Traveling is exciting. People travel for many reasons. Others want to travel to have new experiences, while some treat it as a manner of building and strengthening relationships. Whatever your reason for traveling may be, it’s necessary to bring identifying documents with you wherever you go.
Among these documents, your passport is of utmost importance. It’s essential because it contains identifying features such as your name, birth date, place of birth, and passport photo. This document helps security officers recognize you, and it helps them determine if you are indeed allowed to enter the country or not.
This article will discuss why it’s critical to have a proper photo and what a passport photo app can do to accomplish that.
Basic Guidelines For Passport Photos
If you’re planning to obtain a US passport, you might be already aware that there’s a strict set of guidelines in taking your snapshot photo. The US is not the only country implementing these guidelines. Places like Canada also have strict regulations. You can get cheap passport photos in Calgary. The international community requires passport photos to be clear and professional-looking to easily verify the identity of the holder.
With that said, these are a few of the basic guidelines for your US passport photo:
- It should be taken within the last six months.
- Don’t use filters, similarly found in social media.
- Selfies are not allowed.
- Pose with a neutral face expression.
- Use a plain white or off-white background. No other colors are allowed.
Attire guidelines:
- Wear regular clothing. No extravagant outfits are allowed.
- Wearing glasses is not allowed unless for medical purposes.
- Wearing of uniform and camouflage attire is prohibited.
- Wearing headsets, gadgets, or digital handsets is prohibited.
- Wearing hats and head covering is prohibited.
- Wearing pieces of jewelry is allowed, as long as it does not cover your face.
As you can see, these requirements can be a bit overwhelming. The lists don’t even include guidelines for pose, resolution, size, and quality requirements. Fortunately, you have the option to take your passport photo on your own. You don’t have to visit a photo studio to get your shot taken.
However, you must follow the guidelines down to the littlest details to make your photo look professional and acceptable. Getting a decent and professional photo is a must, even if you hold the world’s most powerful passport.
How To Obtain A Passport Photo Online
You don’t have to take a glam shot just to get a decent passport photo. But hiring a professional photographer who can frame your face correctly and provide the proper lighting could do wonders. However, like any professional photography service, this would come at a price.
If you don’t want to pay for professional photography services, you can just take a shot of yourself with the use of a smartphone. You may also ask a friend to assist you. Yes, it’s that simple! All you need is a passport photo app that will process your photo for you.
Taking The Perfect Shot
These are the things you need to take a decent photo for your passport:
- Equipment: A high-quality smartphone or digital camera.
- Background: A white wall. Make sure there are no objects in the background.
- Facial Expression: Try to look as neutral as possible. Look directly at the camera. Eyes visibly open, and mouth closed. Also, include capturing the shoulder and add a little headroom for photo cropping.
- Lighting: Direct the light source in front of the face to avoid shadows.
Processing Your Passport Photo Online
To ensure that your photo is in the proper size and format, you need a processing app for that. Just follow the steps below:
- Head over to a photo processing website or photo app.
- Upload your photo.
- That’s it! The system does all the photo processing for you.
Passport photo-taking apps are designed with specific algorithms to ensure that the shots you upload align with the requirements that are mandated by your state.
Conclusion
Technology nowadays has simplified so many things for society. One of these things, surprisingly, is the ability to create your passport photo. This is very convenient, especially if you’re in a rush and you don’t have time to book a professional photographer to take your passport photo. Aside from that, the whole process can save you money. Your passport is one of your travel essentials. For a hassle-free experience, give online passport photo apps a try.
