Words And Pictures - Overlaying Your Image With Text

In blog posts of past we've mentioned the idea of adding words to your canvas prints, so we thought we'd examine this personalisation option in a little more depth. While choosing your own photo to print is a great way of having your own unique image on your wall, the addition of words will make it extra special, offering another dimension that brings even more individuality and a chance to demonstrate the thoughts behind the vision.

Words are incredibly emotive and you can organise them in a number of different formats and styles to liven up your print and add some charm and character. Overlays often focus on a selection of key words or phrases that directly relate to the photo they're set over, but if you're pretty creative, you can play around with some poetry for something a little more in depth - you can tell a story, summarise your feelings for someone or simply invent a funny limerick about the person in the picture. If you’re creating a poem and find that you’re getting stuck, try using a  rhyming dictionary to help.

Another great way to overlay a canvas photo is to choose a wedding photo and use this is your base image. On a day filled with so much personal emotion, you can draw out one of the main oral elements and use this as your text - choose one of the readings used in the church, or maybe the groom's speech or even your vows, especially if you wrote your own. Choose a photo of you and your new spouse and then write each of your vows over the other one's image - a really special and individual keepsake that will evoke the love you share and the importance of that special day.

For family prints, you should try to involve everyone in the word choices if you can; come up with a family motto or a list of family values you can set over a group portrait. Try something along the lines of: 'In our family, we... love, laugh, play, listen, help and support'. Add your own message, something that sums up the key elements of your family dynamic.

Also on the family theme, you could have a separate print of each family member and overlay words that the rest of the family choose - describe their best or most quirky character traits and/or your feelings for them.

If you're not quite so keen on such an emotional display, then you can always use your holiday snaps as an alternative. Choose a photo with a landmark or scenery and overlay words which remind you of that holiday - think ice cream, long hot summer days, swimming, beer with the locals and other good memories of your time there. You can do this for a whole series of holiday photos to recreate the great times you had while you were away.