Baby Passport Photo! Help!

[KerCar]

Hi,

 

After reading some of the other threads on the subject and looking over the photo requirements, I'm really nervous about getting a usable passport photo for my 10 month old! She is such a wiggle worm! Do the post offices do baby photos??? And if so, do they usually do a good job. I would love to hear any experiences with getting baby passport photos and suggestions on what I can do to make the process go smoothly.

 

I'm located in Orange County, NY and if any of you are local and know of a place that does great baby passport photos, please let me know! North NJ suggestions are welcome, as well!

 

Thanks:)

[mollyeilis]

I belong to AAA, and they do passport photos. Although we still haven't gotten DS a passport (augh), when I checked if they do infant pictures when he was an infant, they said YES they do. So check with AAA!

[Yellowlily]

Office Depot did my little DD's photo with ease!:) I would suggest taking your child when they are in a good mood, of course. Good luck!!

[provenienbam]

Wiggling wasn't a problem with our DD, smiling was. She loves her picture taken and was taught to give a nice smile everytime.

 

But for canadian passport no smiling. I felt rotten pinching her to stop her smiling in the photo.

 

 

Aside: why no smiling? because "facial recognition software struggles with a smiling face." Oh for pete's sake: she was a 6 month old baby... her diapers may be nuclear but that doesn't make her a national threat to security.

[tanishao]

also try CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid... any of your local drug stores... takes like 5-10 minutes - you hold her so that they only get her.

[KerCar]

Thanks for all the great tips! I just got off the phone with Eckerd (our version of CVS, Walgreens, etc)and they said they do photos, even babies! Only $8 for 2. Our post office charges almost double that!

[SleepingUgly]

Kinko's is another good place. Costco has been the cheapest we've found. Something like $10 for four pictures, so you have extra's, for whatever reason.

 

And don't worry about wiggling babies. Our younger daughter's passport pic was taken when she was not yet 2, and she hated having to sit still. So they had her stand on a chair. She still wasn't happy, so she has the worst grimace on her face. Our older daughter was six months old when she got her passport picture taken, and the photog assistant held her up for the picture. We made sure we went to places with experience with little kids, so they knew how to deal with the situations.

 

Good luck!

Linda

[mapman_2004]

Our local Kinkos said they wouldn't do baby's photos. Guy said the zoom wouldn't work. I was amazed.

 

Our local Post Office took the photo. The little princess squirmes a little, but the nice lady ended up with a useable photo, even gave us the ones she couldn't use. I felt good about having the USPS take the photo, since they are the ones that check the parent info, and turn in the application.

[Bigerr19]

My son was 4 months old when we got his passport photo taken at Kinko's. We put him lying on the floor on a white posterboard and the photographer stood over him for the photo. Worked great!

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Our local Kinkos said they wouldn't do baby's photos. Guy said the zoom wouldn't work. I was amazed.

 

Our local Post Office took the photo. The little princess squirmes a little, but the nice lady ended up with a useable photo, even gave us the ones she couldn't use. I felt good about having the USPS take the photo, since they are the ones that check the parent info, and turn in the application.

 

When DD was little I also had her photo's taken at the USPS, I held her while they did them but the were fine for the 1st passport and also gave me the ones they couldn't use.

[arf2005]

My granddaughter was 10 months and we took her to Walmart. They did a great job with her.

[Floyd's]

Be careful not to get any of the hands of whoever is holding the bay up for the camera....we had to redo our pictures because of some adult flesh in the frame. A good trick we figured out was to hold him up with our hands UNDER his sweater..... that way....we could get him in the exact right place, and our hands were always hidden.

[jmao]

Okay, after reading this I am freaking out! We just all went to get out passports this past weekend (yea, a real Griswald moment). We have two young ones and the pics taken had adult hands! URGH! Just when we thought that hassle was done!!! What is the standard here? Are they guaranteed to come back no good? And then what are the steps?

The advise for laying the infant down on a white background and holding a child with your hands under clothing . . . great but too late (maybe).

Any info and/or help out there?!:eek: :confused:

[Eclipsepearl]

Jmao, did you send it in yet? If not, get them retaken.

 

If you did send them in, it's no big deal if they're not accepted. They'll let you know and you can send them new ones. Happened a few months' back with a friend and it didn't interfere with their trip. The application wont be wholly rejected.

 

If you think the "adult flesh" (great one Floyd, had to use it) is pretty minimal, send it in at your descretion. For the record, the local Consulate wasn't sure about one of my baby's pictures. Both ears weren't showing but it did go through.

 

For our French passports, we can't smile either. It is a pain when I'm trying to explain this to my kids while getting pictures done for both. It's already tough enough trying to explain to little ones the whole concept of having two nationalities, one they can smile for and one they can't lol!

[jmao]

They were sent. I'm sure that a whole hand will get rejected, right? Each boy had a hand on the chest. But it is good to know that it is not too big of a deal. I also read elsewhere on this board that AAA+ membership gets you free photos (of which I did not know before going to the PO, at a cost of $12 per person). So it really is more of an inconvience than anything else - and of course the time it will take away from our valuable weekend fun time.:( Thanks for the info.

[mom2NnB]

but I have natually curly hair which I now wear ironed straight. For my passport does it matter if my hair is straight, curly, up or down? It will probably start straight in the AM but after a day on the beach or in the water, welcome back curls!! LOL

 

Once when I got a new license, the bartender wouldn't serve me as my hair was down and curly and in the picture it was up and straight.

[mollyeilis]

AAA is either free or $5. If you already have a membership (or think you can use it enough other than p'port pix to make it worth the cost), use them.

 

From the passport website:

 

"Can a parent or guardian appear in the photo of a minor child?

No, the minor child must be the only subject in the photo. Nothing used to support the minor child, whether by mechanical or human means, should be in the camera''s frame."

 

 

Soooo, if anyone has submitted something that doesn't work with that, if I were in that position, I'd likely go to AAA (calling first to make SURE that particular office knows how to take baby pictures) and have more taken. Then when the others are sent back (if that's what happens), I'd take that and the receipt for those back to the place that took them, and get my money back! If a place is going to take p'port photos, they need to know the regulations!:rolleyes:

[jmao]

I wish I could just waltz in and ask the PO for a refund for not taking pics according to regulations . . . no receipt and no, well - guts. I have AAA+ already, and I think I will just go for retakes and have it ready for when they come back rejected. I just wish that tidbit of information about the hands was more prominent with the passport info. on the Fed website. Oh yea, that would make logical sense. What was I thinking?:p