Video: Stephen Alvarez on sharing photos with his Lumia 1020

Smartphones haven’t just revolutionised the way we take photos, they’ve revolutionised how we share them, too.

Do your share

The figures for this relatively new way of sharing our lives are truly astounding. Every single day 5 million photos are uploaded to Instagram. When you take into consideration Facebook the numbers get even more amazing. In a white paper published last year, the world’s most popular social network revealed that its users have uploaded more than 250 billion photos, and are uploading 350 million new photos every 24 hours. What that means in practice is that every single one of Facebook’s 1.15 billion users have uploaded an average of 217 photos apiece.

Share and share alike

And this isn’t just the case with casual photographers. Even seasoned pros like National Geographic photographer Stephen Alvarez are getting in on the sharing act. Stephen recently travelled to Puerto Rico with the winners of the Photograph for Nokia in Puerto Rico photography competition. While there they crisscrossed the island documenting the natural beauty of a place called the “land of the great lords” by the original inhabitants, the Taíno Indians.

While the “great lords” may be long gone, the great beauty of the place endures, as can be seen from this beautiful video, narrated by Stephen. Later this week, we’ll be showcasing some of the stunning photos taken by the winners. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy this visual treat.

As Stephen says, “We want to tell the stories, highlight our best memories, and engage with others. We want to share instantly, straight from the camera.” One way Stephen does this is on Instagram (You can follow him here for more amazing photos). But how about you? How do you share your photos and what are your favourite subjects?

Let us know in the comments below.

Image credit: Stephen Alvarez