Do it yourself Passport photos

[rtphokie]

If you have a digital camera and some editing software, you can take your own passport photos. You dont need to be a photoshop guru to do the necessary editing either. Just be comfortable enough to crop a photo to a specified size in inches and use the software's measuring tools to ensure the photo meets passport standards.

 

 

Step by Step instructions to get you started (for photoshop but should be applicable to any image editing software):

http://www.dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=22

 

 

State Department's guidelines on the photos:

Look over these guidelines which includes some great examples of good and bad photos:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/setup/setup_873.html

http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/composition/composition_874.html

http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/quality/quality_875.html

http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/quality/quality_876.html

http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/quality/quality_877.html

http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/quality/quality_878.html

 

There is a special section on digital photography on the State Dept website but it doesn't give any useful information. The same standards apply whether you have it done "professionally" or DIY and they are well described in the above links. One last tip. Dont monkey with the photos too much. No background replacements or fixing blemishes or anything like that. The last thing you want is your application to get rejected because of the photo. This is for identification not a photography contest.

[jae1969]

go to Walgreens, go to the photo counter and tell them you need a passport photo. They will take your picture and have it ready in 1 hour. The cost is $7. No hassel, no problem.

[rtphokie]

go to Walgreens, go to the photo counter and tell them you need a passport photo. They will take your picture and have it ready in 1 hour. The cost is $7. No hassel, no problem.

 

Having had a passport application rejected because of the quality/composition of the photo (had it done at a camera shop), I prefer to do it myself so I know it's done right. It's really not that hard.

[jae1969]

I am just letting other people out there know that there are other easy options that dont require computers, or camaras or croping.

 

I had walgreens do mine last year took it to the post office and got my passport 11 days later. My DH just had his taken at Wagreens and he also took it to post office. It took only 9 days to get his passport. I don't know why yours was rejected but it is a passport photo, not rocket science. Walgreens is where the post office suggested I go, because they are the official photo site in our area. But according to our Walgreens, ALL Walgreens will do this and are trained to do so. Again 3 min of my time and $7 sure beats getting the camara, taking th picture, spending time cropping, using my ink and paper on trying to do it myself.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[dogdoc2002]

Or AAA. And cheap as well, or if you have the RV AAA memebership, FREE (my kind of price).

Just a FYI :)

dogdoc

[Happy ks]

I was also going to mention AAA, they were great. $7 each and we had the pictures in our hands within minutes.

 

While we waited in the passport acceptance line, there were several people turned away because they had taken their own photos. I'm sure if you follow the directions to a "T" it is possible, but not many people know how to follow directions. Or, like us, many people don't want the bother.

[jae1969]

Well put Kathy! I too fall into the. . . dare I say. . . lazy group! Happy Cruising all!:p

[chasetf]

If you have a digital camera and some editing software, you can take your own passport photos. You dont need to be a photoshop guru to do the necessary editing either. Just be comfortable enough to crop a photo to a specified size in inches and use the software's measuring tools to ensure the photo meets passport standards......

Seems a lot of trouble to go through with the chance it might be rejected. When I had mine taken, it was under $10 and got it right away (no one hour wait as mentioned above). As a matter of fact, when he took it, he said it would be rejected because I was smiling... so he retook it. :)

 

I might have sent in the first picture not knowing and gotten it rejected.. :eek: