 Rachel M. Enge |
Passport Photography - How to? How does one go about doing passport photography? Do you have to be certified by someone? What equipment would you need to print the photos? Where would you get the equipment from? If someone could point me in the right direction, that would be helpful, and also keep in mind that I am in Canada. Thanks for your help in advance.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
If they haven't changed due to 9/11 and all the other security changes, passport photos just have to be a certain size, with a white background. It's actually easier to do them now because of being able to print your own. The photo and the image (dimensions of the face) need to fall between a certain size. Photo labs used to use Polaroids that shot a dual image, because you needed two photos.
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Monnie Ryan |
I was curious as to the answer, and a cursory search found that Canada passport photo requirements are different, and more restrictive, than in the United States. For openers, only commercial photographers are allowed to take them.
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Rachel M. Enge |
Yes, I have read that information. I am a commercial photographer and I would like to expand my business to passport photography because the area I live in doesn't have this service. So I can take the pictures. It is the printed part I am unclear about, and I would like to know how to go about setting that up.
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- Eric Highfield Contact Eric Highfield Eric Highfield's Gallery |
Hi Rachel, I'm a Canadian photographer and although I try not to make a habit of it, I have done passport photos in the past. You don't need to be certified, but you might have to prove you are a commercial photographer if ever challenged. I've never been challenged but I imagine your provincial business license (vendor's permit) or GST registration number (if you have one) would be sufficient. The setup is not difficult. You need a matte white background and need to make sure your lighting source is soft and even as to not cause glare or shadows. It doesn't have to be fashion studio standards, but pop-up flash while your subject stands 12 inches in front of a white wall almost certainly cause both glare and shadow. Judging by the portraits in your gallery, this shouldn't be an issue for you. You can print on your own photo printer (I've used various Epson pigment-based printers over the years). Be sure to use the "traditional"-looking matte (satin) photo papers and not the matte heavyweight. If you are doing this regularly, you might want to have a small space in your studio permanently set up for passports to minimize the amount of time you spend on each photo. Walk in, click, print, walk out. When starting out, I would try to make do with the equipment you already have before investing in a lot of gear specifically for this. I've never found passports to be lucrative (a loss leader at best), and with places like Walmart or Costco charging $10 or less for passport photos, it's hard for a small business owner to turn a profit. Even if you live in a place without either of these competitors and are able to charge more, your production costs will be higher so you'll want to really streamline the process in order to make any kind profit at it. I wish you luck and much success!
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- Dennis Flanagan Contact Dennis Flanagan Dennis Flanagan's Gallery |
Here is the U.S. State Department website. It gives a detailed explanation of passport photo requirements. It even gives photo hints. None of my passport photos have been rejected using these guidelines. http://travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/pptphotoreq_5333.html
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Sunny Jewell |
Is there some kind of paperwork that needs to accompany these photos besides the little folder and receipt, of course? Sunny.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
As for u.s. passport pictures, you just go get your pictures. As far as I know, once you get them you take them to where you get your passport, and if they're approved they go in the passport. I guess any paper work is at the passport place.
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Rachel M. Enge |
Thanks Eric for the wonderful answer :) It is the printing of the pictures that I was unclear about. At the moment I just have an HP deskjet printer (a stubborn one) So I was not sure if I could use this printer or need a better quality one. I send my files out to be printed by a professional printer for my clients for their printing. I was wondering what or how other photographers print their passport photos for their clients?
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Sunny Jewell |
Thank you very much, Eric. As for printing, I found a tutorial at http://www.dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=22 for if it will help with visuals. Thanks also for the paper for printing info and the .gov website page. And big thanks to Rachel for asking the question! Sunny.
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