General Chat

Has anyone actually had taken in these booths a passport photo they actually like? £5today for a photo that is awful. Because you now have to remove glasses and of course can't smile I look grim. Maybe seeing myself as others see me :-D

I had mine taken in a booth in the Post Office - look like one of "Britain's most wanted" :-D

Ann I had mine taken in a booth for the DVLA. looked like a mug shot off Crimewatch :-D

Expected the police to come calling rather than my license back. :-D

My neighbour took a much better photo with her mobile,

Ann they are not very flattering .had mine done at a local shop .still looked like ..well cant really say .but it was awfull :-0 or i might just be vain :-D

I look like an old lady. Not helped by the fact that at the moment my hair is in its grey phase...... Or the fact that I am...... Anold lady :-D

Also it is five months since my face saw any sun so the booth lights make me look washed out.

I don't look washed out on my passport - more washed away

My hair is white, and now that the booths no longer have a dark background, my hair is almost invisible!! DVLA accepted it though, so obviously OK. :-| :-| :-|

I've kept all my old passports - from the first one when I was 19. It's pretty grim looking through them and not something I do very often. What the hell happened? :-0 :-(

Wend it is all that fun you had thst has given you laughter lines! :-D :-D

Ann :-D <3

OH had a DVLA photo taken at the PO - he'd agree about looking washed out.

Its a pity that they moved away from a darker background especially as the UK has an ageing population. A darkish grey background would contrast against all skin tones even if, for some people, the hair colour might merge in.

Would recommend that you go to a photo shop like Bonus Print.

They will take it for you and make sure that you get a good one. Not sure of the price though.

Passport photos for Canadian passports HAVE to be taken by a professional photographer


so no booth or mobile photos allowed



the rules are very restrictive!! ..............................


Rules for Canadian passport photos ...............


taken by a commercial photographer.

50 mm wide X 70 mm high (2 inches wide X 2 3/4 inches long) and sized so the height of the face measures between 31 mm (1 1/4 inches) and 36 mm (1 7/16 inches) from chin to crown of head (natural top of head).

clear, sharp and in focus. Photos may be in colour or in black and white.

taken with a neutral facial expression (eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, no smiling).

taken with uniform lighting and not show shadows, glare or flash reflections.

taken straight on, with face and shoulders centered and squared to the camera.

taken in front of a plain white or light-coloured background with a clear
difference between your face and the background. Photos must reflect/represent natural skin tones.

original photos that are not altered in any way or taken from an existing photo.

reflect your current appearance (taken within the last 12 months).

professionally printed on plain, high quality photographic paper (photos printed at home and photos printed on heavy weight paper are not acceptable).




Special requirements ....................


Wheelchairs: Passport photos must be taken against a plain, uniform white or light-coloured background to ensure that the applicant’s facial features and edges of the face are clearly visible. As such, for someone who is in a wheelchair, we recommend that the photo be taken with a plain white blanket placed over the wheelchair behind the applicant's head.


Headwear or nasal cannula: When required for medical reasons, headwear or a nasal cannula may appear in a passport photo—provided that the eyes remain clearly visible. We recommend that you include a signed explanatory letter with your application. Passport Canada may also request that you submit a letter from your doctor.




Why can't I smile in my passport photo?

The International Civil Aviation Organization recommends that passport photos be taken with a neutral expression for use with facial recognition systems - advanced technology that helps prevent fraud by electronically verifying identity based on each person's unique facial features.

I occasionally come across one knocking around a drawer, taken in our teens. We are in the throes of heady love, in a passionate embrace.

The hairstyles of the seventies give our ages away. My husband sports the hugest, wildest affro, nowadays he more resembles a monk <3 <3 <3

Passport photos tend to be very grim-faced.

Apologies for the capitals I hit the caps lock and can't type that lot out again.


Sylvia your rules are more or less the same as ours but we do have the APPROVED BOOTHS WHICH COST FIVE POUNDS EACH AS OPPOSED TO THE £10 CHARGED BY INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHER IN OUT TOWN. wE BOTH NEEDED ONE SO ON TOP OF THE COST OF THE PASSPORT THAT WAS EXPENSIVE.

Morning .Ann love the post you are going through Grey phase ..I am with you there .mines white though :-( :-)

My mate went to have his photos taken in a booth. First attempt, he had pressed the wrong button and got one large one instead of four small. He paid again and had four small ones taken, only to be told in the post office to go back and have them done again, only this time without his hat!! Bob

:-D