Go into any big DIY store or modern style furniture shop and you’ll see canvas prints on the walls. In the bathroom section they’ll have something warm – maybe some dandelion seedpods floating in the air or a wildlife scene from Africa. Monet seems to figure highly in these stores but none of the pictures they use seem to have much relevance other than trying to create a certain ‘mood.’ To be fair, the kitchen area usually does have a canvas print of a sliced pepper or tomato or maybe a tin with the word ‘Bread’ on it.

Wouldn’t it be so much nicer to have canvas prints in your home with some relevance to you? Of your loved ones or a scene that evoked memories from holidays, anniversaries or weddings? Something that gives you joy each time you look at it.

Choosing the right photograph to have printed onto canvas takes patience. Family scenes for instance will be very personal; scenery shots of a safari holiday may end up being more likely conversation pieces. You may even opt for a mixture of the two. You need to decide what mood you want to create in the room, does the picture compliment the room and will you still enjoy looking at the picture in two or three years time? Also, you should be aware that canvas has the effect of making people want to touch it and ask questions: ‘where did you get this done?’; ‘how have they done this?’ and ‘is this real?’

The technique of canvas printing is not solely the province of the modern artist, or the ordinary man or woman in the street keen to transform a family photograph into some Warhol-esque masterpiece. At English Heritage, the method is being employed to preserve images of some of the country’s most celebrated sites and treasures.

In offering the public the opportunity of hanging a stretched and framed Stonehenge or Lincoln Cathedral over the mantelpiece, English Heritage strives to fulfil its remit of:

(existing) to protect and promote England’s spectacular historic environment….as well as the legacy of fine arts and historic photography in our care.

Purchasing habits from this vast store of images serve to highlight those aspects of England’s green and pleasant land which most fire the public’s imagination. The expected sites are there — castles, cathedrals and ancient stone circles. Yet the list also includes the unexpected and the eccentric, including a lovingly-preserved Victorian lamppost. The sites and artefacts which command national affection are, evidently, as eclectic a mix as the population as a whole.

Ranging from £40.00, up to the £300.00 mark, the prints may be deemed as something of a luxury in the current financial climate. Yet others will doubtless argue that the worth of these images is intrinsic, and that no price can ever be placed on the wealth of national heritage they record.

Of course one doesn’t need to purchase a National Heritage print to own a piece of canvas art, you can just as easily have your own photographs printed on canvas.

No longer the singular domain of the artists’ brushstroke, stretched canvas now provides a strong statement in photographic display. The vibrancy of colour on a canvas print, and texture of the medium itself, can really enhance an image.

Whether as the finale to a room makeover, or simply adding new detail to an existing decor, hanging canvas prints can add a touch of luxury as a feature in any room or office in which they are showcased - becoming a real talking point, especially if it is a personally taken image.

Deciding on where to locate the canvas print is the first step to display. Larger prints often look at their best centred on a primary wall so that they catch the attention of visitors as they enter the room. Smaller prints work best in clusters of two or three traced in diagonals or lines. The strongest display height is at eye-level (otherwise known as Museum Hanging), which engages its audience and allows them to take in the art without working too hard.

To achieve a perfect hanging ultimately depends on where and how you would like your canvas print to be displayed.

When you get ready to place your picture hooks, it is important that you remember there will be a drop on the picture-wire once tension is applied - and this could significantly drop the canvas if not taken into account. Some people prefer to tighten the picture wire rather than measuring the distance of the tension drop, but this should not be a preferred method as the tighter the wire tension; the more likely the picture may be knocked off the wall, or become difficult in trying to hang straight. It is worth taking a little extra time to measure accurately and have someone to assist you while you test and measure the drop.

If you are placing your canvas print over furniture (i.e. a sofa), it would be advisable to keep the base of the picture at least 6inches above the furniture - even if this means taking the picture just above eye-level. Another good reason to measure the drop!

For panoramic images, cityscapes or landscape pictures it is fashionable to break these images into panels, Diptych (2 panel), Triptych (3 panel) and Quadtych (4 panel), can really add an alternative style to the display. When considering how to hang panelled images it is considered that a 4inch distance between each panel shows them off perfectly - but it is entirely dependent on personal tastes and space availability. With panelled canvas prints it is also crucial that the hanging drop is measured accurately to ensure level is maintained across the whole display.

Whatever your print, however big the canvas, you can make a real feature in your space by just considering these few tips.

When it comes to displaying your wedding photos, most people opt for the traditional wedding album. They’re usually well presented, nicely bound and come in a stylish box for you to treasure for the rest of your life. However, the one problem with wedding albums such as this is that you have to store it away out of site. You never see the photos held within, and these are supposed to be pictures of the happiest day of your life!

Far better than hiding your wedding photos away in a wedding album, only looking at them when friends and relatives come to call, is to have them on display for everyone to see, at all times when they are at your home. For this you should have your best wedding photos displayed on your wall.

You could of course have framed pictures from your special day, but a much better option is to have the photos printed on canvas and hung on your wall like works of art. Canvas prints bring the best out of your wedding pictures, and make the images of the best day in your life come alive, as only a canvas print can.

So much better than to hide your pictures away, display them on the wall, printed on canvas.

Britain has never been known for having particularly great weather, in fact this little island on the side of Europe seems to get some of the most contrasting weather of any country, ranging from rain, to heavy rain, to sunny spells between rain showers. We’re now in the full swing of summer, and once again it’s raining.

With the credit crunch affecting people’s budgets too, many are choosing not to go abroad this year on their holidays, and instead spending their summer holidays inside Blighty. While this means many of those trips are spent in doors looking out at the bead weather, or running around in between sunny spells, this is great news for British photographers.

Beautiful hot weather with glaring sunshine maybe what everyone craves, but not the photographer. Our weather is dull and dreary perhaps, but when it comes to taking pictures the British climate is just about perfect. The best lighting conditions for taking outdoor pictures are overcast skies, cloudy skies and low light conditions (basically our British summer).

So don’t stay indoors wondering when it will all clear up, or jump on a plane and head off to warmer climates; no, grab your camera and utilise our photographic favourable weather conditions and take some great pictures.

If you’re serious about your amateur photography you’ll be interested to know that the British Journal of Photography are holding their 4th International Photography Awards right now. Also, the prizes are worth a combined total of £13,000, so it’s definitely worth entering if you think you have what it takes.

With this 4th annual awards, the contest has been changed slightly from previous years. In the past if you wanted to enter you’d have to submit an entire portfolio of work, whereas this year you can submit a single photograph.

Prizes for the contest include a Canon EOS 5D camera, worth £3,520. As well as the rather impressive prize, the winners will also have their pictures shown at a London photography gallery, plus they’ll be featured in the British Journal of Photography.

If you’re interested in entering, the last date for submissions is September 20th.

Canvas is the classic material of choice for painters, its usage dates back as far as the early fifteenth century, and was then spread by the success of the Renaissance artists and continues to the present day.

Of course, the precise nature of the material has evolved over the years, as have the methods of its preparation and the application of the paint, but the fundamental idea of stretching a heavy fabric between pieces of wood has remained unchanged for centuries due to its practicality and to the results that canvas makes it possible to achieve.

Strangely enough one of the few things that an abstract expressionist would have in common with his most illustrious figurative predecessors would be the surface on which he paints.

The latest development in the method of application to this surface, which would surely have amazed the Renaissance masters, is the printing of photographs to canvas. Photography itself of course has long surpassed the levels of realism that even the greatest of those early painters could have achieved but now it is possible for even the average person to render their own photos on to a canvas in a way that preserves the detail and colours while giving them the textured feel that one would expect from a personally commissioned painting.

Alternatively, with techniques available in modern photography, it is equally possible to create deliberately and strikingly unreal effects which can add a whole new twist to this ancient practice of displaying decorative art on canvas.

Infra Red Photography isn’t something out of a science fiction film, nor is it the stuff of make believe. Infra Red Photography is a great technique that utilises an ultra sensitive film to make use of light that is visible to the naked eye, as well as light that is not such as longer length light waves. These light waves are above 700nm and include infra red radiation.

More sensitive camera films are able to pick up short light waves, for example UV rays. All of this means that the films are very sensitive and can pick out aspects of an image that regular camera films cannot. This means that they can be used for uses such as scientific discovery and analysis. For example, you could use Infra Red Photography to conduct an aerial survey of a forest.

Infra Red Photography is also used by art restoration experts to restore paintings to their former glory. One thing they are very capable of however, is creating stunning images.

It’s worth experimenting with infra red photography to see what sort of images you’re able to produce, as you’ll find you’ll take some beautiful pictures that would look great framed or printed on canvas.

One thing you should always try with your photos is using black and white. Black and white photography shouldn’t be dismissed as something old, surpassed by colour. It’s become very popular with advertising, magazines and even weddings. Gone are the days of grainy, fuzzy old images; today’s black and white pictures are sharp, clear and full of contrast.

Great black and white pictures also look great printed on canvas, making for striking canvas prints.

A few things to consider when taking black and white pictures are the choice of background, and the light and shadow areas of the composition.

Due to there being no colour tones to differentiate the background from the subject, you’ll need to be sure your background doesn’t blend in too much with the foreground. You could try switching the angle to make sure your subject and your background are separated sufficiently.

The light and dark tones of the picture are the most important aspect of a black and white photograph, so try to maximise them for the best quality pictures. If you practise with taking the same photograph at different times of the day, with different lighting conditions, you’ll be able to see what makes for the best pictures.

Digital photography is growing in interest every year. There are more people getting photos developed than ever. There are several options available; including printing onto merchandise such as mugs and plates. Another option is putting a photo on canvas. This gives a visual appeal that is not achieved from normal gloss or matte photographs. Canvas prints are suitable for wall-hanging and look professional.

The quality of canvas printing has risen to a high-standard. It is now straight-forward to transfer a photo to canvas. There are many companies who offer the service at a good value. As it is becoming increasingly popular the prices are competitive. This ensures that people are getting better deals as time progresses.

Some people would argue that the cost is still significant compared to standard photograph printing, but canvas printing is not suggested for mass photo printing. In contrast, canvas photo printing is more directed towards those with personally unique photographs. Obviously any picture can be transferred to a canvas. However the target clientèle is usually someone with a sentimental or special piece.

Canvas prints are recommended for people who have one or more particularly special photographs. They can come in a range of sizes and are perfect for displaying the photographs to other people. They are well suited in homes or businesses to give an increased visual charm.