The summer is finally here – hoorah! But with the excitement of summer holidays ahead, time of work and school, and swimming pools just waiting to be dived into, you also need to ensure your passport is in date before you plan any holidays.
Part of this is knowing where to get the best passport photo taken, too, whether that’s adult passport photos, or a baby passport photo.
Machines and booths
The easiest and simplest way to get a new passport photo is to visit a passport photo booth. Here, you can get about 4 snaps for £5, so you can keep one if you need to renew your driving licence, or other documentation in the near future.
When taking the picture, many worry it may look unflattering. To help abolish this, you can simply set the seat a little too high, so you’re looking down slightly. Always make sure you have nothing covering your key features, such as hair covering your face.
Top tip: Most of these machines require change, as opposed to cards, so make sure you have some before you get there.
Shops
Many chemists, post offices and other local shops will still have the equipment and experience to take the photo for you, if a booth isn’t available. This is a much easier option when photographing for a baby passport, as you have human interaction and don’t have to try and hold them in place on a hard stool for a long period of time!
Take it yourself
One of the trickier ones, and is likely only necessary to do if you’re unable to get anywhere to have a photo taken, or if you’re a bit of a photography whizz. If so, remember the background should be as clean and white as possible so as to not detract from the image itself. You can then take your USB or memory card to the nearest printing shop, so you can print professionally.
For digital passport photos, remember the same rules as before, no hair covering the face, no big cheesy grins, and look down slightly if you want a more flattering look.
