Tag: baby passport photo

How to prepare for your passport photos

Published on in photography, travel by Paspic

Smile for the camera because it’s passport time. And while you’re excited for your international adventure, are you ready for the passport photo you need to take to get there? Posing for this photo will only take a few minutes, but it will stick with you for ten years. You don’t want to look any less than your best in a passport picture, and you don’t want to be unprepared. Here is what you need to know.

Before you get your passport, and the feeling of being a citizen of the world that comes with it, you need make sure you’ve read up on it. Review the regulations and rules about passport pictures. For the US State Department, you need to be standing in front of a white backdrop – look towards the camera, and try to not be too expressive. For your head’s measurement, it must be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from your chin to the top of your head.

When it comes to the photos, don’t get too complicated. If you wear prescription glasses daily, be sure to wear them in your passport photo. But be sure to tilt them down a little so there isn’t any glare, the State Department will not allow a photo with glare. Also make sure your eyes are fully visible.

Your hair should be brushed or styled, and you could even use a little gel or hairspray. For women it’s best not to look totally made-up, but some mascara and blush should help accentuate your face in the passport picture.

Be sure to wear a solid color shirt, remember the background will be white. A colored shirt will help you stand out, and a T-shirt would be a good start. If your skin is paler, try a shade of darker blue. If your skin is olive or darker, a vibrant red would work. Do not wear a white shirt since you’ll blend in with your background.

Know what works best going into the photos so you can have an easier time when you are taking them. And when it’s time to say “Cheese!”, position your shoulders back, and hold your chin one inch further out than usual for a more usable photograph. Most of all, have fun and enjoy yourself. A passport photo means you have a big journey ahead…

3 steps to perfect your baby’s passport photo

Published on in photography, travel by Paspic

Like most milestones in a child’s life, it’s important to be prepared for baby’s first international vacation. You have years to worry about the driver’s license, but if you plan to travel as a family, it’s never too early to worry about another form of government ID: your child’s passport. Travellers of all ages need clear, current passport photos to receive their first passports, and your newborn is no exception.

Baby passport photo requirements are much more lenient than the rules that adults and children must follow. However, babies need extra help to fulfil them, and your child passport photo will be useless unless you know exactly what to do. Just follow these three steps to cross your child’s first passport photo off your pre-trip to-do list.

1. Know the requirements

When you submit a passport application to the United States government, it must include one square photo taken within the last six months against a white or off-white background. Printed photos must measure 2″ x 2″, and digital scans must have an equal length and width between 600 and 1,200 pixels.

Baby passport pictures must also meet these simple requirements:

• Eyes open
• Face turned toward the camera
• No one else in the picture

2. Pick the right time

When is your baby most alert? Forget flattering, well-lit snapshots; you won’t be able to repurpose this photo for the family Christmas card, and that’s okay. Just focus on getting a clear, front-facing photo with both eyes open. If your baby is more alert – and less likely to get upset – at a certain time of day, such as right after a nap or right before a feeding, take it then.

3. Create a blank canvas

If your infant can’t sit up and face forward for the photo, you’ll need to keep his or her head supported while making sure it faces the camera. Spread a white blanket over the car seat or put white socks on your hands to hold your baby in place.

At Paspic, we use the latest photographic technology to make passport pictures easier to take by yourself. After you take care of the basic requirements, our system uses facial detection and analysis software to make sure your baby passport photo is fit to submit.

Taking the pain out of passport photos

Published on in photography, travel by Paspic

The modern rules and regulations for passport photos can be confusing, and costly if your snap is rejected by the passport office. This is where an innovative company called Paspic, which based on the The Sussex Innovation Centre  (SINC)  site, has streamlined the passport photo process.

Sussex University alumni Yehuda Hecht came up with the clever idea of combining digital photography with cutting edge technology to improve the passport photograph process. All new passport photos must include measurable and unique physical characteristics for today’s bio-metric facial recognition software. The Paspic system works by taking a digital photo and analysing its suitability in terms of these characteristics.

The Paspic system is so accurate that 99.5% of passport photos are approved upon the first submission to the passport office. And if your photo is rejected, Paspic sends a refund for the submission.

This cutting edge technology has a rich history, based at the SINC site. Yehuda was at the Sussex Uni, School of Applied Sciences from 1970 to 1973. Paspic, previously known as PhotoMagic, was founded by Yehuda in 1989. PhotoMagic was then joint by PhotoMe International and Yehuda’s patented PhotoMagic technology is used worldwide in almost all of the 20,000 digital photo booths.

In 2000, the company changed its name to Paspic and it’s focus shifted from connecting the photo booth kiosk to the internet to making it possible to create passport photos at home. In today’s world of smartphones and digital photography, it’s an obvious step but is also one that relies on years of technical research and development.

Paspic has continued to go from strength to strength. From taking your child’s first passport photo to creating photographic ID cards such as driving licences, student cards and so on, every individual needs a photo ID in one form or another. Paspic is delivering photographic IDs for all these needs and continues to grow and develop its technology as the world demands more photographic IDs within more stringent parameters.