Tag: passport photos

Getting acceptable child or baby passport photos for a  can be nearly impossible under the best of circumstances—which you’re far more likely to have at home. Being able to take your time and catch that golden moment on your own terms may make a lot more sense than using a booth or other solution, once you consider these five problems:

1. Your child must be looking at the camera

Perhaps the simplest reason to avoid public photo booths for getting a passport photo of a younger child: paying attention to the camera can be extremely difficult, especially once you see the other problems you’re going to face with a child or baby passport photo.

2. Your child can’t have a distorted expression

Any expression that might count as distorting facial features will get your passport photo rejected… which means that, if you make a funny voice or face to get your child to pay attention, and they start laughing, you might need another photo. If they’re crying because of a loud noise or because you’re getting visibly frustrated, you’ll need another photo. And it gets even harder.

3. Pacifiers and similar tools aren’t acceptable

If you’re thinking you can keep your baby content for its photo with a pacifier, think again – they aren’t permitted in passport photos. You’ll need to get that perfect face without any help. This can be extremely difficult if things go awry in public.

4. If you’re in the picture, it will be rejected

It can be very difficult to adhere to the other rules on this list without holding your child upright and pointing them in the right direction, but if you can be seen doing so, your child passport photo won’t pass inspection. Props and other tools for doing the job are unacceptable as well; this can make the task very, very difficult to get done in a booth, or indeed anywhere in public.

5. The distance and angle must be right

As with any passport photo, there are rules about the proportion of the shot to be taken up by your child’s head in their photo. Too much or too little, and your submission will be rejected. This can make things quite tricky given all the other rules, especially with photo booths or other tools configured for adults.

When it comes to passport photos, the smallest details can lead to rejection. It’s easy to understand that you should be facing the camera and clearly visible, but the goal of a passport is to eliminate any possibility of misidentification — which means no obfuscating or confounding factors are allowed, period. Here are the top points to keep in mind as you take your photos:

1) Avoid headgear of all sorts

Prescription glasses and religious headgear worn every day are the only exceptions — and if you’re comfortable taking a photo without either, it’s still going to be better. This also includes a variety of items for child photos, including pacifiers. Scarves and other items that might obscure your lower face are no good, too.

2) Your head should be a certain size in the picture

Passport photos are 2×2 inches, and of that space, your head from chin to the top of your hair should be between 1, and 1 and 3/8 inches. Anything smaller or bigger will catch you a rejection. For digital photos with less specific sizes, your head should be between 50% and 69% of the total height.

3) Neutral expressions only

You don’t have to look soulless and dour, but you can’t be distorting your facial features with an exaggerated face, either. This can make baby passport photos very tricky.

4) No extra people

Not a single pinky of another person can be in a passport photo — this includes your hands holding up your child for their photo.

5) No touch-ups

If your camera has built in red-eye removal, that’s fine, but any touch-ups outside of that will catch you an instant rejection. Any and all usage of photo editing software is banned, including the use of red-eye tools from exterior sources.

These aren’t the only rules, but they’re the ones people most commonly run afoul of. You might also want to be wary of other mistakes: using old photos, wearing uniforms or camouflage without a religious reason, using low end digital cameras and phone cameras with terrible image quality, and bizarre lighting can all disqualify your photos.

Basically, ask yourself: is there any conceivable way any human being could possibly have trouble with this? If so, fix it.

So you’ve decided to take your own passport photos; maybe it’s more convenient for you, maybe you’re worried about getting good baby or child photos in a booth, or maybe you just can’t find anywhere to have them done near you. Whatever the reason, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind to make sure your photos come out looking good — and pass inspection.

1) Angle

If you’re taking a selfie, you’re going to want to be extremely cautious about the angle of your picture. Do a lot of experimenting to find out the best possible angle to meet passport requirements — even a slight angle on your picture can get it tossed out during inspection. For this reason, it’s probably best to have someone else taking your picture, but even then, do your homework and experiment to get things right.

2) Lighting

If you’re working with a modern digital camera, this probably won’t be too big of an issue — just take the picture in a bright, evenly lit space, and you’ll probably be fine with automatic settings. If you’re using a camera phone or older camera, you’ll want to be a lot more cautious. Experiment with settings, lighting angles, lighting types and so on, and figure out the best one to clearly present your face without unnatural shadows or other problems.

3) Accessories

It’s best to not have accessories of any kind in your passport photos. They’re often going to lead directly to failure at the inspection stage, and for little to no benefit — no one looks great in a passport photo, it’s just the nature of the beast. Go for comfortably neutral and accept that most of us have passport pictures that look functionally identical to mug shots.

4) Focus

Absolutely do not send in passport photos with bad focus — it doesn’t take much blurring at all to render your pictures completely useless for passport purposes. Remember, much of the goal here is to make it so that someone who looks a lot like you can’t use your passport convincingly — that means crystal clear photos with a perfect frontal view of your face. If you’re using a camera phone and can’t get the focus right for the appropriate framing, you might need to use another one or invest in a digital camera.

Getting a baby passport photo sounds simple enough, but there are just enough complications and rules that getting one which passes muster can feel like a completely impossible task. Before you commit to taking your own photo in a booth, make sure you understand the challenges you’ll be trying to tackle in a limited time at a public location.

1) You can’t be in the photo

This is perhaps the trickiest one to overcome under most circumstances. You can’t be in the picture; even if you’re mostly off frame, if you’re there at all you risk having your baby passport photo rejected. This is one reason it can be especially difficult to use self-service photo booths to get a baby photo done; often, you’re not dealing with nearly enough room, opportunity, or simple peace to resolve issues without getting in the way.

2) No pacifiers or other items in the way

Anything that might obscure your baby’s face will get their passport photo rejected; this includes toys, pacifiers, a variety of hats and other headgear. If your child needs these items to keep quiet and peaceful during their photo, it’s going to be quite tricky to get one that works.

3) Your baby needs to be looking at the camera

This sounds extremely simple, and it would be, if not for the other necessities around passport photos. Getting a baby to look at something specific without pulling an expression or otherwise invalidating the photo can be quite nearly impossible without a lot of time, patience, and luck.

4) No distorting facial expressions

That means no crying, no big smiles, no abject shock, and none of the expressions you might expect a baby to have from a busy area where you might find a self-service passport photo booth. That makes the flexibility of being able to take your photos on your own schedule and submit them online of vital importance for keeping the endeavor frustration-free and feasible.

Get through these four challenges, and you’re set. But you might find it a lot easier to do from home.

If you’re getting ready to get your passport for the first time, or update an older one, you might have read a lot about how finicky officials can get when determining whether a photo passes muster or not. Nothing’s worse than having a photo bounced back for some minor error when your trip’s only a week away. You’re going to want to make sure you’re getting yours handled properly, vetted for quality, and edited appropriately, for these reasons and more:

1) Photo booth passport photos often fail inspection

This might come as a surprise, since these photo booths are, after all, marketed for passport photos. But it’s a sad truth that many photos from these booths fail to pass inspection for any number of reasons: lighting, distance, angles, haircuts and expressions — the list goes on and on.

2) Faster fixes

Passport photo inspection isn’t typically lightning fast, which means that if you do end up sending a photo that can’t pass muster, you might be finding out about it far too late to salvage your trip. By working with a third party that knows what’s going to get your photos rejected and commits to helping you resolve those issues as soon as possible, you make it far more likely that everything’s in place by the time you’re supposed to be leaving the country.

3) Kid passport pictures can be tricky

You think getting your passport photos done in a booth was difficult? Wait until you have to get a picture of a baby or toddler looking directly at the camera, without an expression, without a pacifier, and without anyone else in the frame. It can be a real nightmare, and a lot of parents go through failed photo after failed photo before they manage one that clears. With the help of PasPic, you’ll be able to take your time getting exactly the right photo, then have it properly vetted by experienced personnel in a timely manner.

So skip the booth and pass on going 100% DIY, just this once. Some things are far easier with a bit of help, and passport photos are one of them.

Everyone knows that when traveling abroad your passport is an important, essential item. It is the document recognized by foreign governments allowing you to cross borders and travel freely.

Deciding where and when you want to travel are the first two things you do when planning a trip abroad, but the third thing you do is begin the process of getting a passport. It is not a difficult procedure but it does take some time. In the United States, the application is available online, many post office locations can process your application and multiple businesses will take your passport picture.

Read all instructions carefully as you fill out the passport paperwork. The passport photograph has particular requirements and previous posts here will help you easily meet those requirements. You will generally receive two to four passport photos at the time of purchase. One photo will accompany your passport application but tuck one of those extra photos into a safe place in your luggage as it could be the photo that saves the day.

As careful and security conscious as we may try to be while traveling, losing a passport or having it stolen, can and does happen. If this should happen to you here is a packing strategy that will ease your mind and get your passport replaced quickly.

You have tucked that extra passport photo where it won’t be damaged. In another bag, one you don’t carry around with you every day but perhaps stays in in the hotel, tuck a color photocopy of your passport. Forget they are there and hopefully you won’t see them again until you are home and unpacking your clothes along with fond memories of your trip.

Should disaster strike and your passport is lost or stolen, don’t panic because you are prepared! Immediately contact the US Embassy or consulate and ask to speak to the American Citizens Services unit of the Consular Section. You will be required to visit and fill out another application but because you have a color copy of your passport and a picture, the process of identification and renewal will be swift.

A common question many individuals have when first taking a passport photograph is whether or not they are allowed to have something on their head. From hats to glasses, these questions come from people around the world. In general, the answer is no, but there are some exceptions. Before definitively leaving the headwear at home, it is important to go over these individual questions and answers.

Eyeglasses

Probably the most popular of all headwear questions, many who wear glasses want to know if it is alright to have these present in the photograph. If the eyeglasses are worn on a daily basis, it is fine to include in the photograph. However, these glasses cannot have a reflection, nor should the glasses feature transition lenses (which change darkness based on the amount of light in a room). In general, it is best to not wear the glasses in a photograph, but if someone rarely goes about their daily life without the vision corrective lenses, it is alright.

Sunglasses

The only time anyone is able to wear sunglasses or anything with tinted glass is if there is a medical reason behind it. Having a medical certificate on hand is necessary to verify this and should be included with the passport application. Outside of this, anything with tinted glass should never be worn.

Hat

The only time a hat or anything on the top of the head can be worn is if it is for religious purposes. Even so, the face must be visible completely and it cannot obscure an individual’s hairline. It shouldn’t cast a shadow on the individual. If the item is not for religious reasonings, it is not allowed in the photograph and the passport application will be rejected.

Nothing else is allowed on the face. Beyond everyday glasses, medical prescription sunglasses for a special health situation and headwear for religious reasonings, everything else is banned. By following these rules, an individual will not face having their passport rejected based on clothing or other objects inappropriately on their head.

A passport is your ticket to the rest of the world. It is also a very specific document; and while your photograph is only one part of it, it is crucial for identification. Due to this, countries are very specific on their passport photo requirements. When taking your passport photo at home, you need to avoid these kinds of mistakes, as you’ll end up with your passport application being rejected.

Over exposure

Does the photograph look a bit too light? Maybe your skin looks washed out. Over exposure is a quick way to have your photograph rejected. This is why you should avoid wearing all white, as it can cause problems with any auto-features on your camera. Avoid over exposure to avoid rejection.

Shadows

Shadows throw dark areas on your face. From dark patches under your eyes to odd coloration, you need to make sure your photograph is properly lit. One of the most common issues is having a light directly overhead. This causes long shadows to run down your face. Have the light come from in front of you and above to fill in any dark spots or shadows.

Wrong size

Your passport photograph needs to be two inches by two inches. This is a pretty easy issue to correct as it can be cut down to size.

Bad focus

Focus is another major issue. Everything needs to be crisp, as border patrol checkpoints need to be able to see all of the features of your face. Poor focus makes it hard to do this, so your photograph will be rejected.

Glasses and inappropriate headwear

The only time you should wear your glasses is if you wear glasses all the time. If you are more likely to wear contacts, take your glasses off. It is highly recommended to remove the glasses, just to make it easier for identification purposes – the same goes for headwear. Some religious headwear is allowed, but it may not cause a shadow or cover the face, so be careful.

Just because you’re taking your own passport photograph doesn’t mean you can’t actually look good doing it. In fact, when you look at most other people’s passport photos, you’ve probably noticed most of their pictures really aren’t that great either. In fact, in many countries, you are not even allowed to smile in the photograph. While the United States isn’t as strict on a simple smile as other nations, there are other ways to look great in your passport photo, even if you choose not to smile.

Your shirt

The shirt you wear is very important; it might be the only bit of color you add to the picture. For starters, look for something with a v-neck or scoop neck (think basic T-shirt for the scoop). This helps add some contrast to the shape of your face. Also, go with a solid color shirt that goes well with your skin tone. Do you have pale skin? Opt for a teal or navy shirt. If you have more of a tanned, gold tone, select something like a deep brown or a vibrant blue. Above all else, avoid a white or black shirt if you want to look great as it will wash you out.

Mind the oil

Looking oily in your passport photograph is more common than you might think. The brighter lights really showcase the oil. So, use some oil absorbing power on your forehead and nose before snapping the pics. This prevents your skin from looking oily. Women are allowed a bit of mascara and blush, but don’t go over the top with this, otherwise you’ll be asked to retake the photograph.

Glasses

If you wear prescription glasses on a daily basis you are permitted to wear the glasses in your picture. To avoid a glare (you’ll be asked to retake the picture if one is present) slightly tilt the lenses down to avoid this light reflection.

Avoid lighting directly over your face

If you can avoid the directly overhead light, do it. This results in odd shadows on your face, the appearance of dark circles under your eyes and more pronounced wrinkles.