Say “Cheese”: Passport Photos
Of the 150 or so photos I took during my visit to Japan, you will be hard pressed to find any more than (maybe) 3 of myself. I don’t like taking pictures. Never have. The best photo I’ve ever taken was years and years ago for my student I.D. card at “Such-n-Such” Community College. It was the perfect picture and I was near tears when I realized after some time had passed, that I’d lost it. Man! Even my drivers licenses through the years always seem to make me look like I’ve recently escaped from prison. It’s no different with my passport. BUT!!! A passport photo is a necessary evil and there is no getting around it. You won’t either, so if you’re like me then you’d better phone a friend and ask him/her to drag you kicking and screaming to the photo joint.
Applying for the U.S. Passport requires two full-color photos of yourself. Photographs must meet the following guidelines:
1. Be 2 x 2 inches.
2. Include your full face, front view with open eyes.
3. Present full head from the top of your hair to your shoulders.
4. Be taken in a plain white or off-white background.
5. Avoids shadows on your face or background.
6. Your face in the photo should have a neutral expression with a closed mouth.
7. Should not include sunglasses or hats, but corrective lenses only if you are required to wear them every day.
8. The contrast and lighting in the photo should be normal.
These are general what/how-to’s , but the U.S. Department of State outlines its requirements on their website on this page about passport photo composition. If you visit the link, and I highly suggest you do, you will see just how exact and confusing the requirements can be. That’s why, as a matter of course, most people opt to have their passport photos done by a retailer who specializes in such things.
Off the top of my head, I can say that both CVS and Walgreens pharmacy stores do passport photos. The price range is somewhere in the neighborhood of $8.00 for a set of two and can take as little as 4-5 minutes to an hour to process. For those of you without a CVS or Walgreens, Rite-aid advertises that it also provides passport photo services. My own dealings with Walgreens had me in a situation where my photos were rejected at the passport processing facility because they were just slightly off kilter. While it was a bit of an inconvenience to have them re-done, it wasn’t that big a deal and Walgreens replaced the photos free of charge, all the while apologizing profusely. Needless to say, although I harbor no hard feelings, the next set of photos (those for my son) will be done by a shop highly recommended by many of the passport processing places in my area. Look out Snappy Photo, here we come! 
Other retailers that might have passport photo services include FedEx. Their website is not clear on whether or not they actually take the photo or just have avenues whereby you can print your own. In any case, you have to use their FedEx store locater, then call ahead to make sure that particular store offers the service. In addition, some post offices acting as passport processing facilities also do passport photos. Again, you have to use the post office locater, call that particular office and inquire as to what their process is.
So there you have it. You can attempt to take your own passport photos but beware. If you turn in pictures with your passport application that do not meet government standards, your application will be rejected by the Department of State. Once rejected, you will have to reapply but all monies paid will be forfeited. Got that, folks? If your pictures are wacky, the government’s going to make you reapply and you have pay the application fees again. As Clint Eastwood said, “do you feel lucky”?
So get on out there and “say cheese” for the camera. Remember not to smile but try not to look like the product of a most wanted poster either, okay?
