2) Find a style that makes you comfortable. Do you want an artsy feel, a more structured look, or do you like the casual feel of clusters?

3) Mix up the types of photos you use as living room decor. You won’t want every photo to be the same type (for example: all people, all buildings, or all trees). Adding a little variety will break it up and add some character.

4) On the flip side, don’t use too many different types of photos. If you have a picture of a horse, a baby, the beach, a skyscraper, etc. You can see how conflicting they would look and would draw away from the overall feel you’re trying to achieve.

5) Get creative when you decorate your living room. One cool trick is to use one photo, get it enlarged to your liking and split it into three different pictures. Then frame them and place them on the wall with some space in between.

6) Choose frames wisely. Before you decorate your living room with pictures, take into account your other furniture and accents. You’ll want your frames to complement your theme. You can use the exact same frames, all different frames, different shapes, different colors, it’s your choice.

7) When decorating with pictures, don’t forget the colors of your walls. This will create the pallet for which you can express your creativity through pictures. Use pictures to complement the existing color or paint your walls.

Use lighting to accent your photos and warm up your living room. If you have a favorite photo that you’d really like to draw attention to, use a light to highlight that specific one.

9) Don’t get stuck on the idea that all your pictures have to hang on the wall. To warm up your living room try placing photos stacked against each other on a bookshelf, laminate them and place them on top of a side table, place large photos on the floor underneath a long table. Don’t be afraid to be different.

10) Consult others and look at a lot of other people’s ideas. You can copy their ideas or use them as a starting point to create your own. This will start the creative process.

1) Digital or Film:  It depends. Digital is great because you can see the results right 
 away making it easy to fix your mistakes. You can also use programs like Photoshop to fix them up. Film takes a lot more skill and work. If you’re a pro, you may want to give it a try.

2) Plagiarize: That’s a joke. But in reality, definitely study other people’s work. Find styles you like and copy them while adding your own flare. Other people’s creative ideas will get your own creative juices flowing.

3) Your niche:  Shoot what you love. If you’re passionate about something, you will be so
 much better at photographing it than something you don’t really care about.

4) How to: Though the majority of us don’t read instruction manuals for the things we buy, you need to read it this time. It’s important to know your camera inside and out. The results will be greater knowledge and better pictures.

5) Perspective: We go through life seeing things mostly from our own perspective. In
photography this is a no- no. Shoot from different points of view. Get down to a child’s level, shoot up or lie on your belly. Be creative.

6) Be Generous: Shoot a ton of pictures. This is not the time to be conservative. Pick up
your camera and snap away (even the same picture multiple times from different angles. You’ll get some awesome shots by using this simple rule.

7) Simplicity: Keep your pictures simple. If you have too much going on, the beauty of your picture will be lost in the jumble.

Rule of 3rds: It doesn’t always need to be implemented but it’s a good rule to use.When focusing on your subject, mentally divide the frame into horizontal and vertical thirds. Where these lines intersect is where you should place your focal points.

9) Lighting: Pay attention to natural lighting. Make sure shadows aren’t looming over
someplace they shouldn’t be. Regarding light, the best times of the day to shoot will depend on your subject.

10) Photo Tips: Find as many Professional photography tips as you can. They have 
the experience and skills and are willing to share them.

When deciding which pictures to use, take a look around the place where you’ll be displaying them. Assess the furniture, lighting, and other room decor to find out what the style or feel of the room is. It probably wouldn’t work well to pair a large wall-sized canvas printing of a rat in a dentist office. Also take into account that it will probably be a focal point of the room so make it something you really like. Okay, I’ve made my point. So choose your photos or art wisely and let’s move on.

Next you’ll need to get your photo into digital form so you can send it to the printer. If it was taken with a digital camera, that’s no problem. Simply go to the website and find the upload button. This will give you the option to find a photo to upload. Find your photo, upload it, and voila! If you want more than one, go ahead and load each one onto the website. The website will walk you through the steps of finishing the process for your getting your own canvas printing. You’ll need to choose the size of your canvas (taking into account the size of the area in which it will be displayed).

Next you’ll need to deal with framing and effects. You can choose to have your canvas printing framed or unframed. Framed seems to make the canvas seem more formal while unframed gives it a sort of artsy flavor. Take your pick. There are a lot of interesting effects you can choose for your canvas. Check out your options and see which best suits your taste. It’s always a good idea to try some styles you don’t necessarily think you will like. You just might get a big surprise.Canvas Printing for Dummies – How to Get Your Own Canvas Prints

Wedding photos make great gifts. No, really. You may be thinking, wait but they already have a wedding photographer. So what? That photographer can’t be every place at once. Though they’ll have beautiful pictures and great shots to give to the happy couple, there are also a lot of great shots they’ve missed. Everyone sees the world from their own perspective and you have a completely different perspective than that photographer. Take your camera to the wedding and snap away like crazy. Chances are you’ll get some great looking photos that the photographer wasn’t able to get. The very best picture from my wedding is one that a friend of mine took. It’s absolutely perfect. And the wedding photographer was nowhere in sight when it was taken. Go for it.

Why don’t you give them a photo portrait for their gift? I’ve been to a lot of weddings where they have a portrait of the couple (it can be candid or something more formal like an engagement picture) on the front table and the guests all sign the matte around the picture. People can give tidbits of advice or leave a message expressing their love. Even though this is a great memento, I’ve been to quite a few weddings where they didn’t have one of these. Wouldn’t it be great if you could have people sign it and give it to them as a surprise gift? They would have it forever and it would hold a little piece of sentiment from everyone who celebrated that special day with them.

I just thought of another idea. You could even use a childhood picture of each of them and mount them on the matte side by side. How cute would that be? Okay now my mind is running wild with possibilities for using wedding photos for creative wedding gifts. If you want to leave them with a lasting memory of their wedding day, consider using a wedding photo. Be creative and have fun choosing the wedding gifts.

Portraits -

Outdoor photography is very different from what you do in a studio. One of the most important considerations for outdoors is contrast. For example: Take a photo of two children sitting on a bench in the sun while facing you. If you snap a picture of them and there’s something obstructing the sun, you’re going to create a huge contrast between the light and the dark areas. One of the problems with this is that people tend to look at brighter areas of the picture. This can make them miss out on the beauty of your primary subject. Try to get the subject in complete sunlight or complete shadow.

Landscapes -

Composition is imperative to the successful attempt at a beautiful landscape photograph.
By composition, I’m referring to how you put your picture together as a whole. This means paying attention to how you can get the light, background, foreground, frame, light, and subject work together. Do you even know what your subject is? Sometimes we see something beautiful and snap a picture. But without a subject, chances are the picture will not be very appealing. Choose a subject and pay attention to every detail of what you see through your lens when shooting outdoor photography.

Sunsets -

Who hasn’t seen a breath taking sunset and wished they could capture its beauty through the lens of a camera? Well don’t fret, you can do it. It’s not as difficult as it may seem. Two important factors to consider that will help you on your way to great outdoor photography (and photography in general) are timing and what’s in the air. The most magical pictures of sunsets are usually taken thirty minutes before the sun actually disappears, so make sure to be there during that time. And if there are clouds around, these add beautiful flavor to a photo.

A photo canvas is a very versatile choice for a birthday gift. Whether you choose to have a photo of the birthday boy or girl themselves made into a canvas print or have a picture of a favorite place printed up for them, most people will enjoy receiving such a thoughtful gift. Canvas printing uses exceptionally high quality inks which are able to beautifully capture and render the colors in any high resolution photo. The inks are printed on a durable cotton canvas, which displays the ink perfectly, making light and texture come to life. The canvas is durable and UV protected, meaning that with proper care, this is one work of art that can last for generations.

Photo canvases can be made from practically any photo, and there are a number of great effects that can be applied to the photo, to really make it special. The picture you choose should have the most important subject matter at least two inches from every edge, as the image will be wrapped around the sides of the canvas. After that, the picture can be rendered in sepia tones, black and white or in enhanced color. If you are feeling more daring, you can also opt to have the picture printed in pop art style, making for a truly original canvas print.

Canvas prints are great and thoughtful gifts that are sure to be appreciated by any birthday boy or girl. Affordable and easy to create, your canvas printing project can be set up in a matter of minutes and ready to give in no time. You can have the print framed, or give it as is. However you choose to present your gift, it is sure to be well received and long remembered as one of the best gifts they ever got!

Many people struggle with finding the perfect piece of art to hang above their mantle or over their sofa. They want something that is both meaningful to them and attractive. Many of us have exactly the image that we would like to see displayed in our homes sitting on the hard drive of our computer. Perhaps it was the scenery along the road on that road trip we took 2 years ago. Or maybe it is that shot of our first kiss as man and wife. Whatever the image, a photo canvas gives us the ability to take that image and make it into a work of art, suitable to be displayed practically anywhere.

No matter what style your living room is, you can make a photo canvas that will fit into it perfectly. Brightly colored landscapes can be printed on a durable cotton canvas, to add a vivid touch to a wall. Sentimental family moments can be printed in black and white, to lend a dramatic and classic touch. You can even have your memories printed in sepia tone, to make a timeless statement. Canvas printing uses high quality inks on durable cotton canvas, to create beautiful prints that will last and stay true for generations with the proper care.

Even the most contemporary or art deco living room can have a bit of personal flair added to it with a family photo turned pop art and turned into a photo canvas. No matter what your personal style, it is quick and simple to create a canvas print that will compliment your living room. Don’t banish your digital photos to the dungeon of your hard drive, instead, set them free and display them for all to see with canvas printing. You are sure to get years and years of enjoyment out of the beautiful works of art that will result.

How do you like your new canvas?

We’d love to post your thoughts for the world to see! Did you liven up your room or get a great gift for someone special? What photo did you use? Tell us anything about your CanvasPeople experience. We’re all ears…

It used to be that the only family photos that would win a spot on the wall were the ones that we had paid someone else a ton of money to take for us. Nowadays it is simple and easy to turn any photo that strikes your fancy into a beautiful photo canvas that you can enjoy and love for years to come. Simply pick out your favorite photo, upload it and off you go! The photo will be printed with high quality inks on durable cotton canvas, and then treated to make it UV resistant, which prevents fading and discoloration over the years. Canvas printing allows you to take virtually any shot and turn it into a work of art.

Large canvas prints are just one of the great ways that you can turn digital images into personalized gifts for loved ones and friends. Smaller prints that will fit on a desk or in an office are another way to bring great memories to life. Featuring snapshots that you have taken of special events and special times that you want to remember on canvas is quick and easy to make. People appreciate and enjoy seeing photos of times and places that they may have forgotten, and personalized gifts are a great way to do just that.

Digital photography has given us the gift of being able to capture practically any moment and preserve it for years to come. Photo gifts and photo canvases give us the ability to put all of those photos to good use and allow them to be displayed, rather than just stored in a hard drive or even a photo album. Printing your photos on items that will see everyday use and exposure will bring new life to them and bring happiness to anyone that sees them.

Turning a digital photo into a canvas print is a truly simple process. All that you need is a favorite digital image, and you are well on your way. You will want to choose a photo that was taken a decent resolution, so that it will be clean and crisp when you enlarge it to the size of your photo canvas. The best photos for this process are ones which do not have anything vital to the shot, as the edges of the photo will wrap around the canvas. Once you have the perfect photo picked out, you will be able to add special touches to it in order to make it just the piece of artwork that you are envisioning.

Canvas printing is not unlike other forms of digital photo printing, in that you can add certain special effects to the photo canvas. Fun options like turning your full color photo into a black and white or sepia art print are simple and easy, and can be achieved with just the click of a mouse. For the more adventurous, you can even turn your precious photo into a piece of pop art, with vibrant colors and textures added to the original shot, making it more artistic.

The bottom line is this: if you are looking for a new and innovative way to display some of your best digital photos, canvas printing is a great option. A canvas print is a work of art, and will have to durability to last for many, many years. Unlike photos that are printed on paper, and may discolor with age, a photo canvas that is properly cared for can be handed down from generation to generation, with little degradation to the image.