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igposocje

Who? @igposocje is an account on Instagram presenting the beautiful Soča Valley. We are a group of 7 students from Slovenia and we started this profile to show you just how beautiful our valley is.

@brigitaperdih – medical student who loves to travel. The more world I see the more I realize how truly beautiful my hometown is and I would recommend it to any traveler.

@lucijacernilogar – from Idrsko, master student of special education on Faculty of education. Nature and animal lover, who likes to run, cycle and hike. One of my favourites are all those breathtaking moments spent in our beautiful mother nature.

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@mancacujec – from Poljubinj, studying on Faculty of Education. I have many interests and i can never sit still. I like to take photos of everything, but the most special to me are photos of my family and nature.

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@marjacujec – administration student who loves baking and all food related stuff. Nature admirer, especially in love with my home town and the Soča Valley.

@monikamanfreda – master student of chemistry on University of Ljubljana, bookworm and nature lover, that appreciates and adores her home- the Soča valley even more, since studying in Ljubljana.

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@natalijahauptman – from Kobarid, student of kinesiology. I believe that nature in connection with movement can heal all of your problems. I am also good food lover and like to explore new cultures.

@tejaistenic – master student of education on University of Ljubljana. Sports addict who also likes drawing. I like being in nature and admiring its beauty, especially in my hometown, which is also home of one of the most beautiful rivers – Soča River.

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Why Instagram? We have decided to use Instagram, because we believe it provides a great way to reach people and to pass on photos and information. We use it for our own contentment, to share pictures from our everyday life on our personal profiles. In addition to that, we also have a joint account called @igposocje. The purpose of this account is to make the users of Instagram aware that in the northwest of Slovenia there is a gorgeous part of our beautiful country and the home of one of the most stunning rivers in the world – the Soča River. The Soča Valley or Posočje is often overlooked by many tourists and travelers. Our eyes can only appreciate nature briefly, but luckily there are people who capture images of nature and transform them into everlasting photography.

What can we show you in Slovenia?  We know the Upper Soča Valley very well, including many hidden places, walking paths and sights. Tolmin, Kobarid, Bovec and their surroundings; these are also our favourite parts of Slovenia.

Oh, and we almost forgot! You can also follow us (and ask us anything) on Facebook! 🙂

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Who? My name is Gašper and @gasper.ahacic is my personal profile, where I post my everyday adventures. I come from Bled, town surrounded by mountains and this is where my passion for hiking and trail-running comes from. Since I love mountains so much I created a second profile on Instagram, dedicated to mountains; @themountainfreak.

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But this are not the only two sports I love; As a former professional swimmer I still like to make kilometer or two in the pool:) I’m not professional photographer … heck … I don’t even own professional camera, so all my photos are taken by my mobile Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and SJ4000HD action camera. Even though I don’t have any special equipment (compared to others) you can be surprised what you can do simply – using a mobile phone:)

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Why Instagram? Instagram is my favourite application for mobile. It’s not hard fall in love with Instagram, mostly because it has awesome community, where people encourage each other and they motivate you to be better.

What can I show you in Slovenia? Well – as I told you – I come from Bled and I can show you around, but my favourite spot for taking photos are the mountains, where I can enjoy the views, relax from everyday problems and meet some nice people too. So – if you are interested in mountains – let me know!

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Ljubljana, 15. 11. 2015, @sanya_lt

Chiara was one of the first foreign Instagramers that I came across while searching through photos tagged #igslovenia. I was totally surprised by her love for Slovenia, her wish to learn Slovenian and her knowledge about Slovenia. So it only seemed right that I do my first Instagram interview with her. So … here we go:)

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Can you present yourself? Who are you, where do you come from and what do you do?

I am Chiara Morini, 39 years old, and I come from Porto San Giorgio, a city in the central Italy, in the Marche region. I am a local web journalist and I update the social media channels of my municipality with photos and information about the events  in my city. This is my work & I love it!

Are you a professional or amateur photographer? What equipment do you use?

 I am an amateur photographer, but sometimes I have to be a photographer  for my work, so – you can call me ‘half-professional’:) I started working in the field of communication as web journalist and then slowly photography came into the picture, to illustrate my articles.

 After that I started working with social media and I got engaged with the world of photography. I bought a Canon EOS digital 1100D with a standard lens systems (18-55 mm). Then I bought a 55-250 mm  and a 10-18 mm. I also use my Iphone to take photos  and a Samsung Galaxy EK GC-100 camera.

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What does photography mean to you? Can you describe us your photography style?

Well, if you ask me this two questions are connected.  Photography is … quite everything! I love taking  photos. I decided to become a journalists because I love to tell stories, to narrate what I see in the world. If I can tell something to someone with my keyboard, I can also make that with my camera.

No words, but images, like reportage. I try to make this when I take a photo: I narrate the reality, the life, I try to let the people live what I lived, to see what I saw, to make them feel what I felt while observing what I captured on my photo.  If am tired but I have to take photos in the theatre or at the concert for my work, I obviously go. And I come back relaxed! I love taking photos as well as I love writing. Personally I prefer some photography genres like macro photography, food & wine photography, animals, flowers & plants and monuments.

Let’s talk about Instagram … How did you end up on Instagram?

At first I checked it  just out of curiosity. I quickly realised it is good for me, it is what i like and also – I started to think that I can use Instagram for my work. Beside that, Instagram is really great for meeting people from all over the world.

I post on Instagram when there is something beautiful to show. I love to interact with other people, with you in Slovenia (I can keep in touch with your beautiful country and I see places I do not know yet!), but also here in Italy. Let me give the people my personal advice: Use hashtags on Instagram – to find best accounts that you will enjoy following and to show your photos to the Instagram world.

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Do you also use Instagram in other (not only personal) projects? What about other social media?

I try to promote the use of Instagram also in my municipality. I created two profiles for my city; @psgculturaeculture (cultural events) & @portosangiorgiomeet (for tourism). 

I also use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, G+, tumit (that is an Italian social network for events). Occasionally I post on Flickr and Pinterest too. I am going to have my own web site and I’m just starting a new blog project.

It is not a social network but one photo-project I undertake for my city is “Virtour” (80% of the photos and texts are mine), a virtual tour in our city. 

Slovenia? How & when did you decide to visit? Why? What are your favourite places here? What would you say to a first time visitor – what is ‘a must see’ place in Slovenia?

The first time I came to Slovenia was 20 years ago! I had just finished my high school graduation exams (it was the first week of July) and I came to Kranjska Gora for a group tour. I was in a hotel in Gozd Martuljek and I saw many green and beautiful views.

However, the thing that really amazed me was your language: So few vowels, such beautiful sound. That is why I decided to try to learn it; I found a grammar and a dictionary and I started. It is not easy to do it on your own and it is not enough to spend just 10, 15 days a year in Slovenia. But, it was a start. During last year and thanks to Instagram,  – I made some progresses!

 I always come to the mountain region of Gorenjska: it is beautiful and there, I feel like being at home. From there I go to Ljubljana. It is so lovely, so beautiful, so… “Mine”! Your capital is one of my favourite places to take photos and to visit, but Kranjska Gora (and lake Jasna), Mojstrana, (I do not remember if I ever visited Dovje), Triglav, Bled, Brezje, Radovljca, Škofja Loka, Jesenice and the other  places are amazing too!

While staying in Slovenia I feel like home. And I do return every year! I will be back but until then;  Un saluto dall’Italia / Pozdrave iz Italije! / Greetings from Italy!

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Instameet in Maribor was … fuuuuun:)

The idea of Igslovenia instameets is to discover places in Slovenia & connect Instagramers from Slovenia & around the world that are (or were) visiting our country. Instagram connects people and Instagramers promote new places. Everybody wins!

Amazing Drava River.

Amazing Drava River.

So, this time we met in Maribor. To be honest we weren’t quite sure what to expect. When we had our last Instameet in Ljubljana it was all about: ‘Oh, why? Why Ljubljana? Why always Ljubljana?’ And this time? ‘Maribor!? Are you kidding us? It is soooo far away!’

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Blue beauty.

We can not make everybody happy but we can be happy meeting people from all over Slovenia and (belive it or not) – from USA, who don’t think Maribor is to far away to visit and explore 🙂

We started the day with ‘poison of choice’ as the mastermind behind the #instameetmb, @multikultivator would say. We will not tell you what it was we can just say – it made it easier to meet all new people and make the plan how to discover Maribor.

Waiting for the others.

Waiting for the others.

Our guide – @Igorunuk – took us for a great photo-walk and showed us places we would hardly find on our own & we also saw some places everybody knows.The magic of instameet usually happens there; Everybody looks at the same thing but all the photos are different. So were ours. See for yourself , on Instagram under the hashtag #instameetMB, on @Igorunuk‘s Instagram Novi Maribor blog or to check something new &  experimental – Edgar Storyfeed wall.

Photo-walk.

Photo-walk.

Because (as Instagram will tell you) it is all about sharing the experience: “Since the earliest days of Instagram, people have been meeting up to take photos and videos together. As the community has grown around the world, so too has the occurrence of InstaMeets: gatherings of people coming together to connect, explore, and celebrate their creativity.”

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Three hours of walking, talking & taking photos killed us so we were quite happy that @visitmaribor kindly invited us to the oldest wine in the world (we repeat; the oldest wine in the world!) to taste some really good local wine. After that it was ‘čevapčiči & lepinja’ time and the time to say … see you next time, Maribor!

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Lake Podpeč

One of the best things in Slovenia is the fact that everything is really close. So – if you are spending your time in Ljubljana and you are looking for some natural beauty (landscape photography) check out the Ljubljana Marshes.

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The area extends over the south part of the Ljubljana Basin and it covers Slovenia’s largest complex of wet grasslands with hedges and forests, shrubs and watercourses. One of the treasures  that you just must visit in the area is Lake Podpeč.

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The lake is situated near the settlement Jezero. It is small (only around 130 meters in diameter), almost completely round and its maximum depth is  – watch out! – 51 metres. The special feature of the lake is its water regime, with water flowing into it from seven surface karst sources and flowing out under the ground, through a deep aven.

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Since the lake is so small … you can walk around it a few times to check where you can take the best photos, the important part is – it is worth getting there!

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Enjoy and check out other spots around Ljubljana Marshes: St. AnnaIžica and Snake’s Head Fritillary Meadow

@zokus_gf

Who? @zokus_gf, cofounder, admin and moderator for @igslovenia project, landscape and HDR lover, sailor, traveler and golfer.  I have 25 years of experience in marketing, media and advertising. I was CEO of Mladina d.d. and CMO of Delo d.d., the leading national daily, last ten years I spent as CEO and partner of digital marketing agency Sonce.net (until June 2015).

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Why Instragram? Due to my passion to everything new and field of work I was among first users of all important apps and social media platforms. I like Instagram most of all because it offered me an opportunity to express my personal creativity in mobile photography. Thus it’s quite obvious that I have been monitoring development of platform usage for business needs of brands and companies from the very beginning.

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What … can I do for you? I can help you build your Instagram account, I can answer your questions about Slovenia, I can show you my country from Piran to Bohinj, from Soča Valley to Prekmurje region.

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@sanya_lt

Who? @sanya_lt, person behind the @igslovenia project; admin, moderator, copywritter, photographer … the one who checks all photos tagged #igslovenia (and #slovenia, and #slovenija, and #ljubljana, #maribor … well … you get the point:) I have been using Instagram for a while, mostly as an administrator or moderator for other Instagram profiles (hubs) such as Photowall, Photowall_daily, DOF_addicts and – Igslovenia:)

I started the @igslovenia project in september 2012 when I discovered there is no profile on Instagram that would show the beauty of our country. Today @igslovenia is almost my job (just – an unpaid one:)) since I manage this page, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook account, answer all of your questions, share Instagram tips & tricks and – my favourite part – I show Instagrammers around the country:)

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Why Instagram? Because I just love it!:) It is the best community for sharing photos, discovering new places and connecting with people from all over the world. I use it to capture my travels (mostly across Slovenia, but also Croatia and Europe) and to discover new places with local Instagramers. So – wherever I go, I try to find somebody to show me around. And whenever somebody visiting Slovenia asks me for help, I do everything I can to help. I’ve even created my own photo-sport:)) It is called #chasingthephotographer!

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What … can I do for you? I can help you build your Instagram account, I can answer your questions about Slovenia, I can show you my country from Piran to Bohinj, from Soča Valley to Prekmurje region. My favourite place (and the place I know everything about) is Soča valley  but since I do like to discover new places and i do this almost every day – I think I can easily say – Slovenia is my home and I can show you around.

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Bukovnica Lake

When we asked our followers on Facebook where to go to get some nice photos in the Prekmurje region we got little response. We really have no idea why this beautiful region is not more popular (and known) among travellers and photographers in Slovenia since we already know it hides some amazing places. The first one that we have visited this weekend (and many times before) is Bukovnica Lake, a paradise for photographers. Specially in autumn!

Bukovnica Lake (in Slovene; Bukovniško jezero)  is a small, man-made lake measuring only 7 hectares, near Bukovnica na Goričkem. The lake is quite popular for fishing, you will see lots of people just sitting around the lake and enjoying the nature and there is an amazing adrenaline park in the forest just by the lake.

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There are many places to walk nearby  and the area around the lake is home to some energy points that are thought to have special energy that calms, relaxes  and has healing properties.

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One of our favourite spots just near the lake is the small Church of St. Vitus and the famous “Vitus’ Spring”. The church offers you many different views to take nice photos … hiding in deep woods that are changing colours through out the year.

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In autumn you just have to walk all the way around the lake. The colours and the light in the forest will make you take you one photo after another and you can find really nice hidden spots between the trees like trees literally growing out of the water.

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When you are done walking don’t forget to stop at the bar near the lake. They serve good coffee but most importantly – they do everything with a big smile. If you are looking for tips where to go next – that is the place to find them. (or – you can wait for our next post:)