National Photo Week kicks off today with organisers urging photographers, both amateur and budding-professional, to Take 5, Find 5, Share 5.

It’s estimated 3.5 trillion photographs have been taken since the invention of the camera and incredibly, if they were all stacked up, the pile would stretch 553,000 miles! That’s more than to the Moon and back again! (It’s amazing how they come to these figures!)

With 380 billion photos taken each year, the total number of photos taken is expected to double in the next decade. We all have hundreds and hundreds of photos stored in numerous places, both online and in the real world, but are we making the most of them?

National Photo Week is aiming to make sure that we all make the most of the photos we’ve taken and the ones we are yet to take. The Take 5, Find 5, Share 5 campaign is all about having fun with your pictures. Find 5 old ones, share 5 of your favourite ones and take 5 new ones!

NPW organiser George Mason says: “Almost everyone has a camera in their pocket these days. No matter where you go, you’re likely to see someone snapping away happily. Photography backdrops has become so accessible thanks to the advancement of technology – it’s not just for the pros anymore. Celebrating National Photo Week gives us a chance to look back through the photos we’ve taken, share the best ones and get out there and take some new ones! Our aim is to ‘Picture a Happier Nation’. We want to see the pictures that put a great big grin on your face!”

NPW runs from today (Monday 29th July) to Sunday 4th August; go to www.nationalphotoweek.co.uk for more info.