I am by no means an expert photographer, but here are some tips to taking photographs you will be happy with:

Go out and find something you have never seen. For me the fun of taking photos is as much the experience of finding something really interesting that makes you just want to get your camera out. So get out of that chair, turn the computer off, get your camera and GO OUTSIDE! See what you find, then let everybody else see what you have found.

I love photos that are of something you see everyday and don't even notice, because its so normal to you. Learn to look at everyday things in a new way, from above, lying on the ground, use flashes, filters or long shutter speeds, get real close and get a macro-shot of something you would never look at close-up. Just because you always see something doesn't mean that it isn't interesting, or that other people don't want to see it.

Some of my favorite photos are ones where you use your camera to alter an image, just because something looks a certain way to your eyes doesn't mean your camera will see it like that. This is especially true of night photography, a long shutter speed will make things that look dark and dull shine-out in a way that is impossible to predict. So get that tripod, and let your camera show you something that you can't see.

The most important tip I can give is just get taking photos, it doesn't matter if you have a £30 or £3000 camera, its the photographer that makes the difference.