An iconic view in Bali was faked by Instagram influencers and people are furious

It's a well-known fact that social media isn't representative of reality and that it portrays a 'perfected' version of people's day-to-day lives.

Now, however, this fact has been brought home with even more force, after it turns out that influencers on Instagram have been widely misrepresenting an iconic Indonesian temple, making it appear totally different using a popular camera trick.

Fortune magazine editor Polina Marinova recently discovered this while visiting Bali's Lempuyang Temple, also known as the 'Gates of Heaven'.

In the influencers' photographs, there appears to be a stunning reflective lake near the iconic stone structure, but, in reality, there is no pool, and the illusion is created by a photographer sitting below an umbrella, holding an iPhone underneath it to create the reflection.

Taking to Twitter, she wrote:

This isn't the only photograph of the view on Instagram. Many others have shared their photographs of the site, using the hashtag #GatesOfHeaven:

Speaking to Business Insider about the discovery, Marinova said:

It looked absolutely breathtaking.

But of course, it being Instagram, no one had included in the caption that it wasn’t real, so I just assumed there was water there.

She added that she couldn't help but feel completely heartbroken when she got to the site, and realised that the photographs could be purchased for a $1 or $2 donation.

Speaking to the website, she added:

There is a long winding line on the side, and hundreds of people are watching you pose at the Gates of Heaven.

Most, if not all, the people in the line were tourists, and there were definitely people who had prepared for this moment. Some did yoga poses, others jumped in the air, and on several occassions, people did a redo because they didn’t like how their pictures came out. I mean, it was over the top.

Despite feeling disappointed by the discovery, Marinova, who lives in New York, said that she applauds the:

ingenuity of the people who thought of doing it in the first place.

She added:

I joked with my boyfriend that we should do something similar in Central Park because it’s a brilliant business.

HT Daily Dot

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