Digital Photography Hacks [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Hack 21 Make Your Own Passport Photo

Don't spend money for a
terrible passport picture that you'll be embarrassed
to show to strangers all over the world. You can take your own shot,
and make great first impressions instead.

Why is it that whenever you have an official photograph taken, you're
made to look like a criminal or terrorist? Sometimes, you
don't have a choice in the matter, such as for your
driver's license (or booking at the county jail).
But when it comes to passport photos, you can submit your own
picture, and I recommend you do.

There are general requirements for an acceptable photo:

Photographs must be identical and recent (within six months), with a
clear full-face and front-view image. They may be in color or black
and white.

The photographs must be at least 2" 2" (5cm 5cm), exclusive of any
white borders. The image size, from the bottom of the chin to the top
of the head (including hair), should measure between one inch and one
and three-eighth's inches. There should be at least
one half inch between the top of the head and the
photograph's border.

There must be a clear contrast between the background and the image
of the subject. The background of the photographs must be white.
Grainy photographs cannot be accepted.

Easy enough, right? Now let's talk about actually
taking the picture, because that's the important
part. Here is the equipment you'll need:

Digital camera with a self-timer or remote release

Tripod or alternative way to position the camera

Two pieces of white foamcore, cardboard, or some other sturdy,
reflective surface

A stool or something else to sit on

Inkjet printer with photo paper, preferably with matte surface

You want to avoid that stark, deer-in-the-headlights appearance
that's usually caused by using a single flash in a
darkened room. You might still use a flash for your shot, but if so,
it should be a fill flash and not the sole source of illumination.

Look for a well-lit area that has a white or light background. You
might use a brightly lit room in the house (with lots of light coming
through one or more windows) or an outdoor setting, where you can use
the side of the house for the background. But you
don't want the sun shining right in your eyes.
Diffused light is better.

Position your sitting stool at least five feet away from the
background. You don't want to record much background
detail. Instead, you want the background a little out of focus, and
distance is the best way to create that effect.

Put the camera on the tripod and point it at the sitting stool. A
trick I like to do is to put a lamp on the stool to act as my model
while I'm aligning the camera. If you have a helper
for this project, that person can serve as your stand-in. Position
the camera slightly above eye level of the subject. By doing so, the
picture will be more flattering and, if you do use a fill light, the
shadows will be cast downward and out of the picture.

For your first test shot, turn off the flash. Let's
see how it looks with natural light only. Turn on the self-timer,
have a seat, smile slightly, and hold still until the camera has
recorded the image.

How does it look? If one side of your face is too shadowy, then
position one of the pieces of white foamcore so it reflects light
onto the dark side of your face. Try another exposure and make more
adjustments to the reflectors until you get something you like.

Sometimes, you just can't get enough
pop in the image if the room lighting is too
flat. In this situation, turn on the fill
flash function. If you camera has a control
for flash exposure compensation, set it to -1. The goal here is not
to have the flash serve as the main light source. Instead, you just
want a little additional pop to augment the ambient lighting.

If you're taking your own photo, try positioning a mirror behind the camera to help you pose. Also, some digicams have swiveling LCD monitors. If you have one, turn the flip screen all the way around so you can see yourself in the monitor. It's a great time-saver!

Finally, once you get the exposure you want, take a look at the color
balance. Is it too cool? Sometimes, in this type of lighting, the
color tint tends to be on the bluish side, which
isn't good for anyone's skin tones.
To compensate, set the white balance to cloudy
and try again. By now, you should have a pretty good-looking
photograph. Figure 2-9 shows a more flattering
passport picture than I'd get from government
photographers.

Figure 2-9. A more flattering passport picture

Upload your images to the computer and pick your favorite. Adjust the
brightness and contrast to suit your taste, but
don't get artsy. Remember, this has to be a clear,
evenly lit image.

Once you have everything in order, make a duplicate of the picture by
using the Save As command. Resize your copy so that
it's slightly bigger than a 2" 2" or 5cm 5cm square,
and print out two copies on your printer. I think that matte surface
photo paper looks better for this application.

Trim the photos to size, and head on down to the government office.
You now have a passport that you can proudly show to strangers across
the globe.