had spent days planning and waiting for the right shot. It may have helped that the cubs were incredibly cute, but it is still a fantastic example of how photographers will suffer for their art and take as long as it takes to get the shot.

Also, its series of shots by their photographers in the field seem popular – they often see spikes in followers around the same time they post a series of images. Recently @slawekkozdras has been touring New York State and submitting a wide ranging series of photography which has a great freshness to them.

This is what makes its feed great – they don’t have a style per se – but their photographers are the artists and their feed is a platform for their assignments.

Where are you right now?

Our photographers are spread all across the globe and are submitting all of the time – it’s up to us to work out when best to schedule posts to best promote the work going up online or into print. In terms of exploring, we couldn’t be any wider reaching, from the Canadian Arctic to Mauritius, we’re bound to have a photographer there.

What next?

We’re hopeful that we’ll cover even more destinations in 2016, from Taiwan to Greece, Australia to Sweden. Every photographer pitches a unique angle on a destination and we go from there – this is what makes National Geographic Traveller’s feed so varied and surprising.

@NatGeoTraveller

Read more

• Check out our previous Instagrammers of the month Gary Arndt, Mike Theiss, Simon Upton and Kardinalmelon
• Discover how to create the perfect underwater photograph.
• See the most liked photos on the Constance Instagram account.