I had to have my company ID re-done today, and since my old photo was taken when I weighed a lot more, I asked to have a new photo. Ouch! I not only look old, I look frail. I’m not frail! Damn, a dead ringer for my dead father. Life is definitely not fair.
Roddy
Funny, me too. I’d promised my husband that I’d finally get my ID updated to our new city before I had the baby. I alternately stood in line and sat on hard chairs for 3 hours before they finally took the photo, and it shows.
For the first time in my entire adult life, I have decent picture on my work ID. <gloat>
I have to post so I can say I have a great DL picture. I’ve always made a point to have good DL pics taken, because you never know when people are going to pull theirs out for comparison, plus it’s the only picture I have to show to strangers on a regular basis - may as well make it a good one!
There’s an express renewal office in downtown Chicago that no one seems to know about, because there are never more than 5 people there whenever I’ve gone. I’ve had renewals done there since 1995. I hardly wear makeup on a daily basis, and if I do it’s usually minimum, but on DL picture day I do the full makeup job all the way from base to painted lipstick and curled eyelashes.
My trick, which is one everyone can use no matter their state of appearance, is to immediately fix my eyes onto the camera when I get in front of it, and already have my face frozen into position (just a half-smile, not too many teeth - a full smile can look crazy, and no smile looks like a freshly arrested mugshot). I don’t give up the fixed gaze or the frozen face for anything until after the flash! If the camera person actually does ask me if I’m ready or for some kind of verbal confirmation on my part, I won’t answer with any words that need my lips to move. All they get is an affirmative “uh-huh!” I feel like I look like a crazy person, but I think the camera people realize that I’m on to their game of catching people unawares, and quickly give up on trying to get me to do something stupid with my face. It’s worth feeling like a crazy person for a minute, when I have at least 4 years to look forward to being stuck with the same DL photo!
I always get compliments on my DL picture, and I’m always happy to pull it out for people. I think the few moments it takes to do hair and makeup, and the few moments of feeling like maybe the DMV worker thinks I’m weird with the fixed expression are totally worth it.
To the OP - if it’s something you want to practice, you can start with just a mirror and work up to taking digital pics of yourself to find just the right way to position your head for photos to minimize your face’s asymmetry. Usually this can be accomplished by smiling a little wider on the weaker side of your face and tilting your head ever-so-slightly to the left or right to “even” out your features to the lens. I’ve known a couple of people with the same kind of problem and while neither are excited about having photos taken, both feel a little more confident and hate their image a little less once they got the technique down. The trick is to practice so the extra effort on one side of the face and the head tilt come naturally and aren’t over-done when photo moments happen.
This thread is so fucking worthless without pics!
Indeed. On top of all that the person taking my passport photo had the camera set on terrorist. So basically I’m paying $85 for a future cavity search.
The previous passport photo I had was hideous, and didn’t look anything like me. Every freakin’ time I had to present my passport, people would do a double take and then start scrutinizing my passport as if they expected to discover something illegal between the pages.
My current passport photo has my collarbones photoshopped out (don’t ask me why).
Sorry, I can’t scan my badge and post it to gloat. Security reasons, ya know. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
Yeah, my DL photo is horrid. I, too, am a pale redhead but it was so hot in the DMV that my face was flushed so I had a bit of contrast. The problem was that I wore a white shirt. The light was such that it washed me out and made it so that there is no definitive line where my shirt stops and my skin begins. It looks like I am naked and glow in the dark. :smack:
My last DL picture was taken when I was 80 lbs heavier, and in fact it was this pic that spurred me on to losing the weight. I looked like I was smuggling Haitians in my cheeks, and my chin just melted into my chestal area. I had no goddamn neck!! I looked like Peter Griffin……and I’m a chick! :mad:
Seriously good motivator.