Travel Blogger Defends Herself for Photoshopping Instagram Images

The world of travel blogging can do a number of things. It can grant you a window into a world you might not otherwise ever know. Travel blogging can inspire you to quit your job, throw your belongings in a backpack, and buy a ticket out of town. It could fill you with tons of envy””especially when the images look a bit too perfect. And then it might also cause you to doubt that such images ever truly existed. Like with this next travel blogger who’s getting nailed for using heavily Photoshopped images and finding herself in quite a pickle about it.

Meet Travel Blogger Amelia Liana

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUmLDwnDmTt/?taken-by=amelialiana

Visit user @amelialiana’s Instagram feed, and you’ll find dozens of seemingly perfect travel photos. One minute, she’s sipping cocktails with her bestie in Morocco. In another, she’s holding up ice cream in Florence. Liana seems to be quite the jet setter, but it seems some folks aren’t digging the fact that her images might not be quite as legit as they first thought.

The Times first reported about the incident as spotted by other IG users. They claimed that in a since-deleted image of the travel blogger atop Rockefeller Center, the view of the Freedom Tower that should be in the background was totally missing. They also claim that Liana’s image of the Taj Mahal is actually an old photo with her superimposed in front of it. An image of Liana posing in front of the Brooklyn Bridge with an obviously photoshopped background and another of her laying in a bed with the London skyline behind her were also called out.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BStdokIDPTa/?taken-by=amelialiana

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSgatNCjPkk/?taken-by=amelialiana

But the accusations don’t end there. News.com.au also picked up on the allegations, as did the New York Post, The Sun, and well, you get the idea. That said, if you scroll through her feed, most of her followers continue to leave loyal, admiring comments, so maybe it hasn’t done too much damage after all.

So Does She Photoshop Her Instagram Shots?

Rather than run away from the accusations, Liana decided to write about it on her blog in a post titled, “My Image Principles”. She claims her goals is to, “produce unique and visually inspiring images,” that her photos are, “shot at the time in the location I specify,” and that while she won’t edit her body or face, she does like to, “find new techniques to make (her) imagery progressive and aesthetically pleasing representations of an authentic scene.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU1urf6jWyo/?taken-by=amelialiana

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVpaQ5rnj8H/?taken-by=amelialiana

So does that mean she is editing? Yeah, sounds like it. But is that really so bad? She’s certainly not claiming that they are all 100% authentic and unedited, and anyone who’s been on the internet for more than 5 minutes can certainly tell that a lot of editing goes into her pics. Personally, it sounds like a whole lot of backlash at another woman who found a way to success. It’s the internet, people. You can’t believe everything you see””and sometimes that’s part of the fun.

(Image: Twitter / @amelialiana_)