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Baby / Infant Photo

D

dammit

New Member
I am getting myself organized to submit for DV-2014. I see you have to provide a photo of any children as part of the process. So I took my 1 yr old baby to get a proper photo done at a passport photo place.

The photo we got seems to meet all requirements re pixel / head size % etc, but the only thing is I read in the guidelines that no body parts below the shoulders should be visible. In my baby's photo you can see his arm/torso and almost his hand. Is this a problem? The other thing they did was photoshopped up part of his arm which was raised to lower it but I don't think this would be a problem as it wasn't altering his face ?

Should I get another photo done? I don't want to risk getting disqualified. The only thing is, I don't know with infants if it would even be possible to have the photo appear with only the head and shoulders (and no arms visible given babies are so small and obviously very different from a fully grown adult), and it match the requirements of the head being the size and height (eye level being 54-69% or whatever it is) from the bottom.

Can anyone give me advice on what to do? I'm hoping we can just use the existing photo and they make allowances for infant photos so long as the majority of requirements are met and provided the applicants photo is spot on?
 
dammit said:
I am getting myself organized to submit for DV-2014. I see you have to provide a photo of any children as part of the process. So I took my 1 yr old baby to get a proper photo done at a passport photo place.

The photo we got seems to meet all requirements re pixel / head size % etc, but the only thing is I read in the guidelines that no body parts below the shoulders should be visible. In my baby's photo you can see his arm/torso and almost his hand. Is this a problem? The other thing they did was photoshopped up part of his arm which was raised to lower it but I don't think this would be a problem as it wasn't altering his face ?

Should I get another photo done? I don't want to risk getting disqualified. The only thing is, I don't know with infants if it would even be possible to have the photo appear with only the head and shoulders (and no arms visible given babies are so small and obviously very different from a fully grown adult), and it match the requirements of the head being the size and height (eye level being 54-69% or whatever it is) from the bottom.

Can anyone give me advice on what to do? I'm hoping we can just use the existing photo and they make allowances for infant photos so long as the majority of requirements are met and provided the applicants photo is spot on?
Click to expand...

No way to use Photoshop. Re-shoot the child with more experienced Photographers. I shot one myself this morning, the kid is like 1yr and...and I made him stand on the seat with the mother there and it was perfect. I believe children mar their parents' applications, so take a good photo.It's always a problem!
 
Some photographer don't know how to take good photos. I already had this problem it is very annoying. The best is to take the photo yourself or to go to a photo booth at least you can choose the image before.
 
A good tip from the FAQ on the travel.state.gov website, which is exactly what I was thinking so that your baby doesn't flop forward or sideways:

Q:What’s the best way to take a photo of a baby?
a:Lay your baby on his or her back on a plain white or off-white sheet. This will ensure your baby's head is supported and provide a plain background for the photo. Make certain there are no shadows on your baby’s face, especially if you take a picture from above with the baby lying down. You can also cover a car seat with a plain white or off-white sheet and take a picture of your child in the car seat. This will also ensure your baby’s head is supported.​

Also about photoshopping or editing, read this:

Q:Can I remove the red-eye from my photo?
a:It is acceptable to use the red-eye reduction option on your digital camera when you are taking the photo. However, you cannot use any photo editing tool to digitally remove the red-eye from your photo. In general, you are not allowed to digitally enhance or alter the photo to change your appearance in any way.​

Note, you can do stuff to improve things on the camera, not to the image afterwards. So photoshopping body parts out is absolutely not allowed. Some might say "it's only the baby's photo, not the main applicant" but why take the chance?

Source: http://travel.state.gov/visa/visaphotoreq/visaphotofaq/visaphotofaq_5328.html
 
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