[UncleVanya]

Despite the pandemic, my wife’s passport has expired and she wants to start the renewal process to be ready for the point in the future when she can use it again.

I looked into it and while the requirements aren’t very complicated I’m looking for input.

First I downloaded “passport booth” for my phone. It helpfully adds a masked template on screen to help compose the shot. While this works the lighting options for the phone are limited here in my house. Even with my dslr’s and mirrors cameras I only have flashes not continuous lighting.

I can use everything from my Panasonic Lx-7, various m43 bodies and lenses, loads of Pentax gear (k100d, k-3, KP, + lots of lenses),and an Sony A7rII with adapter and native lenses options.

First are there any tips? I know the entire file is a square crop of 600x600 (minimum) to 1200x1200 (maximum) pixels. Any advice how to frame and end up with that? I have DXO and I can crop/resize as needed.

I have a lot of flash options including a new flashpoint and some cactus gear (v6 - I like manual power output control). I don’t have studio, Umbrellas, etc. I do have some modifiers as well as some stands that the flashes can be mounted on.

I don’t have any really plain white or off white surfaces to use as a background unless I hang a bed sheet up or buy and hang a poster board on the wall.

My wife typically isn’t thrilled to be photographed. She isn’t going to want to stand still for long so I need to get the basics right and not have to edit and then verify I have the right size.

Is there a template I can print and cutout to use in live view to ensure the basic proportions?

[TonyW]

You may already have seen this but just in case
U.S. Passport Photos

I would guess that most head and shoulders shots should fulfill the requirements of your countries passports. Rather than templates it may be easier to just frame crop to the 2"x2" stated. I assume you must submit a printed copy so should be fairly straightforward

[Bob 256]

I did my last two by shooting against a flat background (which I removed and replaced with a uniform background in Photoshop), taking several shots until I got it right. I used a 135mm lens which is a good portrait FL, and stopped to about f8 to get a good DOF. Once I had the photo looking right (no adjustments in Photoshop other than exposure and contrast), I copied and pasted it over this template, reduced the opacity to 50%, and used free transform to adjust the size and positioning until it matched (this guide has been adjusted to the proper actual size for 360dpi printing). Then, I returned it to full density and copied that layer to a new file which was sized correctly for trimming when printed at 360dpi. I printed on glossy using inkjet and that must have been acceptable, because the passport office used it on those two occasions without any issues.

Good shooting and safe travels

[AstroDave]

buy and hang a poster board on the wall.

You can buy a 20x30 inch sheet of white poster board (~aka foamcore) at your nearby Dollar Store. For 50 cents, you can get a similar sized piece of heavy paper.

I have DXO and I can crop/resize as needed.

That's all you need. Just shoot big, and you can readily downsize.

Are they taking digital files these days? The last time I did it (~2 years ago) they wanted prints, which I got at Target. I shot myself (self timer) with natural lighting (go outside on a cloudy day) and white background.

I think you may be overthinking this!

[aaacb]

I followed the same instructions linked above. Normal lens, f5.6 aperture. Flash on the hotshoe bounced straight up from the ceiling to give somewhat diffuse light with no shadows, "artistic" lighting isn't allowed afaik. Printed using an online printing service, they had a template exactly for this.

[Wheatfield]

You can take a photo with room around it and crop to size in post processing, so no camera template required.

Take the picture in front of a white background with shadowless illumination.

In Photoshop, it should be similar in other programs, open a file with a 1/8" grid and size the face to the grid measurement of 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 - 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. They are giving you 3/8 inch of variance, so this isn't the piano building version of photography.
Size everything around a 4x6 print and send it off to your local print shop, or I expect you can print your own.

In Canada, the passport photo has to be dated and signed by the photographer, they prefer a rubber stamp template here, with the date and signature written in. I don't know how you lot do it. Best ask.

[mattt]

I just finished an application for my kid - The photo instructions explicitly forbid making adjustments - so what ever you do, get it right SOOC - Although with all the (self) portraits I do, I know I could have done it, the passport application required a stamp identifying date and place of the photo, and a guarantor's signature.

....for the hassle, I paid the $20 to have my buddy do it at his studio.

[MossyRocks]

They are pretty simple to create, basically go for a square crop (shoot landscape with negative space on the side) and maximize the use of the height in the frame. The last time I did one was a few years back for my wife. I use the DA 35/2.4 stopped down to like f/8 or something and bounced the 285HV flash off the ceiling. Don't expect a great passport shot they should be much like the DMV shots. I then got it printed out at target for like $1 and ended up with like 6 pictures and didn't have any problems. Crop and resize down to what ever they require and call it a day.

[UncleVanya]

You may already have seen this but just in case
U.S. Passport Photos

I would guess that most head and shoulders shots should fulfill the requirements of your countries passports. Rather than templates it may be easier to just frame crop to the 2"x2" stated. I assume you must submit a printed copy so should be fairly straightforward

Framing to a size is a little confusing given that you can print many sizes and the viewfinder doesn’t have measurements that relate. Also you can submit digital directly.

Digital Image Requirements

[Wheatfield]

Framing to a size is a little confusing given that you can print many sizes and the viewfinder doesn’t have measurements that relate. Also you can submit digital directly.

Digital Image Requirements

You aren't printing many sizes, you are printing one size, scaling the image for that size and then taking a pair of scissors to trim it to its final size.

[Roadboat24]

Just go to Walgreens

[Apet-Sure]

Just go to Walgreens

In November of 2019 my sister and I were planning our trip to Newfoundland in June of 2020. I was going to shoot my passport photo myself. Then my daughter mentioned that Walgreens did them. From showing up at the store to walking out with two photos took less than ten minutes, and was very inexpensive.

[Joe Dusel]

I suggest that you get a Godox AD400Pro strobe, a Godox AD200 Pro, a Glow EZ Lock ARC softbox for underlighting, a Glow collapsible beauty dish, a Savage white seamless backdrop, a backdrop roller mechanism and a couple C-stands with boom arms. Or, just go to a passport shop and be done with it. (I like the first approach better.) ;-)

[TonyW]

Framing to a size is a little confusing given that you can print many sizes and the viewfinder doesn’t have measurements that relate. Also you can submit digital directly.

Digital Image Requirements

I would not worry at the first stage just take the head and shoulder picture of your wife against a white background illuminating as required to be white - I think there is something in the rules that may state both ears to be visible.

Now you just need to prepare the image in your imaging editor to the requirements of the passport office to either send a digital image or a print sized correctly.

I used PS but any image editor with rulers should do the job

1. Set up your document to say 1600x1600 pixels (any size really)
2. Set Resolution @ 300 PPI
3. Set up Rulers to inches
4. Place Guides vertically and horizontally exactly 2" apart
5. Place horizontal guides spaced 1" - 1 3/8" apart to set maximum head height - I assume that this just means from the top of the forehead to the chin
6. Now bring in the image of your wife and just scale it down to fit head size - Thanks to Bob for the line drawing, I know your wife will look much nicer
7. Final step if sending digital image crop and save at the 2” guides. If printing trim to size after

[Wingincamera]

When I got my passport photo I just went down to the local drug store (Walgreens) and they are all set up to take passport photos, all printed out for you.