7 tips for taking the perfect passport photo

RetouchMe
6 min readMay 20, 2022

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99% of people who took a passport photo remain, to put it mildly, dissatisfied with the result. In particular, the photo itself is not so bad technically, but the face on it looks too serious and unnatural. But you can always use the advice about a passport photo, because it is much more pleasant to travel in a good mood looking at your photo in such an important document.

99% of people who took a passport photo remain, to put it mildly, dissatisfied with the result.

Close your eyes for a few moments and try to imagine your face. Surely, the face that pops up in your imagination will look like a future self-portrait made in 4 years. By imagining yourself, your consciousness reproduces the image that you have created for yourself in your head. Remember what a smile looks like, you strive to repeat it. But to get perfect images, you don’t need to remember how it looks, you need to reproduce the feelings that you felt when you smiled.

Until recently, in order to take a photo for documents, it was necessary to visit a special photo studio, now we have become much freer of our own choice. All this is thanks to modern technologies developed by iPhone and Android companies.

7 tips for a successful passport photo:

  • Get ready for this photo session.
  • Relax before taking pictures.
  • Make-up will not be superfluous.
  • Make sure your face looks fresh and healthy.
  • Be careful about the quality of the picture.
  • Take care of the background.
  • Try to look natural.

Get ready for this photo session

Think through all the details in advance, and you will get an excellent result.

Don’t leave photography until the last minute.

Don’t leave photography until the last minute. If you need to take a photo in a hurry, then you gallop to the first studio that comes across, and there is no question of make-up or hairdo. This is fundamentally wrong since all the details must be thought out in advance. Compose an image and take some test photos. This will help to see all the shortcomings and correct them. Pay attention to the expression of the lips, do not squeeze them too hard so that they do not look like thin threads.

Relax before taking pictures

Before taking a photo for documents, look at yourself in the mirror and answer the question “Do you look like this in everyday life?”

Before taking a photo for documents, look at yourself in the mirror and answer the question “Do you look like this in everyday life?”. It doesn’t matter what lifestyle you lead. But the day before shooting for a passport or other documents, try to sleep as much as possible so that your look is as rested and fresh as possible. Walking with friends is a good idea, but try not to drink alcohol or eat too salty food this time. Be sure that you will never get a good photo after a party and a sleepless night.

Make-up will not be superfluous

Do not get carried away with fashion trends, simplicity is always in fashion.

It is better to observe all possible restrictions on make-up and accessories. It is no surprise to anyone that there are many nuances in make-up that you need to be careful with. Of course, you as a person should stand out, but your face should not differ from how you look in ordinary life.

Each type of document has its own requirements, but usually, they all agree that too bright colors in make-up are inappropriate. No sparkles or pearls. Remember that this photo will serve as your document and business card for many years to come. Do not get carried away with fashion trends, simplicity is always in fashion.

Make sure your face looks fresh and healthy

Apply foundation all over the face, including under the eyes and neck.

Of course, it will be great if you have the opportunity to carry out some procedures to even out the tone and take care of the skin of the face before taking pictures. But if you do not have time for this, you can use decorative cosmetics. Apply foundation all over the face, including under the eyes and neck.

If you are not the lucky owner of perfect skin, our tips will help you achieve good passport photos. With concealer, you can add more expression to your facial features, and also be able to hide small wrinkles and other minor imperfections. Emphasize the line of the eyebrows, this also plays an important role in facial expressiveness.

But do not use colored shadows, only natural shades — brown or gray. Purple, orange, or blue shadows will make you too “noticeable” and in the photo, you will look ridiculous. It is also recommended to use matte shadows.

Be careful about image quality

Avoid too revealing necklines and bright accessories.

Take a few test shots with your phone and choose the best options.

Typically, business style is decided for this type of photo, even if something else is closer to you in everyday life. Avoid too revealing necklines and bright accessories. And try not to overdo it with a smile. Of course, by nature, you can be a very cheerful and friendly person, but try to remain calm and not show a smile on all 32 teeth. Try to think of something pleasant to relax your face and look more natural.

Many professionals have a large arsenal of tools for editing and improving photo quality. Therefore, even if something does not suit you, you can always ask to correct small errors. Clients often ask for photo retouching.

Take care of the background

Download your photo to your computer and try changing the background.

Use more options for the perfect picture.

Have you ever heard about the importance of location and the practice of posing? Most probably not. Because none of us even suspects that the tone of the face and mood can depend on such details. Download your photo to your computer and try changing the background. Believe me, you will see unexpected results.

Try to look natural

Find the best pose and facial expression and always use them.

Find the best pose and facial expression and always use them.

Summing up all of the above, it is important to understand that no one knows you better than yourself. This means that the best thing you can do to get good photos is to look natural. You can easily identify your unnatural grimaces and quickly fix them. After all, you can always ask to take one more picture before giving permission for their approval.

Adopt the above tips for good ID photos, and you’ll notice significant improvements in no time.

To get professionally edited photos, use a high-quality retouching service RetouchMe. As the leading photo editor app for iPhone and Android, RetouchMe provides over 100 options for face and body correction, skin enhancement, object, and background manipulation. Using a professional photo editor, you will quickly and efficiently hide flaws and emphasize your natural beauty!

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RetouchMe
RetouchMe

Written by RetouchMe

A unique mobile application that permits fast and quality photo editing by professional designers in a few minutes.

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