Passport Photo Website

[BarkingLeopard]

Hey y'all,

I saw this in Popular Science and figured that I'd post a link to it here... It's ePassportPhoto.

Its premise is that it you upload a digital picture taken at home, it helps you refine the picture to the passport specifications and puts 6 passport-sized pictures on a 4x6, and you then print out the 4x6 wherever you normally do so. The site itself is free (ad-supported), but you will have to get a 4x6 print made somewhere else.

I'll be trying this service in the next week or two, as I need to renew my passport and would rather pay 15 cents for a print sent online to my local Wal-Mart than $8 to let a minimum-wage teenager at CVS take my passport photos. I'll try to report back on how it goes.

On the flip side, I'm sure that there are directions for how one might use PhotoShop to create passport photos (or that it wouldn't be hard to alter pictures without directions using the State Dept's web site), but I'll try this site first before I spend an hour mucking with PhotoShop.

Let me know if y'all find any obvious flaws with this site.

P.S.: If I take my own passport picture with a tripod, do I still get to complain about having such a bad picture on my ID?

[Ned]

Hi BL,

I find no flaws from the site itself, however, for some people taking the initial photo at home may be a problem.

To start my discussion, here is a checklist from the US State Department of requirements for the photo's general composition quality.

1. Frame subject with full face, front view, eyes open
2. Make sure photo presents full head from top of hair to bottom of chin; height of head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm)
3. Center head within frame (see Figure 2 below)
4. Make sure eye height is between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3/8 inches (28 mm and 35 mm) from bottom of photo
5. Photograph subject against a plain white or off-white background
6. Position subject and lighting so that there are no distracting shadows on the face or background
7. Encourage subject to have a natural expression

This list is directly from the US State Department's Composition Checklist (http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/composition/composition_874.html).

In this checklist I foresee problems for many people with numbers 5 and 6. You need to have a plain white or off-white background. To start, many point and shoot digital cameras are going to have a reflectance problem with that background, unless the photographer approriately adjusts the exposure. Second, many homes have painted their walls with dark colors or even pastels which won't meet the requirements of a passport photo. I will tell you that if your passport photo has even a fairly light blue or green wall, the US Passport Service will reject the photo. I've seen this happen when friends have taken their own passport photos. They will accept a light gray wall normally, but white or off-white is what they really want. If you do have a white, or off-white wall to use as a background, and it's normally holding photos, paintings or other wall hangings, you will have to remove any hangers that show in the photo via photoshop, or other software, that linger after you remove the items from the wall to take the photo, or your photo will be rejected.

The typical digital point and shoot camera, or even a digital SLR camera with built-in flash will often put shadows on the sides of a face, and most certainly on a wall behind the head. If this occurs, the photo will be rejected by the US State Department. Professional photographers get away from this problem by having at least two light sources for the photograph on either side of the subject's head. Many photographers (I'm one) would also place a light source behind the subject to light the background, to eliminate shadows on the background from the light sources illuminating the face. This, of course, is beyond the capability of the typical home photographer. The home photographer must ensure that the photo is absolutely straight on, which will hopefully eliminate facials shadows, and must fill the photo as much as possible with the face to eliminate background shadows. Use the optical zoom (not the digital zoom found on point and shoot digital cameras) so you're not too close to the subject, which will allow the flash to spread to eliminate shadows, and reduce the harshness of any shadow behind the head on the wall. It would also be helpful if you have several feet between the subject and the background, to reduce the shadow.

Further US State Department guidelines for print quality include:

1. Brightness and contrast should be adjusted to present the subject and background accurately
2. Photos without proper contrast or color may obscure unique facial features
3. Color should reproduce natural skin tones
4. Fluorescent or other lighting with unbalanced color may cause unwanted color cast in the photo
5. Appropriate filters can eliminate improper color balance

This list is directly from the US State Department's Photo Quality Guidelines (http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/quality/quality_875.html).

In this checklist I forsee color problems for many people who normally just send their photos out for processing. If you've sent your photos for processing, you're probably not aware that the print processor is color correcting (correcting white balance) the photos. What color rendition shows up on your screen is not neccesarily what will print. I can't tell if the passport printing service at epassportphoto.com corrects color or not. In another life I have taken photos professionally and still do for specific kinds of work, and take thousands of photos for myself each year as well. As a result, I calibrate my monitors which then render color on them properly, and matches them to the color output of printers. Since the average home photographer doesn't do this, and shouldn't have to bear the additional expense of a calibrator (several hundred dollars typically), I would suggest printing your passport photograph at home before sending it off, so that you can see how it will print and make adjustments accordingly. Additionally, to make sure the photo is acceptable you may need to have some ability in software such as Photoshop Elements, or Paintshop Pro to adjust contrast, color, etc.

All this being said, I'm not suggesting the typical "home" photographer can't take a passport photo successfully with a digital point and shoot or digital SLR camera. I am suggesting that the "home" photographer will probably have to take more care in taking the photo than normal, and put more thought than usual in taking the photo.

Regarding your "flip side" comment, suggesting that "one might use PhotoShop to create passport photos," the answer is absolutely. In fact, you don't need Photoshop, a complicated program to use. Photoshop Elements or Paintshop Pro would suffice quite nicely. Each of these programs permits you to resize your photo to the requirements of the passport. You could then print the photos on 4x6 photo paper on your color inkjet and trim the excess paper to prepare the photos to be sent with the passport application. It's actually very easy to do this.

Finally, you asked, "P.S.: If I take my own passport picture with a tripod, do I still get to complain about having such a bad picture on my ID?" The answer, "Absolutely!" First, you don't have to tell anyone you, or another member of your family, or friend took the photo. Second, the US State Department, as well as other governments, want expressionless photos, so the fact that you look so bad is their fault anyway.

[jfrenaye]

I am also quite sure that the DOS specifies that the photos are NOT to be digital. Not sure how they can tell, but ...

[Ned]

Originally posted by jfrenaye@Jul 16 2006, 08:12 AM
I am also quite sure that the DOS specifies that the photos are NOT to be digital. Not sure how they can tell, but ...
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Good morning John,

Actually, the US State Department permits printed digital photographs to be submitted, which may even be printed on quality "home based" ink jet printers.

I quote from the US State Department's Digital Photography and Printing Guidelines (http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/digital/digital_880.html), "If digital printers are used to produce passport and visa photographs in lieu of conventional photographic processes, the photographs produced must be high quality and photo-like in appearance. Certain types of digital printers such as — inkjet and dye sublimation — can be used to produce high-quality passport and visa photos."

It's hard to believe, but even the US State Department has joined the digital photography revolution, and is permitting anyone to produce passport photos as long as they meet the same quality prerequisites they've always required.

[deangreenhoe]

Re: Ned's Post...

...or, you could just spend $8.00 at CVS. :lol:

Phew. I'd pay more than $8.00 not to have to worry about all that.

As one who has taken hundreds (my agency as a whole, thousands) of passport and immigration photos, I'd just add that you need to be careful about there being too much obvious editing on the photo. Digital is now acceptable as long as your photo and printing source is high quality. If they see any signs of pixelation (if that's a word?) or dots from a dot matrix printer even around the edges, it will be rejected.

Commercially taken passport photos cost a bit more than you might think they should basically because the specialty camera and film is rather expensive. But once you get your lighting and background issues settled the camera itself tells the photographer when the subject is framed properly and it's okay to click the shutter. It's a no brainer so even the teen at your chain store should be able to provide satisfactory results. If not it's perfectly acceptable to ask for a retake and it should be at no additional cost to you.

My #1 hint is try to make sure the camera is exactly at eye level. Before I did my own, it seemed as if every area location employed really short people who never seemed to be able to find a stool. For years we all went around carrying passports with photos portaying us with long faces with an emphasis on making sure there was nothing hidden up our nostrils. :rolleyes:

Looking forward to your report, BL. I think the new service should work out as long as the individual pays attention to all of the nit-picking critera listed by the passport office.

[Ned]

Hi Dean,

I agree with you about CVS. In responding to BL, I didn't mention I have never taken my own passport photograph, or anyone else's in the family. It isn't worth it to drag out the equipment and spend time processing them. If I were doing a whole bunch of them at one sitting, that would be different. But for just one or two, it's a waste of my time. My local photo shop takes the passport photos for us. They charge $15, which is well worth it. We take the photos with us within 5 minutes of them being taken.

For those who do their own, the only "touch up" I suggest is white balance and exposure level or curve correction, and if it's a home taken photo and there's a nail showing in the wall in the background, using the healing brush to remove it. No one will ever know. There won't be any pixelation (real word since you asked). Resizing in photoshop won't cause pixelation, but if you sharpen too much after resizing, that will.

Your suggestion about having the camera at eye level is a good one, not just for passport photos, but for any portrait. Think about all those kid's portraits you've seen Mom or Dad take standing up in front of their kids, looking down at them. All you see is the top of their head and their nose, or at least way too much of the top of their head and their nose, which gets terribly accentuated. When taking portraits of kids you always should bend down to their height, unless you're trying for a special look to the portrait.

Even so, as I said above, we're talking about saving chump change by taking your passport photo yourself, so let someone else take and print your passport photo.

[tdew]

AAA membership entitles you to one set of passport pictures free each year - so if you stagger the passport renewal years ...

[AaronK]

Really? I knew AAA provided passport photos, I didn't realize they were free however.

I'm thinking its time for me to get a passport. (Not because of free photos)

[deangreenhoe]

Well if you are not going to take your own passport photos, Ned, I'm wondering how the amateur general public is going to fare. ;)

I will say we did a considerable business taking photos for panicked customers who had a do-it-youself attempt rejected and found themselves scrambling at the last moment. So I guess I wouldn't suggest it if you are crunched for time.

Considering the impending changes in passport requirements for U.S. citizens traveling in North America, I'm thinking maybe I should drag out my equipment and set up shop again in time for the big surge of requests.

It's not a bad sideline for travel agencies or other high traffic associated businesses to pursue. For about $1,000 you can set yourself up with the camera, tripod (although that's not an absolute requirement) and a decent nonreflective white screen. Digital runs about $400 more than film but it comes with with an onboard printer. If one considers doing so with film, you would want to be certain you will be doing a fairly good volume because the film cartridges do have a relatively short shelf life.

This is the resource I've always used for equipment and supplies:

Calumet Photo (http://www.calumetphoto.com/ctl?ac.ui.pn=search.Search&query=passport+camera)

We generally offered the photos as part of a Passport Application Service. For $15.00 a person we took the photos, tucked them in a protective folder, provided the application forms, U.S. Government international travel tip sheets and brochures and would even assist the customer with filling in the forms and verify that their proof of citizenship was up to snuff before they made the slog to the passport office.

And we did discount for additional photo sets for visas, as well as for additional family members who came in at the same time. We also traveled with our equipment to an offsite location if an affinity group (such as schools, churches, Rotary clubs, etc;) were organizing a group international travel departure. It was a very popular service feature.

The PR aspect for the agency alone was worth the trouble. Who better to get in your front door than someone who was planning to leave the country? :D

[jfrenaye]

Not completely off track but....speaking of centering the camera on the eyes.....I remember way back when in art class when we drew people, most people put the eyes in the top third of the head...go ahead draw a siple face...oval ...ears...eyes. Now for proper perspective, the eyes should be dead center of the head. Seems odd but true.

[bodega]

I didn't know about AAA offering free passport photos. I will have to check that out tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

I agree that it is not worth trying to save $7.85 on the photo, but if you do get a picture that is acceptable, please share how you did it.

[Ned]

Originally posted by tdew@Jul 16 2006, 10:35 AM
AAA membership entitles you to one set of passport pictures free each year - so if you stagger the passport renewal years ...
31656

I didn't know that you could get passport photos at AAA. Thanks very much. I went online to Mid Atlantic AAA where I belong and saw the following notice:

"Effective April 1, 2006 AAA Mid-Atlantic Retail Office Locations can provide passport photo services for a minimal fee:

* Members $7.99pp
* Non-Members $11.99pp
* Premier Members get a set of Passport Photos free of charge."

So even if you're not a member it's a good deal, but only Premier Members now get free passport photos. I'd be willing to bet AAA Mid-Atlantic isn't the only branch of AAA now requiring a nominal payment for passport photos by regular members.

AAA Mid-Atlantic includes: Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and eastern Virginia.

[Ned]

Originally posted by deangreenhoe@Jul 16 2006, 11:16 AM
Well if you are not going to take your own passport photos, Ned, I'm wondering how the amateur general public is going to fare.* ;) ...

...This is the resource I've always used for equipment and supplies:

Calumet Photo (http://www.calumetphoto.com/ctl?ac.ui.pn=search.Search&query=passport+camera)...

...The PR aspect for the agency alone was worth the trouble.* Who better to get in your front door than someone who was planning to leave the country?* :D
31659

Now that I know that I can get my passport or visa photos for only $8 at AAA, I'm definitely not going to start taking these photos.

Calumet is excellent. I've used them on occasion, however, I mostly use B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/) in NYC and Berger Bros. (http://www.berger-bros.com) in Syosset, NY. I get free shipping by both and it comes via UPS to me overnight since they're in my UPS ground overnight zone.

Hey, if getting back into the business will help your business, especially with so many more people needing passports, why not!

[deangreenhoe]

Damn those people at AAA! :lol:

Actually, I knew they took passport photos but it's not all branches. The two closest to me do not, the nearest being 55 miles away. It would cost you more than $15.00 just to drive there round trip. I would suggest folks call ahead to their own location before making the trip.

Interestingly enough, a local lowball chain store (one of those "marts") decided to give us a run for our money doing passport photos for $8.99 and advertised it heavily. It didn't really seem to put a dent in our business and they dropped the service within a year or so. I have no idea why that was. Perhaps because we are located in a relatively rural/small town area, most of the passport applications were first timers and they liked the extra little bit of attention and hand holding we provided.

But I still frequently get calls from people wanting me to renew their passport or issue one for another family member. I have to correct them and say, "no I assisted you with getting your passport but the government actually issued it." I'm amazed at how many argue that point with me so I just shrug, give up and mumble, "okay, whatever. But I'm afraid I'm out of the passport issuing business for now. Sorry." ;)

I would still be doing it but the revenue is really only worthwhile as a sideline and certainly wouldn't pay to have a storefront location again. Interestingly enough the local professional photographers that used to do them discontinued the practice as well and had no interest in buying my equipment.

What are you people doing to passport photographers that makes them run for the hills??? :P

[tdew]

Sorry - I didn't think about it. Mine is the PLUS membership at the North Jersey AAA...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Passport Photos
AAA members receive color passport photos at discount prices.
Passport photos are available in each AAA North Jersey Office.

Plus members entitled to one free set of passport photos per year ($.60 tax).
Basic membership $10.60 (includes tax).
Non-members - $15.90 (includes tax).

[bravestar]

Ned, good long post about the necessities of taking one's own passport photos.

Funny enough, when I went to Walgreens to have my passport photos taken, the clerk took them with a digital point and shoot much like I could have done at home myself. I suppose they have programs that will take that digital image and make it conform automatically to the DOS's specifications.

For me, worth the $8 I spent. It's a 10 year investment, so really, the photos cost me 80 cents each year. I'm certain doing it meself would cost more.

[cole75]

Originally posted by Ned@Jul 16 2006, 01:18 PM
I didn't know that you could get passport photos at AAA.* Thanks very much.* I went online to Mid Atlantic AAA where I belong and saw the following notice:

"Effective April 1, 2006* AAA Mid-Atlantic Retail Office Locations can provide passport photo services for a minimal fee:

* * * Members $7.99pp
* * * Non-Members $11.99pp
* * * Premier Members get a set of Passport Photos free of charge."

So even if you're not a member it's a good deal, but only Premier Members now get free passport photos.* I'd be willing to bet AAA Mid-Atlantic isn't the only branch of AAA now requiring a nominal payment for passport photos by regular members.

AAA Mid-Atlantic includes: Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and eastern Virginia.
31671



I am at the CAA NE Ontario - ours is- members $7.50
- non members $14.00
Plus or Premier members one set free per
year