When taking photos, you may not think about what their final purpose is. However there are times when you take a picture and just know that it is something you want to display. If you know that you’re going to want a canvas photo print, it’s important to make sure that you’re taking photos that best suit the medium. After all, larger canvas photo prints tend to enlarge the details that might otherwise be subtler or harder to notice, which can benefit or detract from the photo. Either way, it’s important to keep this in mind when choosing a photo to enlarge.

1. Make Sure You’re Not Taking Small Resolution Photos

With canvas photo printing you may decide to blow an image up to a larger size than usual, which means that the photo needs to be of high enough visual quality and resolution to maintain its integrity in that size. The majority of modern cameras and smartphone cameras take very high resolution images and printing at larger sizes is less of an issue compared to how it used to be. Images taken in pano mode take incredibly high resolution images. There is an image size calculator on our website to help you understand the size your image is capable of printing up to.

If the resolution of your photo is too small, the details of the photo are not going to translate effectively when it’s blown up into a canvas photo print. It may look blurry, glitchy and of much lower quality than you expect and hope for.

2. Steady Your Photo

When you’re taking a photo for a canvas photo print, make sure that your hand, tripod, or other surface is steady. A shaky or unsteady snap of the picture can cause blurriness that you may not see right away. However, when you choose to enlarge and print the photos online in the UK, the higher resolution will show all of the imperfections in the piece.

If you can’t steady your hands enough for that perfect shot, there are two options. Image stabilisation features on smartphone cameras and more professional cameras and equipment can help. This is a great option to use if it’s available on your camera - although a lot of iPhone's and other smartphone cameras do have this automatically built in now. Another great option is to use a tripod. Keep in mind that if you are setting stability options manually, that using image stabilising features and a tripod together can cause overcompensation, and lead to a worse image. Try it both ways, and see which you like better!

3. Make Sure It’s Not Off-Balance

Minor deviations in balance, like a slight tilt, might not make much of a difference to a smaller photo. However, a horizon that is even slightly diagonal is going to look like it’s slanting a lot more when it’s blown up to a large size canvas. As such, you should make sure that you’re balancing as effectively as possible. If you are going for an off-kilter look, keep the angle in mind, as it will be more noticeable on canvas photo prints than it is on your screen.

Try and maintain entirely straight lines in the photo. You can check if the lines are straight by looking at nearby walls, the horizon, or any other straight lines within sight. It can take a little while to get used to judging whether or not there are straight lines in your photos, so take the time to practice.

4. Take into account the canvas wrap options

You might want to make use of all of the visual real estate you have to take images that are chock full of action and detail. However, if you’re taking a picture to create a photo on canvas in the UK, take into consideration anything close to the edge of the image. After all, canvas prints are wrapped around a wooden frame, so if you were considering a mirror edge for example, the very edges of the image might look odd when reflected around the side of the canvas frame. You don’t have to keep the impact of the photo dead centre, but don’t let it get too close to the edge if this will potentially cause an issue.

5. Get Plenty Of Lighting

The devil is in the details when it comes to canvas photos, and details can easily get lost in the darkness. Without the right camera and composition, photos in darker settings can become fuzzy or blurry where the light starts to fade. This can lead to images that have a “hazy” feeling overall, which is great for some shots, but not ideal for most.

Make sure that you have plenty of natural light to play with. Taking photos when the sun is high in the sky might be the best option, if possible. Of course, sunset and sunrise add some rich contrast that you can play with, as well. If you’re serious about your photography, or simply want to ensure that you get the perfect shot, you might want to consider investing in some lighting equipment. This can help you banish the darkness and make sure that you’re capturing all the details you want in your picture.

6. Use Classic Techniques To Ensure A Bold Visual Impact

It’s important to remember that sometimes images that have a great impact on your phone screen or even on your computer screen may not have the same visual hit when they’re printed on a canvas. On the other hand, some images that might look a little more generic on a small screen might truly come alive when printed on a canvas. To that end, simply following the basic compositional rules, such as the Rule of Thirds, can help ensure that you get the right shot. For big photos, the simple tactics often work the best since there’s a lot more detail to take in and more subtle compositional tricks can get lost.

Whether you’re using the Rule of Thirds, the Fibonacci Spiral, or any other compositional techniques, you have to make sure that you’re well aware of your focal point first and foremost. Build your photos around a dominant feature in the shot.

Get Your Own Photos On Canvas In The UK

If you’re looking to print photos online in the UK, Print Panoramics has you covered. We offer a variety of aspect ratios and sizes ranging from Ultra Panoramic to non-panoramic, and more. We help you turn your perfect shot into fantastic art!