Last year my husband and I decided it was time to create memories for our six years old child and booked a resort at the beach for one week. It seemed very exciting before we began preparing all the documents. Applications alone cost us about $300 for the entire family along with an additional $100 for passport photos. So where could we save some money on pictures? At Walgreen or UPS, we would have ended up paying at least $15 for only two photos!
And then another problem: waiting time. Every time I had my photos taken in one of those photo booths, I would wait for at least half an hour before I can take them home. I’m not sure why it takes so long, and if the process is really too complicated, but anyway it is a waste of money, time, and patience.
So I decided to look for some tips on the Internet and stumbled upon a Passport Photo Maker – a program that practically did all the work for me. Only 10 minutes went by between me clicking the download button and holding ready passport photos in my hands.
I understand if you feel nervous about taking passport photos yourself, I felt the same. It is so much responsibility, because the photos need to look professional, and I was afraid to make a mistake. However, if you follow the simple guidelines and use the passport photo maker, you will do just fine. Here are some useful tips that will help you take a perfect ID photo:
- Choose a plain background; make sure there are no foreign objects behind you
- Look straight into the camera; have a neutral facial expression or bend your head
- Don’t cover your face and eyes; if you wear glasses, make sure the light does not reflect off of them.
- Set good lighting; don’t overexpose your picture and don’t make it too dark.
- If you have a baby, put him or her on the bed or a white sheet on the floor and take a shot from above.
Afterward, open the picture in the program and select international passport in the drop list along with the country. The software immediately displays the extensive list of photo requirements for this particular ID type. Furthermore, it automatically crops and resizes the photo to fit the regulations.
Along with free templates and auto-crop tools, the program has a smart printing option that saved us from spending more money on printing paper because we could put several pictures on one layout. Alternatively, you could also save the pictures on your PC and apply for the documents online, if there is such option.
All in all, we had no problems at the Passport Agency, they were very satisfied with the photos that we made using our home printer, and we successfully received our passports. So, if you are planning to apply for documents like passport, visa, student’s ID, driving license, etc., give a try to the Passport Photo Maker, it will save you money and make the applying process more convenient.
By the way, have you ever taken your own passport photos? Please, share your tricks and tips on how to make them look professional. Was the result satisfactory?