Brick Wall Backgrounds

What is in this collection

Classic and old brick includes a red brick wall in running bond, a weathered Victorian wall in mixed reds, purples and greys, red brick laid in herringbone, creamy yellow London stock brick, tumbled reclaimed brick in terracotta and buff, warm brown loft brick in Flemish bond and long, thin Roman brick in tan and chocolate. Painted walls come in clean matte white, whitewashed red with worn patches, matte charcoal, soot black industrial, soft pink and deep navy. For a cleaner, modern finish there is glossy white glazed subway brick, sage green glazed brick and pale grey brick in a stack bond grid.

Choosing a brick backdrop for your template

Brick gives a layout strong, regular lines, so it suits templates where photo boxes and text sit in neat rows. For bright, airy prints use a white brick background: the clean white painted wall, the whitewashed red brick or the glazed subway brick, all of which take dark text. For evening parties and neon-style lettering, the charcoal, soot black and navy walls keep light text readable.

Red and brown brick reads as city and loft: the running bond and Victorian walls suit graduation photos, pub nights and urban portraits, and the loft brick suits engagement shoots and rehearsal dinners. The pink brick suits girls' birthdays and bridal showers, the Roman brick has a 1960s and 70s feel, and the pale grey stack bond is the calmest choice for corporate headshots. In a 2x6 strip, the smaller-patterned walls such as running bond and stack bond still show plenty of bricks in each narrow frame. See photo booth backgrounds for strip and print sizes.

Tips for using these backgrounds

• Keep the mortar lines level. Brick shows any tilt at once. Align photo boxes and text to the courses, and if you rotate a frame in your template, rotate the brick separately so the lines stay straight.
• Use the bricks as a size guide. A head is roughly three brick courses tall. If the bricks look too big next to your subjects, crop in closer (head and shoulders) rather than shrinking the people; for groups of four or more, the landscape file gives the most width.
• Match the side light. The shadow in the mortar joints shows the light direction: from the left on the red running bond and the charcoal brick, from the right on the white painted and navy walls. The glazed subway brick is lit from above and suits flat, front-on booth lighting.

For other wall surfaces see wood backgrounds, stone, plaster and concrete walls and all textured backgrounds.