When Canadian Geographic editor Aaron Kylie came to me last year with the idea of creating a special issue of Instagram images of Canada, I jokingly suggested we call it “Canada Squared,” in homage to Instagram’s humble beginnings. The photo-sharing platform has long since expanded on its square roots, allowing vertical or horizontal images and video.

And yet when I open the app to check out the latest activity from Can Geo’s Instagram community (30,000 followers strong and growing!), I’m still greeted by a grid of square-cropped images — a sort of virtual window in which each pane opens onto a different breathtaking vista. Is it any wonder that updating Instagram has become my favourite daily task?

Some of the photographers featured in 150 Ultimate Canadian Instagram Photos I’ve been following for a while; others I discovered while researching this special issue. They hail from every corner of this country, from coast to coast to coast. For some, photography is a career; for others, a hobby. But what they — and we — share in common is a passion for making Canada better known to Canadians and the world. How lucky we are to live in a time when digital technology has made that possible on a previously unimagined scale.

Here are 10 of my favourite photographs from the book (though who am I trying to kid? They’re all my favourite); pick up your copy on newsstands or online now and get inspired to explore more of this country we call home!

Brandon Born | Moraine Lake, Alta. 

 

A post shared by Brandon Born (AB, Canada) (@brandonborn) on Mar 29, 2017 at 7:23pm PDT

Susanne Weissenberger | Polar bear with cubs, Wapusk National Park, Man.

 

A post shared by Susanne Weissenberger (@susanneweissenberger) on Oct 31, 2016 at 5:33pm PDT

Brendan Kelly | Woodland caribou, Gros Morne National Park, Nfld.

 

A post shared by Brendan Kelly Photography (@__brendankelly__) on Oct 17, 2016 at 3:38am PDT

Sam Rose Phillips | Great blue heron, Clayoquot Sound, B.C.

 

A post shared by Stories By Sam (@samrosephillips) on Oct 11, 2016 at 2:31pm PDT

Gary Brinton | Halifax waterfront

 

A post shared by Brinton Photography (@brintonphotography) on Jan 30, 2017 at 7:30pm PST

Valérie Derome Massé | Black-capped chickadee, Mont-Tremblant, Que. 

 

A post shared by Valérie Derome Massé (@valerie_deromemasse) on Jan 17, 2017 at 5:55am PST

Craig Hilts | Tornadic thunderstorms, near Davidson, Sask.  

 

A post shared by Craig Hilts (@craig_hilts) on Jan 18, 2016 at 11:25am PST

Sonika Arora | Autumn leaves, Stanley Park, Vancouver

 

A post shared by Sonika Arora | Vancouver, BC (@sonikaarora604) on Oct 10, 2016 at 8:42pm PDT

Ron Bauer | Abandoned homestead, near High River, Alta. 

 

A post shared by @_bozlo_ on Dec 22, 2016 at 4:22am PST

Weronika Murray | Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk ice road, near Inuvik, N.W.T.

 

A post shared by Weronika Murray (@weronikamurray) on Dec 19, 2016 at 4:33pm PST