Ashley is a writer, editor, and social media consultant who loves photography and also loves to travel, so she used a weekend trip to the jungle of Belize to try to recreate a few ‘grams from influencers who had visited the same places.

After this experience, @ashleymateo has a whole new appreciation for how the social-media stars live — and work. Find out why!

She stayed at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel and challenged herself to recreate three pictures from influencers Lindsey Calla (@lindseycalla) and Hike Up Your Skirt (@HikeUpYourSkirt), and she concluded that it takes a whole lot of agonizing amount of work to get EVERY picture.

1. Trying to get Lindsey’s picture: As Ashley was staying at the same hotel influencer Lindsey Calla had visited, she used her pool shot (pictured) as her first example:

She said: “I figured this would be the easiest photo to recreate. All I needed to do was float in the pool and have someone snap a pic, right? Nope”. She soon learned that floating and looking effortlessly amazing, wasn’t as easy as it seemed on Lindsay’s picture.

2. Next up, Ashley decided to pose as the Instafamous, Hike Up You Skirt and headed to Cahal Beach, one of the most photographed Mayan sites in Belize.

“I knew I wanted to recreate the moody, mysterious vibe she captured while exploring the complex’s ancient temples and palaces”: 

And although Ashley said that it was 'the easiest' picture to take as all she had to do was hold her position on some steps, it took 2 people to 'art direct' the scenario, and her calves hurt from repeatedly moving left to right on the crumbling ruin.

This was her result:

3. Her last attempt was definitely the epitome of “doing it for the ’gram”: Ashley tried to copy another shot by Lindsey Calla, this time featuring an iguana perched on her head:

“We took about 100 shots trying to get the right angle, the right light, the right focus… and I felt seriously uncomfortable. Not because of the iguana on my head, but because of just how much face was in the frame”, Ashley said.

And at the end of her experiment, Ashley concluded that it had made her hyper-aware of how 'different' she is from people who are paid to take photos of themselves.

“This trip made me realize that I was turning almost all my vacations into work and adding stress to a time that should be fun”.

“So perhaps the real challenge isn’t snapping the perfect 'gram — maybe it’s about learning how not to experience a place through my phone and actually stay in the moment”.