Wall murals from around the world

Kobby Dagan / Shutterstock.com

Wall murals, frescos, urban art, graffiti; whatever you want to call it, wall art is a fantastic and very easy and effective way of transforming a wall from dull and boring to exciting and dynamic. This week we thought we'd take a look at our five favourite wall murals from around the world.

Here at Wallpaper Ink we love a good bit of wall art. Why keep a design to yourself and hide it away in a tiny little scrapbook when you can display it proudly on a wall for all to see? And that doesn't just go for indoors either. While hanging some photo wallpaper on your wall looks great and can really bring your rooms to life, why stop there? Why not think bigger, bolder, more adventurously?*

*Within the law, obviously. Please don't go spray-painting your neighbour's front porch saying, "Wallpaper Ink told me to be more adventurous!"

So we've decided to share with you our top five favourite wall murals, frescos, and graffiti from around the world to give you some design inspiration.

1. "Little Children on a Bicycle" - Ernest Zacharevic

Artist Ernest Zacharevic painted a series of charming graffiti designs on the streets of George Town on Penang Island in Malaysia as part of the George Town Festival in 2012. Rather than sticking to the traditional wall art style, Ernest decided to incorporate his surroundings into each design. He included objects like old bicycles and motorcycles and created some brilliant 3D effect installations. People across the town were offering up their walls for him to paint on. Although the paintings were never named, the picture simply known as 'little children on a bicycle' is our favourite.

2. Tree Mural, Berlin - CitéCréation

French design company CitéCréation have put in an application with the Guinness Book of Records in the hope that this impressive mural painted on a block of flats in Berlin will be credited as the largest outdoor mural in the world.

Covering over 20,000 square metres of wall and almost spanning across an entire street in the city, this wall mural was apparently inspired by the local zoo. It features a variety of birds and other animals, including a vivid painting of a bear on the wall down one of the side streets.

CitéCréation have created almost six hundred of these giant murals, dubbed 'monumental frescoes', in different cities across the world, but this one, simply for its sheer size, has to be our favourite.

3. "You Are The Star" - Tom Suriya

This aptly-named wall mural painted by artist Tom Suriya shows a traditional Hollywood theatre from the perspective of the stage. With the audience facing the street and the spotlight shining, each passer-by is turned into the star of the show. What's even more impressive is that each member of the audience is a famous Hollywood star themselves. The painting includes major names such as Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, and Humphrey Bogart, and it even sees the much-loved Fred and Ginger dancing in the aisle. This witty and whimsical wall mural provides an interesting twist, and makes for a really entertaining design.

4. "Mana Nalu" - John Pugh

This mural painted by artist John Pugh is undeniably impressive. It features Queen Lili'uokalani, the last Queen of the Hawaiian Islands, pictured in a giant wave about to crash down onto the streets of Honolulu. But that's not why it's on this list. Try looking a little more closely.

That's a flat wall.

I didn't believe it either, but I promise you it is. John Pugh specialises in 3D wall murals, and spends months at a time planning and creating each design to make it perfect. This one in particular was so convincing that a passing crew of firemen found themselves pulling over and running towards the building in order to save the children from being swept away. According to Pugh "they jumped out to rescue the children in the mural. They got about 15 feet away and then doubled over laughing when they realised what it was."

Pugh has a range of brilliant 3D murals in cities around the world, but this one - even if just for the story about the firemen - has to be our favourite.

5. Long 3D murals - Eric Grohe

Artist Eric Grohe is another who works with 3D paintings, and this huge Niagra Falls wall mural painted on the side of a shopping centre in New York certainly doesn't disappoint.

None of the people you see are real; they've all been painted on, as have the archways, the trees, and also the waterfall. Grohe managed to transform what was once a dull, ugly concrete wall into a fantastic 3D mural full of life and character that helps brighten up the day for shoppers all over New York.

Grohe has a whole host of murals to his name, each of them painted with exceptional detail, and all utilising the power of 3D illusion.

And they're all far nicer to look at than a concrete wall!

So there you have it. Our five favourite wall murals from around the world. Let us know which one was your favourite, or if you think we've missed one out, let us know and we'll revisit this in the new year with a post full of your suggestions.

Insulating Wallpaper: Does It Work?

Can you really make your home warmer this winter just by redecorating? We take a look at a few interior design tips and tricks to keep old Jack Frost at bay this winter.

Okay. We've held off for long enough now. I think it's about time we all sat down and admitted it. IT IS FREEZING!

Yes winter has most definitely set in, and apparently this is only the beginning. Temperatures are dropping very quickly, and most of the forecasts are telling us it's going to get a lot worse, with the Daily Express claiming that Britain could see heavy snowfall until May!

So with the knowledge that we're all going to be trapped in our houses until the summer, I thought I'd look into a few ways to warm up your home without spending thousands on expensive and time-consuming jobs like having cavity wall or loft insulation installed. There are a few things on the market, like thermal lining paper, which claims to help your room heat up quicker and reduce the heat let out through the walls. You can also buy insulating paint, which claims to do much the same thing, but do they actually work?

Thermal Lining Paper

Also known as insulating wallpaper, thermal lining paper is a thick sheet made up of thousands of tiny interwoven fibres that help to insulate your walls. Up to 35% of the heat lost from your home goes through the walls, so cutting this down will seriously help to keep you warm and your bills low. Whereas traditional internal wall insulation is around 100mm thick, which greatly reduces the overall room size, thermal lining paper is only 3-4mm. It's still thicker and more effective than standard wallpaper, but it doesn't impact on room size. It's a lot cheaper too. It's available for around £10 per roll, as opposed to having to shell out closer to £1000 for internal wall insulation.

But does it actually keep you warm? Chris Herring from the Green Building Store doesn't seem to think so. In an article with the Daily Telegraph online, he talked about some of the projects he and his company are currently working on that are looking to create homes that are so well insulated that they need no heating at all. “We have installed 300mm of insulation to the internal walls, so it puts 4mm into perspective.” He doesn't completely rule it out however, and many reviewers online have reported an increase in room temperature, as well as an improvement in heat retention once the heating had been turned off.

It's a difficult one to call. Without actually testing it myself, I don't think I can be confident in saying it definitely works, but there are plenty of positive reviews out there, and at that price I don't think it'll hurt to try.

Insulating Paint

You can either buy it in powder form, which you mix into standard emulsion paint, or you can buy branded thermal insulating paint. My advice? Don't do either.

The technology is sound. Originally developed by NASA (with many of its secrets still kept tightly under lock and key), the science behind the paint works. The molecules are packed more tightly together and it creates a thermal barrier which helps to keep heat inside the room, but I just can't see how a layer than thin can make any difference.

Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer as to whether it works or not. There aren't enough reviews to really sway me in either direction and there are too many rival products on the market making outrageous claims to be able to pin down some reliable figures. There are various forums across the internet looking into how effective if at all thermal paint is, and the general consensus is that while it does slightly improve the heat retention in your home, the savings are nowhere near big enough to warrant the time, money, and effort spent on redecorating.

Tapestries and Wall Hangings

Similar to the thermal lining paper, but a lot more stylish, wall hangings seem to be making a bit of a comeback. Normally the word "tapestry" makes you think of ancient stories woven into what looks like a giant blanket and hung in a grand, stately home. Nowadays however there are plenty of modern designers using tapestries and wall hangings with amazing effect.

Now the science doesn't really stand up. Whereas the paper and the paint were designed to keep you warm, the wall hangings won't improve things drastically. However what they will do is make a room seem warmer, and as you won't be able to feel the cold of the wall through the fabric you may actually feel warmer yourself. Plus they look amazing.

Curtains

Now most of you will already have curtains around the house, but not many of you will know just how good they are at keeping out the cold. A standard pair of single-lined lace curtains isn't really going to help things, but a good quality pair of double-lined, or even thermal-lined blackout curtains will do wonders for your room. More heat is lost through doors and windows than from any other part of the house apart from the roof (but I'm not sure putting curtains in the attic is really worth it), so covering them up with a good pair of thick curtains will help keep out the cold and keep your bills at a minimum.

You don't even have to splash out on an expensive pair on the high street. Simply take a few old pairs that you don't like or don't use any more and sew them to the back of each other. That way you have a pair of double-lined curtains without even leaving the house.

One Last Way To Keep Warm

So the thermal lining paper seems the most cost-effective solution, but I'd have to go with curtains as being my top tip for keeping warm this winter. But while taking measures like this will help reduce your bills, not everyone has the time or money to be able to do them, not to mention the fact that you may not want to redecorate! So what other step can you take to keep you and your family warm in the winter time?

Don't worry. There is a guaranteed way to keep yourself warm at this time of year. One that is all too often overlooked. You don't have to redecorate, you don't have to spend a lot of money, and if you have a generous aunt with a penchant for knitting, you may not need to do anything at all. But what is this wonderful, magical thing that is guaranteed to add warmth and comfort to any home this Christmas? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...

...THE CHRISTMAS JUMPER!

How We Make Your Wallpaper

Take a look at the inner workings of WallpaperInk and learn a bit more about how your photo wallpaper is made. This week we teamed up with Jean-Pierre's Bistro in Ramsey.

I've talked a lot on this blog about other people and other things, and we've had some great feedback from you over the last few weeks. It's not been going very long (it's my one month anniversary today...hooray!), but we've been through a huge range of topics. We've talked about the magnetic wallpaper featured on Channel 4's Gadget Man, we've looked at some beautiful Autumnal designs, and we've even looked at how you can wallpaper your stairs.

So I've decided as a bit of a birthday treat to let you see the inner belly of WallpaperInk, and have a look at exactly what it is we do.

We recently worked with Jean PIerre's Bistro in Ramsey on the Isle of Man. They're due to open in December, having renovated an old post office building. They're completely redecorating the whole place and I must say when it's finished it's going to look beautiful.

And we've had the pleasure of working with them designing their walls. With the grand opening not far away, they wanted something bold and inviting to really stand out. They're going for a brilliant tiled pattern all around the main restaurant, with each tile showing a different image. They came up with some fabulous designs, with a chic, French theme running throughout.

We don't simply choose an image and click print. Each image has to be cropped and resized in order for it to print in the same high quality you would expect. We make every effort to ensure each design is as clear and crisp as it can be. Every order is printed using a high-quality large format printer, and each print is carefully checked as it is printing to make sure there are no marks, ink blots, or tears.

Jean-Pierre's included some delicious food and drink dishes to be displayed all around the main bar and dining areas, which are almost definitely going to make your mouth water before you've even sat down. They've also introduced some local culture into their design with some of the tiles showing famous landmarks like Glen Maye and the Laxey Wheel, and they even have a tile of the Manx flag.

And if that's not enough, they even made sure to include a set of Christmas themed tiles to really get everyone in the festive mood.

Once a design is printed and has been left to dry, it is measured by hand to make sure it has the correct dimensions. The blank edges are then cut away leaving only your print. Each order is printed as standard with a small bleed on every side. This is to allow you to overlap the drops and cut away the excess, leaving you with a millimetre perfect wall design. Once everything is cut, the wallpaper is then carefully bubble-wrapped, rolled, and packaged, ready to be shipped off.

We really hope the team at Jean-Pierre's love their designs as much as we do. Hopefully we'll be able to bring you a few snaps of the opening night in a few weeks' time so we can show off the finished product. We'd like to wish them every success for the future, so from all of us here at WallpaperInk...

BONNE CHANCE!

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Free Wallpaper Giveaway

Win a free custom made wallpaper design worth up to £150, just by entering our Facebook competition and sharing it with your friends.

That's right. You could be the lucky winner of £150 worth of unique photo wallpaper, made to measure, and delivered to your door.

You can have any design you like. You could browse through the hundreds of designs we have on our website, or you can upload one of your own photos and have it printed on high-quality wallpaper. If you'd like, we can even have our graphic design team work with you to create a completely unique design using any images or patterns you can think of.

We have all sorts of images you can choose from. We have a range of Disney wallpapers, perfect for redecorating the kids' bedrooms. We have designs from loads of your favourite Disney films, such as Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., and even the classic Snow White. We can also edit these images to match any colour scheme, or include any other details you might like.

We also have a huge range of colourful patterned wallpaper, ranging from vibrant, contemporary designs like this  polka dot design, to more classic, traditional patterns, such as the much-loved paisley swirl.

So what do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning £150 worth of unique wallpaper?

It's simple. Just visit our competition page on Facebook and follow these three easy steps:

Step 1: 'Like' our page.

Simply click the like button in the top corner of the screen to be entered into the draw. We'll keep you updated with how the competition is going.

Step 2: Enter your email address.

The winner of the competition will be chosen at random and contacted via email, so make sure you enter the right one in!

Step 3: Tell your friends.

Share the competition on your timeline to complete the process. Each time you share it with one of your friends, you'll increase your chances of winning.

The winner will be selected on Monday, so get your entries in quick! If you're the lucky one, one of our team will contact you via email with the good news.

So what are you waiting for? Enter away and share it with anyone and everyone you know, and a free personalised wallpaper could be yours!

For full terms and conditions, follow the link on the competition page at https://www.facebook.com/WallpaperInk?v=app_706482279370438.

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Interior Design Polls

Your wallpaper designing business needs you!

We've gone through a whole range of topics on this blog lately. We've covered design tips, like how to wallpaper your staircase, we've looked at technology, like the Lumia phone and the Neverwet spray, and we've even given you some photography tips.

But there's one thing we haven't done yet. There's one really important thing that we haven't talked about. You.

So this is your chance! We've found a selection of really cool interior design polls online, and we want to know what you think. There's some brilliant ideas, some quite brave ones, and some that are just plain crazy. Simply click on the polls to add your vote, and leave a comment below to let us know what you chose.



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Waterproof wallpaper!

 

How many times have you accidentally spilled a drink and it's splashed onto the wall, leaving a huge wet patch on your favourite pattern? Or how many times has the dog shaken himself dry in the hallway and left specks of muddy water all over the walls? Or how many times have you woken up early and made your other half breakfast in bed, then while lovingly carrying it to them tripped over your own feet and fallen flat on your face, leaving a giant milky-orange stain on the wall on the top of the stairs?

Okay, that last one might just have been me...

But the problem still exists: stains are a nuisance, and wallpaper is one of the main victims. As beautiful as it looks on the wall, it's never really got on with liquids, especially textured wallpaper. And it's not alone either. Furniture is often overlooked, but it has been bullied by the plague of liquid stains for centuries. Sofas have been utterly ruined by a clumsy, flailing arm, carpets have had to be dissected and dismembered just because of a tiny green patch that nobody quite knows what it is, and tables have been cruelly branded with the tea-stain ring of doom! If only there were a way to stop it. If only there were a way to fight back against the evil foes of red wine, coffee, and chicken korma. If only there were some sort of magic spray you could buy that would water-proof your walls and furniture so they would never stain again...

Ladies and Gentlemen: I give you Neverwet.




And no, this is not a joke. Neverwet is a genuine product, readily available in the United States, and costing only $20 per can (just over a tenner). It claims to be able to water-proof almost anything with just a few coats of the spray, and as the video shows, the results are mightily impressive.

You apply a thick base coat, allow it to dry, then apply a few layers of the top coat, and before you know it you have waterproof, stain-proof, and more importantly life-proof items.
You could coat your shoes in it, walk through a swamp, and the mud will just slide straight off. You could coat your clothes in it and be free of the horror of runaway hot dog mustard. You could even, if you had enough, coat your walls and furniture in it, and spill, spill, spill to your heart's content.

It's all to do with the "contact angle" of the liquid landing on the surface, and the difference between hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. (Warning: science bit coming up!).
The contact angle is to do with how water droplets hit the surface of an object, whether as a small, round droplet, or as a flat splash. Hydrophilic surfaces love water, so the contact angle is less than 90 degrees, meaning the water lands flat and get soaked up. Hydrophobic surfaces like the one in the picture don't like water, so the contact angle is more than 90 degrees, which is why the water forms into little droplets. The contact angle on a non-stick frying pan for example is around 95 degrees.

The contact angle on a surface treated with Neverwet shoots up to around 165 degrees, classing it as "superhydrophobic". This is why the water doesn't just form into little droplets, but it is physically repelled from the surface. The droplets land in an almost perfectly round shape so they simply roll off, meaning your surfaces stay clean and dry.

There are still quite a few teething problems, as you'd expect with any new product. Many people are reporting a chalky, white residue being left on their items after they've been sprayed, and there is a lot of contention over how long the spray actually lasts, although the company have claimed that some of their test objects have "remained under seawater for over a year and re-emerged completely dry."

But one thing is for sure, this is most definitely the future of cleaning products. It may be a long way off, but I don't think I'm naive in predicting that this stuff, once all the problems are ironed out, will go into mass market production and many of our household items will come ready-coated in a Neverwet glaze. It will put an end to overloaded washing machines, a stop to uncharacteristic stains in places they shouldn't be, and will finally lay to rest the issue of having to drag a huge bag of washing all the way to the launderette, only to find that three of the machines are broken, and you didn't bring enough change for the only one that's left!

So keep your eyes peeled. We may not quite be there yet, but mark my words. In years to come, stains will be a thing of the past!

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Staircase Wallpaper

Wallpaper only goes on walls, right?

Wrong.

Yes we know it's called wallpaper, and we know it's supposed to go on walls. We're just telling you it doesn't have to.

There are plenty of places you can hang wallpaper in your home. All you need is a good, clean surface that's been well-prepared, the right measurements for those tricky corners, and some imagination.

So today I thought we'd look at a particularly innovative alternative to the classic wallpaper print: staircase wallpaper.

I'm not entirely sure who first came up with the idea to hang wallpaper on their stairs, but lately I've seen loads of different designers use the idea, and I have to say I think it looks great.

It's a really interesting alternative to boring old carpet, especially if you have some lovely wooden stairs that you don't want to cover up, like in this image. Wallpapering the stairs can really make your hallway come alive, and there's loads of different ways you can do it. Stick to one pattern for some continuity, or go wild and have a different print on each step to really draw some attention to your staircase.

There's nothing stopping you papering over the top of your stairs too if you want a really off-the-wall design. And if you're worried about the wallpaper being damaged (and you're a dab-hand at D.I.Y) then you can cover each print with a protective layer of acrylic. It's easy enough to get hold of, and all you'll have to do is cut it to size, drill a few holes, and fasten it to the staircase to protect your wallpaper from muddy boots and sharp heels!




You could even order a custom wallpaper and have any image you like. All you'd have to do it cut the correct measurements and hey presto! You've got yourself a brilliant, innovative design in a place you never thought you could have one.

So to all those of you twiddling your thumbs and wondering what interior design task you can conquer next...

...step up!

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How To Use Wallpaper Patterns

We all love a nice patterned photo wallpaper, whether it's a subtle detail along the skirting board, or a bold, colourful repeated print along a feature wall. But how do you know which pattern to choose? Of course it would be easy to just pick out a nice floral pattern and be done with it, but how do you know it's going to work? How do you match it to the rest of the room? How do you know it will look as good on your wall as it does in the shop or online?
Well don't panic. We've trawled the internet and found the best hints and advice we could find to help you choose the perfect design for your wallpaper. Here's our top tips on how to use patterns.

1. Room Size

You wouldn't think it, but the size of the room should have a huge impact on the kind of pattern you choose. It can make the room bigger or smaller, brighter or darker, and it can change the atmosphere completely. In general, you should scale your pattern to the room size; large room, large pattern, small room, small pattern.

Small rooms: be delicate with your pattern. Choose a light, bright background with soft colours. Don't go with anything too bold or jazzy. Maybe consider a floral pattern, or a 3D tile effect. As long as the pattern is small, it makes it seem further away, or it can even blend at a distance to look like a textured wall. This makes a small room look much bigger. If you have a particularly low ceiling, you can add a vertical pattern to your walls to add some height, or if you're feeling adventurous, you could even put a pattern design on the ceiling itself.

Medium rooms: you have a little more scope with a medium sized room, but you still need to find a balance between pattern and size. You can go with a stronger, bold-coloured pattern, but make sure the background is light. If it's too dark or there's too much going on you can make the room seem too small and cluttered.

Large rooms: this is where you can let loose. A large room allows you to be bold and adventurous with your patterns. Choose dynamic designs in deep, rich colours to make the pattern really stand out. Also, having a large scale pattern will help keep the room together and not look empty.

2. Modern vs. Traditional Style

Try to match the style of pattern you choose with the overall style of the house. You don't want to put a 70s-style, multi-coloured, tie-dye print in a two-hundred-year-old cottage. Just make sure you pick the right pattern for the style you already have.

Traditional: stick to traditional designs. There are some beautiful floral patterns on the market, or you could even go down the paisley or damask motif route. Look for soft, warm colours and understated designs.


Contemporary: if you have a more modern house, be a bit more creative. Use geometric patterns and other abstract designs to create a really interesting feature. Go for a bolder colour palette.

3. Mix 'n' Match

You don't simply have to stick with one pattern; sometimes mixing things up can make a room come to life...just make sure you don't overdo it!

Rule of three: make sure you have no more than three different patterns in any one room; if you use any more you can make a room look very confusing and unappealing.

Lead pattern: when choosing your designs, make sure you choose a lead pattern, one that will be the focus of the room. This should be a bold, vibrant design that draws attention. The other two designs should then compliment your lead pattern, rather than compete with it. They need to be smaller and more subtle, but still in-keeping with the theme you have chosen.

4. Be Creative

Rules are made to be broken. Yes these tips can really help when you're stuck and not sure what to do, but when it comes down to it, your wall is exactly that: yours. You can do what you like with it. Fifty years ago nobody would have even dreamed that you could put floral wallpaper with polka dot cushion covers, let alone matching them with some stripy curtains. If nobody was creative, we'd never get anywhere. So go out on a limb, be bold, and choose a wallpaper that says, "look at this. This is my wallpaper. I chose it. And I love it!"

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Photography tips for beginners

Photo wallpaper is becoming more and more popular by the day, and so many of you are looking into getting a personalised wallpaper design for your homes. Even big businesses are using photo wallpaper to spruce up their offices to help keep their employees awake on a Monday morning (and let's face it, we ALL need help waking up on a Monday morning!).

Smart phones and digital cameras are also everywhere, and with technology as good as it is, taking a great quality photo has never been easier. That said, though, no amount of technology can make up for the photography world's biggest enemy: people!

We all know them. Those people who squint and pull faces in really lovely photos just as you press the button; those people who turn the flash on full and blind everyone in the room every five minutes; those people who say "smile" and then drag out the next thirty seconds adjusting the focus and playing with the zoom until your cheeks hurt so much from smiling for so long you end up in every single photo looking like Wallace from Wallace and Gromit!

So, before I get too angry, I thought I'd give you a few hints and tips on how to make the most of your photos, and how to get the best looking designs you can.

1. Composition

"Uh-oh. He's getting technical already." Don't worry, it's nowhere near as complicated as it sounds. The composition is just where everything is in the photo and how it's all put together. A photo with good composition has the important bits in focus, and everything around it in place. A photo with bad composition normally has half a face cut off, it's at a weird angle, and there's a leg in the corner that nobody recognises...

A great technique to use is the 'rule of thirds'. In your head, break up the photo into nine equal squares, like a game of noughts and crosses. With photos, rather than filling the boxes, try and make sure that the important parts of the image sit on the lines. If you put your focus on the centre square, your photos end up looking static and quite boring. Using the rule of thirds, you can add a bit of depth and movement to your photos, and it's a really simple trick to use.

2. Exposure

Again, it's a scary sounding term, but don't panic. Exposure is just brightness to you and me. Adjusting the exposure of your shot can make the world of difference to the finished product. Digital cameras normally adjust the exposure of a shot automatically, but even sophisticated cameras can't quite pick up the same detail that the human eye can, which is why sometimes you need to switch to manual mode and adjust it yourself. When it snows, for example, most cameras will try and tone down the white of the snow, making it come out more of a grey colour. Heightening the exposure slightly will keep your images shimmering and white. Many cameras have a +/- button to make it really easy. If your photo looks too dark, move it up, if it looks too bright, move it down. It's a simple adjustment, but it could result in a huge improvement for your photos.

3. Aperture

Okay, this one is a little complicated, but if you get it right, this setting could become your new best friend. Aperture controls the depth of field, which is to do with the focus of the image - it's the difference between a landscape photo of a beach and a close up of a flower. For wider shots, or for shots where you want as much detail as possible in both the foreground and the background, then you need a small aperture setting. For close-ups where only the subject matters and you want the background blurred or faded, you need a large aperture. You may not find this setting on your average digital camera, but those of you using a good quality D-SLR camera (the ones with the sticky-out lens that look really professional) should be able to find it quite easily.

A low number, eg. f/1.4, gives you a large aperture, which creates a lovely focused image.

Whatever dial you need to turn or button you need to press, you should see certain numbers appear on the screen. Now this is where it gets a bit complicated. Aperture is backwards. A high number, eg. f/22, means a small aperture, which gets you full focus and lots of detail. A low number gets you a large aperture, like this picture of a ladybird, which will focus on the main image and leave the background soft and blurred.

It's all a bit mind-boggling at first, but play around with the settings and take some practise shots and you'll soon get the hang of it. A clever way of thinking about it is looking at the number of 'things' you want in the shot. Lots of people or buildings across a large photo, high number. One thing in the foreground, low number. Once you master that, you can dramatically improve your photos with one simple change.

4. Fill the frame

So many people take photos from far too far away, especially if they're taking photos of people. It can ruin a perfectly good shot if when people see it they have to squint and search the image to find people. Unless you're deliberately taking photos for a real-life Where's Wally magazine, I'd suggest getting in closer.

There's a few ways you can do this. Most, if not all cameras today, have a decent zoom function. Use it. I'm not saying we need to see shots of the inside of your friend's nostrils, but getting closer to the action of the shot and filling the frame makes for a far more interesting photo. If your zoom isn't particularly good, or you're worried about a loss of quality, then use your legs! Move forward for a much cleaner shot. This allows your subject to fill the frame and become the focus of the image, rather than being a tiny speck in the distance.

5. Stay still!

You'd be surprised at the amount of blurred, fuzzy pictures we get send here at WallpaperInk, and nine times out of ten it's because whoever was taking the photo can't keep still. It is difficult to hold a camera properly, and particularly if you're on the go, it can be hard to stop and take your time with a shot. Luckily, there are a few handy tips out there for keeping yourself steady.

Holding your breath is a brilliant way of stabilising your body. Just before you take a shot, take a slow, deep breath in and hold it. Take the shot, then release. It works the opposite way too. Exhale and hold, then click, then breathe in. Whichever way you do it, you'll find that your body is far more rigid when you take the photo, and therefore your image will look a lot more crisp and detailed.

Additionally, if you can find something solid to lean against, this will also really improve your stability. Simply just resting against a wall or a fence holds your body in place, allowing you to concentrate on holding the camera steady.

A monopod is a more mobile alternative to a tripod.

Tripods are a fantastic addition to any photographer's collection, and there are hundreds of different models to choose from. They are perfect for stabilising a shot, and they can allow you to jump in the photo too. If you move around a lot, and a tripod is a little cumbersome to drag along with you, there are monopods available. They are just single tripod legs that you lean against your body, with your own two legs making up the tripod. They're far easier to carry around, especially as most of them retract, and they can be invaluable to a photographer on the go.

And our final tip...

Have fun with it! Photography isn't a chore. There are rules and guidelines galore that tell you how to do this, that, and the other, but at the end of the day they're your photos. Play around with them. Break some rules, change the settings, move around. The more you experiment, the better your shots will be.

And as always, practice makes perfect.

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