PASSPORT PHOTOS DYI

being a professional photographer and taking pictures of people for living, i must admit that one of the most challenging shoots i ever had was taking my 1 month old son’s photos for his US passport. now, at his 6th month we had a second round, taking photos for his Russian passport this time. the challenge became easier simply because he is easier to handle now, being a more mature baby, but also because by now i already knew couple dirty tricks and “musts” about DYI passport photos of babies done at home.

if you are taking a photo for an official document such as a passport, chances are it requires looking straight at the camera, without tilting your head, both ears showing, while keeping eyes open and mouth closed, with a neutral expression. these rules are pretty standard, no matter what country you are applying at. as easy as it might seem for an adult, it actually poses a real challenge for a wriggly little baby – and someone who decides to photograph him.

let’s start with saying that you can simply forget the idea of holding your baby up vertically and getting a good passport-complying shot. instead, clear a space where your little one can lay down safely. my place of choice being the floor, because there is nowhere to fall to/from as well as distance from the floor to your camera will most probably be enough for any camera lens to get the right crop and composition (remember that you must have some space all around baby’s head, as well as a bit of his shoulders in the frame). lay out a double-folded blanket or a diaper change pad for baby to lay on. take the head insert from an infant car seat or stroller (the thing that’s shaped like a big U) to hold the baby’s head in a fixed position. then cover it all up with a white unfitted bed sheet or towel, and lay baby on top, fitting their head into the head insert. if you don’t have the U-shaped insert, you can ask for a help from someone trustworthy and patient from your own household. ask them to put on their hands a pair of white socks (yes, that’s right, you heard me – and please don’t laugh) and hold baby’s head from both sides. (it is actually way more efficient than any insert, and will make you get this perfect photo faster) option number three (if you neither have the U-shaped insert nor there is anyone trustworthy in your household around) would be placing baby in a car seat or in a reclining lounger/snuggly swing, covering it with white fabric as well.

since the background of the passport photo should be white, you should dress up the baby in contrasting color, which doesn’t blend much with the background color. try to avoid patterns and distracting details like cute animal appliqué. now when all the preparations are done, be ready to take lots of photos. continuous shooting mode (the one that allows several pictures per second) is recommended. you need to get his eyes looking straight at you, with neutral expression (that is no crying or smiling), no head tilting (however, if you are good with photoshop, head tilting can be easily fixed afterwards), sharp focus and all. you probably don’t have much time to do this anyways – chances are, your baby will get tired and bored of laying down on a white flat surface and reacting to your attempts to make him look straight and stay still. so be efficient. and if you don’t get the perfect shot right away, don’t get discouraged – leave the set up and let your baby rest/nurse/play, and try to do it again later.

when done, upload the photos to your computer and crop them according to the requirements. you can print these at any Fedex Kinko location or on a home inkjet printer, if you get semi-matt photo paper. easy. or so it seems. but definitely fun!

on another note, it is incredible to put these 2 photos side and by side (left one being taken for US passport when Leo was 1 month of age; and right one taken today, for his Russian passport, when Leo is almost 6mo) and see how much he changed. isn’t worth to take  passport-style photos every month, just for the record?