I've become interested in the art form of typography recently. More specifically, I'm trying to take a photograph and form the same image with letters and words (probably starting at basic lined words and moving to flowing text with the image). The only problem is I don't really know where to start. I have the photograph I want to create, and I have the words I want to use. I also have the image in my head, and a good understanding of how to make it work, however, I can't find a good enough program to make it possible.

I usually use Gimp for all of my artwork, but doing any kind of text in Gimp is a nightmare. Photoshop isn't any better either. Has anyone ever worked with typography before that can recommend a good, easy program to make this possible? Currently I think putting the picture in Microsoft Word and putting text over it might be the easiest way, but it has some serious restrictions and problems. Any help would be greatly appreciated.