First rule: no shimmery or pearlescent textures. They will glare and give the face unnecessary volume, make the eyes smaller and the cheeks puffy. Even if you have never used matting agents - now it is necessary. Use a matte foundation or powder on top of your usual one. In reality, your face will resemble floured skin - it should be so.
2. Brows and eyelashes
The darker - the better: in the photo the eyebrows and eyelashes are "eaten away", so do not be shy and draw wide and dark eyebrows, the arrows are thicker and do not regret mascara. Ideally, use invoices at all.
3. Lips
A matte lipstick with a clear contour - your salvation. Choose a shade rich, but close in color to your natural lips. No nude, no fluorescent shades: just classics!
4. Tilt
Drop your chin. Usually you are told to lift it, but in this case it is better not to do that. With the chin down, the lower contour of the face oval visually decreases, and the face looks thinner. Do not overdo it, better rehearse in front of the mirror beforehand or ask someone to take a full-face photo of you to find the optimal tilt.
5. Rotate
Slightly, literally a drop, turn your head with the winning side of your face forward. Each person has one half of the face a little more advantageous than the other, and it is this half that must be moved slightly forward.
6. Smile
Usually we smile with our whole face: squinting our eyes, lifting our cheeks, opening our lips. For a photo, this is not an option, but a little smile will greatly enhance your shot. Look how it should be: a calm gaze directly into the camera, eyes are open, but not goggled, eyebrows are slightly raised, as if you are slightly surprised. And depict a smile as artificial as possible, slightly raise the corners of your lips, but keep an imperturbable expression on your face. Let the smile look a little sarcastic: this is exactly what you need.
Probably, any person, like me, at the word "photo for documents" immediately thinks in the direction of the photo studio. After all, there are special requirements for a photograph for documents and it must be of very high quality, right? Moreover, say, on a passport (where it will hang, most likely, all my life) I want to look decent, and not in such a state that I do not want to open it again.
I also need such pictures regularly. Passports, visas, electronic applications, student, travel card, bank cards ... But what can I say, now you need a photo for documents all the time, without exception, I'm not talking about travelers!
Until 20 years, while I needed these pictures from strength, 10 times I never thought about the fact that they can be taken outside the salon. I came to a photo studio, where a tired granny clicked me on the Nikon D200, which was no less tired of life, and after a couple of days I took the result. He always suited me. However, the day came when I thought ...
Introduction
Why did I choose to take the photo myself?
And so, when I had to collect the next package of documents for a Schengen visa, they demanded a photo from me. The usual atelier was closed. I went to the neighboring one, which is in the city center. So he came and said to take a picture of me for a Schengen visa. I was asked to stand ... in front of a display case! Yes, there was no proper light, no umbrellas. There was only a soap dish, so antediluvian that its price hardly exceeded $ 30. And with this thing they photographed me, illuminating half of my face with a flash. And then they offered to evaluate the footage on the same screen (less than on my phone). For a long time I looked from the woman to the camera ... But I restrained myself and just silently left. I thought - well, weirdo, what to take from her.
A year has passed. And I saw a similar situation three times. Every second person opens their own "salons for photo documents" and tries to foist us our photos of frankly lousy quality for 2-3 bucks, despite the fact that its cost is a maximum of 0.2 cents.
Finally, I realized that I needed to "tie up" with this contingent when I needed a photo for a green card. Who does not know - I will explain, it is submitted in electronic form. I came to the studio (normal, by the way) and say - I urgently need an electronic photo, can you put it on a flash drive? Do you think the answer was yes? Fig you! I was told to wait 2 days for a printed photo to be ready, and only after that I can pick up an electronic one. Arguments that I will pay for the print, but I do not need it, I need a photo now and did not help here. He spat and went home.
After these cases, I realized that in the current conditions it is possible to take a good photo for documents at home, there would be a desire and at least a little ability to own a PC. The rest is a matter of technology. The relevance is increasing for those who travel, and even whole families. I cannot say that there is a special saving in money ... But the savings in nerves are significant.
What do we need?
So, you have decided to independently create a photo for documents for yourself or your loved ones. Let's figure out what you need ...
- Camera (preferably SLR)
- If possible - a tripod or a hard surface to give the camera stability (at first I used a stack of books on the table)
- More or less workable computer
- Programs for processing (in the article I am considering the option with Photoshop, since various specialized software costs money, but in terms of functionality it is only crammed with unnecessary tools)
- Color photo printer and high-quality photo paper (optional, you can print from friends or in the darkroom)
- White dense background (dense fabric or whatman paper). You can, of course, permanently use another uniform background, and then cut it out in Photoshop.
As you can see, there is nothing supernatural here, but many things, if necessary. You can even exclude from this list altogether. And as soon as you have decided on the tools at hand, you can start photography.
We take a photo for documents
Actually, this is the most difficult stage. If you overcome it, then everything will definitely work out. The fact is that a photo for documents must meet certain general standards. In particular, you must position the lighting correctly.
Lighting
In a professional studio, you will find at least a couple of umbrellas, a white background, and a few lamps combined with a couple of flashlights. All this creates the necessary, even illumination without glare (and even then, if the photographer has straight hands and the ability to really use it all). And our task is to achieve the most similar result at home, one might say - "handicraft" conditions.
I find that a combination of daylight, uniform light + camera flash is an excellent option.
I did the following. In the afternoon, I hung exactly a piece of white cloth against the background of the window. Though. as practice shows, you can do with a Whatman paper against the background of an ordinary wall, but then you must make sure that the source of daylight is either behind you or in front of you. Any deviation will create unnecessary shadows, and therefore if the window is on the side, shade it. And turn off artificial lights in the room.
This way, when combined with the flash, you can achieve the most accurate lighting in a hurry.
Landing
Remember that to create a high-quality photo, you should be at a distance of 0.5 - 0.8 meters from the background, and the camera that will shoot you - at a distance of 1 - 3 meters from you.
In this case, it is very desirable that the photographic equipment is located on a stable tripod. It can be replaced, for an extreme, with a stack of books laid on the table.
The camera should be at the level of your eyes, and you should sit or stand, look directly into the lens. The head is turned straight.
Different documents have different requirements. Somewhere you need a serious person (passport, visa), in some places you can afford to smile (student or ISIC). Some cannot be wearing a headdress, and some (for example, a military ID) require a uniform. Remember these nuances and be sure to clarify them.
Camera settings
As you may have guessed, it would be ideal if someone helps you and presses the camera button after composing the shot. LiveView mode will help you with this. Although, if there is absolutely no one to provide assistance, use the camera's rotary screen and a remote control or a timer. But this is not the best option.
If possible, set the following value on the camera:
- ISO - Minimum (100, 125, 200)
- Focus - exactly on the subject's eye
- White balance - automatically (we'll fix it later)
- File format - RAW
- Flash - On
- Red Eye Reduction - On
If your camera does not allow you to successfully focus on the eyes or face, use the mode that is found in all "soap boxes" - face detection. He will focus quite successfully.
Remember that the photo must be clear. Blurring of the background is not allowed and red-eye should be avoided.
Photo processing
When the photo has already been captured, we upload it to our computer. We can say that most of our work with you has already been completed.
Opening the snapshot. If you shot in RAW, develop it in JPEG. White balance can be easily set based on a white background or the whites of the eyes. After - open the photo in Photoshop.
Initially, I decided to crop the images, that is, to "crop" all unnecessary. In this example, I was preparing a photo for accreditation, and the organizers stated the requirement - format 3 x 4. Ok, I take into account and select the Frame tool (key C). In the tool settings, I set the Proportions item as Free, and set the ratio 3 cm by 4 cm. After that I cropped the desired part of the photo according to the requirements.
In this example, the photo was taken without strict requirements, but when creating a photo for a passport or visa, you cannot do without rulers. You can call them with a keyboard shortcut Ctrl + R... From them, with the help of the tower, "extend" the guide lines. Note, however, that your ruler units may be inches or pixels. If so, just click on one of them with the right mouse button and specify other units of measurement (for example, the millimeters we are used to).
Following the framing, I scrutinized the background. It can be seen that it is not white, but has a bluish "gradient". It shouldn't be, so I painted the background white. This can be done using the mask selection, which is demonstrated in the video on this page. It allows you to highlight everything, down to the smallest details, without "disfiguring" your hair or photography in general.
If you needed an electronic photo, then it is almost ready. It is enough to save it in .jpeg format with the required compression ratio (according to the requirements of the service). To do this, open the "Save for Web ..." dialog box by pressing the key combination Alt + Shift + Ctrl + S and set the desired parameters (size and quality).
Preparing to print
However, sometimes a printed photo is needed. Here you have to work a little more. First, we determine the size of the photo itself. For example, they want from us a photo of 3 centimeters by 4 centimeters. This is done, of course, after cropping.
We call the window "Image size" ( Alt + Ctrl + I) and set it to 3 by 4 and the resolution to 600 dpi.
And now we go into the canvas size Alt + Ctrl + C... It is better to indicate the size here 15 by 10 centimeters (this is the most common format for photographic paper). And duplicating the layers with the photo, place the required amount on the canvas. Make sure that they do not go "back to back", otherwise they will be more difficult to cut. In addition, I recommend filling the background with some kind of grayish color, so that the photos themselves stand out clearly.
We save the results of our work in a format suitable for printing. I usually put .tiff. I will not go into technical nuances, but it is the most profitable for sending a photo for printing, although it takes up much more disk space.
Printing photos for documents
If you have your own photo printer with acceptable print quality and good photo paper, then the problem disappears by itself. Feel free to send your document to print! You are just as lucky if your friends have such a printer.
But the worst option is to print in a salon. The fact is that many salon workers, realizing that their bread is being taken away from them and their "soap boxes" are undeservedly lying around, start to become impudent. And they take for printing 1 photo as for printing their own photographs for documents! And they are not in a position to name aloud the difference between this photo from the category “I and the tower” and “My face repeats itself six times in a row”.
My advice is to just go print somewhere that only prints photos and doesn't have their own passport photography service. They simply do not have a "boil" about and without a reason, since they do not see damage to themselves here.
The average price of printing one 10 x 15 card at the time of this writing is about 90 kopecks, in the capital - up to 1.5 hryvnia (15 - 25 cents), which is incomparably cheaper than printing a photo on documents (2 - 5 dollars).
Output
On some forums, where an article (with a similar meaning) by another author was posted, the owners of photo salons "threw eggs" at him. I'll try again to explain my position:
photographs for documents taken at home may be of lower quality in terms of lighting than those that are made by professional studios. However, there are fewer such studios, and the fact that you are "puffed" in the face with a soap box "around the corner" will be worse in quality even.
Time is another matter. Not everyone wants to mess around with Photoshop at home. But, for me personally, this is preferable. I can take pictures of myself at least all day and choose good pictures, I can reject the photos I don't like for hours without the rudeness of the staff calmly. And most importantly - I don't need to beg for an hour and a half to dump the source code onto a USB flash drive. And if you have a big family ...
I need photos, probably at least once a week. And always fresh. Sometimes very strict and formal, sometimes less so. Therefore, lately I prefer to take photo for documents at home, on my own. I cannot say that they were much worse. The only difficulty is to comply with all the requirements for the picture and proportions, the placement of faces on it.
In general, it's up to you. The main thing is not to forget that a business photo remains a business one. Otherwise, travel agents told me how they were sent pictures on the background of a carpet for a visa to the UAE.
How do you feel about such a "life hack"? Ever took ID photos for yourself or your loved ones?
The technical parameters of passport photos are strictly regulated and it is strictly forbidden to deviate from them. Unlike an ordinary photograph, a passport photograph should perform one main function - it should allow to determine the authenticity of a person presenting a foreign passport. It is for this task that the standards are spelled out. Before making a choice with clothes, you need to carefully read the existing regulations, otherwise no dressing will help, the photos will not satisfy the FMS officer and will be returned for alteration.
General rules
Currently, Russia issues passports of old and new designs, the standards of these documents are somewhat different. An old foreign passport is valid for five years, for a biometric passport this period is increased to ten years. We will talk about photography below, but now we should dwell on the general standard parameters. What are the requirements for a passport photo?
| Parameter | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Image | Crisp, no glare or blackout, no artificial defects. |
| Position of the face | Strictly full face, it is forbidden to look to the side, smile, open your mouth, etc. Facial expression should be calm, focused and as businesslike as possible. Uniform illumination, head tilt is prohibited. |
| Chromaticity | Photos can be black and white or color; for the new biometric, color is made. There are certain restrictions on file sizes and permissions. |
| Main background | The background is always light and monochrome. Shadows, shades, distortions are strictly prohibited. |
| Linear dimensions | The dimensions are strictly 35 × 45 mm, the oval of the head should occupy at least 80% of the total area of the photographic paper. |
If glasses are worn on an ongoing basis, then they do not need to be removed. Lenses should only be transparent, while glare cannot appear on them. Glasses should be worn with glasses such that the color of the eyes is clearly distinguished. The existing frame cannot cover the eyebrows and distort the appearance of the nose.
Make-up, wigs or hairstyles that cover your face are strictly prohibited. Only light daytime makeup is allowed, which does not distort the actual features of the person being photographed or being photographed.
Video - Photo for documents according to all the rules
How to take and send a photo yourself
In Russia, there is a portal of State Services, with the help of which you can independently send prepared photographs.
To download them, you need to do the following: maximum size 300 Kb, minimum size 200 Kb, JPEG file, photo height 45 mm, photo width 35 mm.
In order to improve the final quality of photos, you can try at home, make several attempts, correct them in a simple editor and print them on a printer, or transfer them to a USB flash drive and take them to the nearest studio. When taking self-photographs, it is recommended to adhere to the following guidelines.
Features of baby photos
It is recommended to apply for an old passport valid for five years. The fact is that they quickly grow and change their appearance, and an outdated photograph can create problems when crossing the state border. Another problem with children. Even an experienced professional master cannot always take a picture of a child, the employees of the migration service do not have such skills and are unlikely to be able to take a high-quality photo for a biometric foreign passport.
According to all the technical requirements, children's photography is no different from an adult, but there are purely professional features.
The photo is taken for children regardless of their age. Accordingly, when photographing, one should not forget the parameters of the indoor microclimate. If the temperature differs from the comfortable values, then you should not hope for a good photo. Time will be wasted and the child may get sick.
Video - How to photograph newborns and babies
Video - How to take a photo with a passport
Have you ever asked someone to show their paper and get a firm refusal? Most often, the unwillingness to show your document is due to the fact that it contains an unsuccessful photograph. The reason for the unsuccessful image in the passport often lies not in the inability of the photographer, but in the banal lack of his time due to the high flow of clients. If the studio is overloaded, then the creative process often ends with the appearance of a technically good picture, but suitable only for decorating the stand "The police are looking for them."
Probably, many PC users, after receiving an unsuccessful photo, dejectedly asked themselves: "Wouldn't it be better to take a photo yourself next time?" However, not everyone knows how to photograph for documents right. Indeed, among PC users, not everyone is well versed in graphic editors, without which making a high-quality picture is unthinkable. Also, before taking pictures on your own, it is imperative to clarify the requirements for them with a representative of the organization that requested them. And don't forget the simple rules. Combining the theoretical knowledge from this article with the technical tips below, you will get not only a correct, but also a beautiful photo for documents.
You don't need a photo studio to take a passport photo. Just hang a clean pillowcase behind the model's back!
As for the general requirements regarding the question “ how to take passport photographs», They are as follows: you can not act in a headdress or in tinted glasses. Retouching is unacceptable, you should shoot strictly in full face. Since the photograph is needed for comparison with the "original", excessive facial expressions that distort facial features are also unacceptable. The background for photographing should be slightly lighter than the skin.
Photo size for a Russian or Ukrainian passport is 35x45 mm. For a Belarusian passport the required photo size is slightly larger - 40x50 millimeters. For Russians or Ukrainians foreign passport they will need a photo measuring 36x47 millimeters, and not more than six months ago. If a photo is required on a military ID, here the required dimensions are 30x40 millimeters.
As for the location of the subject, the distance from the top of the head to the top of the picture should be 4-6 millimeters, and the thickness of the paper should not exceed 0.3 mm.
It is better to take pictures in natural light, and the distance from the photographer to the client should be at least 2 and no more than 5 meters.
If a photo is taken at home, then a clean, white pillowcase folded in half will work well to get a good, even background. When photographing, it is better to place the person close to the background - this will avoid unnecessary shadows.
Consider an example of working in a super popular editor
1) First of all, you should tidy up the background. To do this, select Image -> Adjustments -> Curves. In the window that appears, take the right eyedropper (Set White Point), press it on the darkest part of the background. Then click OK and continue. For further operations, a millimeter ruler is required, which is called by pressing (View -> Rulers), and the units of measurement are selected from the context menu by clicking on the ruler with the right mouse button.
2) Then we will resize the photo for convenience. Click Image> ImageSize, set the document width to 100 millimeters, and the resolution to 300 dpi. After such a procedure, further processing will take place much faster.
3) Now, by pressing the following keys View -> New Guide, two horizontal guides should be created, setting the Position values to 50 and 62 mm. The distance between them will be 12 millimeters - this should be the distance between the chin and the line of the eyes. Then press successively Ctrl + A and Ctrl + T, which will select the entire image and turn on the free transformation mode. While holding down the Shift key to resize proportionally, you should hook the corner of the selection and carefully reduce the image. This operation should be performed several times until the pupils of the eyes are on the upper guide line, and on the lower chin. Press Enter to accept the changes.
4) Then you should raise one guide line to the very top of the head, and the second (using a ruler) 5 millimeters above the first. This will create the top border of the photo. Using the Crop tool (called by pressing the C key), create an area 35x45 mm in size and move it so that the upper part coincides with the upper guide, and also so that the subject's body is located in the center. Then you should press Enter - and the photo of the required proportions is ready.
5) Then you need to do the final touches. Desaturate the photo (Image -> Mode -> Grayscale), and, if necessary, adjust the contrast and brightness of the picture (Image -> Adjustments -> Brightness / Contrast ...). In order for the photo to be with a frame, you must select (Image -> Canvas Size). In the window that appears, you need to select the display of the size in pixels, enter a new height and width that exceed the original by 3 pixels. Then you just need to click OK - and the photo with the frame is ready.
It remains to place the photographs on a sheet of paper, which will then be printed. To do this, a document is created with dimensions of 100x150 millimeters and a resolution of 300 dpi, and then the previously created photograph is copied and inserted into the created document as many times as it will fit. Done - you can print.
For OVIR passport a black-and-white photograph of 35x45 mm is required, also printed on matte paper. And in this case, the image should be in an oval with feathering. This is quite simple to do. Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool and set the Feather parameter, for example, 10 pixels. Now you need to select the entire image, invert the selection (Select Inverse in the context menu) and press Del (you need a white background color).
For the Foreign Ministry passport a color photo is needed, so you should shoot in good lighting for more natural colors. A light background is required (but not white), preferably a blue tint. The photograph is prepared in such a way that its size is 36x47 millimeters, and the distance from the chin to the crown is 25–35 mm.
It is better to print on your own photo printer, choosing the optimal combination of brightness / contrast by trial and error. If the printer is not at home, you will have to go to the photo lab.
