Since many babies rarely remain still enough for a photo shoot – except when they’re asleep – parents and guardians often find it difficult to take passport photos for babies. Any type of wriggling and squirming when a baby’s bored or excited or flailing when they’re crying or angry can ruin photos that need to be as clear and blurry-free as possible. Government passport regulations compound these difficulties.
To take the perfect passport picture of your baby, keep these professional tips in mind:
Make the background nondescript
Most governments don’t accept passport photos that have anything in the background that distracts from a baby’s physical features. Make certain that your baby rests on a white or off-white blanket, sheet or another piece of linen without anything else in the background like toys, wall decorations or patterned wallpaper.
Choose the right clothing
The idea again is to focus on your baby’s features and normal appearance. Choose the style of clothing that you normally put on your baby. So that an outfit doesn’t cause any distractions or cover up identifying features on the face or neck like moles and other birthmarks or scars, select a collarless outfit in a solid, dark color. Don’t use any hats or scarves.
Watch the body positioning
Beyond identifying marks, always include both of your baby’s eyes and ears, the chin and the neck, if possible, in the photo. Some countries accept photos of infants that have their eyes closed shut, but it’s a far wiser decision to try to get a photo with the eyes open for identification purposes. Also, your baby’s hair shouldn’t fall across their forehead or face at all and their hands should be kept out of all shots.
Keep lighting in mind
Any type of shadow in the photo can disqualify it. Make certain that the background material doesn’t have creases or folds that create shadows. To try to get the best positioning and lighting, prop your baby up in their car seat on a white background blanket or sheet. If that doesn’t work, carefully prop your baby’s head up by placing folded towels around their head under the background blanket or sheet so that you don’t have to lean over them as much casting shadows. Whenever your baby moves around a lot, wait to take additional shots since these actions can cause shadows and photo blur.
Take a lot of photos
Most people fail to get the perfect photo on the first attempt. The best way to acquire an image that will pass a passport photo inspection is to use common, user-friendly camera tricks: Turn on your digital camera’s auto-focus and “burst” or “continuous shooting” mode. The first option reduces fuzziness so that you don’t become irritated trying to focus shots manually. The second option makes the camera take several photos within seconds so that you don’t have to constantly push the shutter button. It also increases your chances of catching your baby at just the right moment. Once you have your baby in position, hold a filled bottle or toy slightly above the lens so that the baby keeps their eyes focused straight in front of them. If a shot you like is great other than it has red eye problems, don’t consider it a loss. Many governments permit red eye digital editing.
After you have one or more photos that you think might get the job done, turn to our professionals at Paspic.com to help you pick the right one and print it to the correct government specifications. We make the selection and printing process for passport photos for babies quick and convenient. Talk to one of our team today.
