Taking your own passport photos

[kzielu 1,149]

Agreed. Just not worth the hassle, fuss and muss (whatever muss is, hehe). Get the fotos done professionally (also done in the Phils for pennies), and get it done to official specifications , and get multiple copies, and be done with it, and not worry about one more thing that can bring a last minute denial or stressful rejection.

For me it was quicker to do it myself, did it better and calling pharmacy passport photos "professional" (told you - compact camera) is really really funny...

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

For me it was quicker to do it myself, did it better and calling pharmacy passport photos "professional" (told you - compact camera) is really really funny...

We got the last set done at Walmart. They pull down a shade from one of the merchandise shelves, and you stand in front of that. He takes your picture with a handheld camera. I forget how much they charge, but it wasn't that expensive, I am thinking less than $10. At the post office, they charge like $20, and the quality isn't that good (the background came out green), but it is "official".

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

For the petition I went to a UPS store, and my wife went to a photo shop in Hue City. Hers weren't quite to US passport standards - dimensions were 1.5 x 2.5 on a pale blue background, but the head dimensions were approximately right. USCIS accepted them without any problems.

For the AOS we all went to the UPS store. If I recall, it was about $15 per person for a pair of photos. They used a really ancient Polaroid camera that was specifically designed for taking passport photos, and has two lenses so that it takes two photos simultaneously.

Yeah, it would have been cheaper to do it myself. I've got a decent camera, and good photo editing software. I just weigh the costs against the time it would have taken me to do it. $15 dollars wouldn't buy enough of my time to make it worth doing myself.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Yeah, it would have been cheaper to do it myself. I've got a decent camera, and good photo editing software. I just weigh the costs against the time it would have taken me to do it. $15 dollars wouldn't buy enough of my time to make it worth doing myself.

it took me less than 5 minutes to do mine (using epasssportphoto.com). Maybe another 5 mins for the Walmart machine to print from my USB. Simple, quick and cheap.

**Edit - Also MUCH better looking than the ones I had done in Australia. They were absolutly awful. Same for the ones I WAS going to get at Walgreens before finding out their machine was backed up. I love my passport and GC photos

Edited February 19, 2012 by Vanessa&Tony

[N M 96]

We went to Wal-Mart (just last week) to get our daughter's passport photo taken.

$7.50.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

We went to Wal-Mart (just last week) to get our daughter's passport photo taken.

$7.50.

Per photo?? That's insane!

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

it took me less than 5 minutes to do mine (using epasssportphoto.com). Maybe another 5 mins for the Walmart machine to print from my USB. Simple, quick and cheap.

**Edit - Also MUCH better looking than the ones I had done in Australia. They were absolutly awful. Same for the ones I WAS going to get at Walgreens before finding out their machine was backed up. I love my passport and GC photos

You still need to take the photos, and some time and experimentation is required to get that done right. Choose a location with a white wall or maybe a piece of poster board behind you, set up the camera and tripod, take some test shots, etc.

I walked into the UPS store and walked out a few minutes later with passport style photos in my hand. Total time was a lot less than if I'd done it myself. Travel time is moot because I'd have to drive somewhere to get them printed anyway, unless I wanted to print them on my ink jet printer.

I'm not suggesting that the way I did it is for everyone. If you've got the time and don't mind the extra effort then do it yourself, by all means. Some people actually enjoy this stuff. For me, it was an annoying detail that I wanted to get done with as quickly as possible. I chose the UPS store because they do it fast, and there's usually no waiting. I only rate stuff according to what my time is worth if it's something I don't enjoy doing myself. In that case, I weigh the cost of paying someone else to do it for me.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

You still need to take the photos, and some time and experimentation is required to get that done right. Choose a location with a white wall or maybe a piece of poster board behind you, set up the camera and tripod, take some test shots, etc.

I walked into the UPS store and walked out a few minutes later with passport style photos in my hand. Total time was a lot less than if I'd done it myself. Travel time is moot because I'd have to drive somewhere to get them printed anyway, unless I wanted to print them on my ink jet printer.

I'm not suggesting that the way I did it is for everyone. If you've got the time and don't mind the extra effort then do it yourself, by all means. Some people actually enjoy this stuff. For me, it was an annoying detail that I wanted to get done with as quickly as possible. I chose the UPS store because they do it fast, and there's usually no waiting. I only rate stuff according to what my time is worth if it's something I don't enjoy doing myself. In that case, I weigh the cost of paying someone else to do it for me.

Nah. I scanned in a photo that I already had and used that. My problem was I had photos but I didn't have enough so I made multiples. I used that same photo for my Aussie passport.

[Andie 147]

I had photos done at a Kodak shop in Auckland. They knew exactly what the requirements were for the US and their setup with backboard and lighting etc was accurate. $20 per person ... but I wasn't prepared to risk getting them wrong. The stress (for me) just isn't worth it.

Edited February 22, 2012 by Andie

[Moomin 292]

It would've taken me more than an hour to drive from house to mall, waiting for pictures and then drive home. It took half the time in DYI mode. I simply refuse to pay 20 dollars for 4 pictures.

I also refuse to drive around looking for a parking place close to something instead of just parking the darn car further away and spend the 2 minutes walking instead of two minutes looking for a parking place.

[X Factor 1,112]

I agree with the previous posters. As long as the pictures meet the requirement as to size and background color it does not matter who takes it.