A passport is constant proof of yourself.
You might be exhausted, bewildered, and vaguely sticky, but your passport photo is visual testimony.
I don’t always look like a crushed feather.
Getty Images
Your passport says, “This is my appearance, officially!
By government mandate, this is my nice face.
This is what I look like withcolor in my cheeksand two open eyes.
Above: The author in her best passport shot yet.
For 10 years, my passport recorded one of the moststressed-outimages of a human face in existence.
I’m famous in my family for this disaster and perhaps famous among customs officials for looking very panicked.
Those plans were all dashed.
Getty Images/ Spencer Platt
Above: The author in her best passport shot yet.
My passport photo doesn’t know anything about that.
She’s sweet and cheery and excited about Europe.
Getty Images/ Brad Barket
Not exactly ill-advised, I went to have the photograph taken after a HIIT class.
I remember feeling like I was actually traveling: a woman on the move, a mobile genius.
His face was attentive, louche, and most of all, highly glossed.
A few tourists you might recognize: Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Whitney Houston.
And I don’t have Prince’s photo-editing team at my disposal.
But I think because I was mostly thinking about Prince, my expression turned out to be very unstressed.
For a year, my passport wallowed in the back of my underwear drawer.
What had felt so important and crucial access to the world became an official document of stagnation.
My face was full of bright-eyed, worldly sophistication.
I know it’s just what they’ve been missing.
A few tourists you might recognize: Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Whitney Houston.
Get the Shot
No, not that one.
(But, yes,get that one, too!)
The one you mail to the government to be minted in your travel credentials for the next 10 years.
The ideal passport photo should represent a person clearly.
Why shouldn’t it also represent them beautifully?
See the guide below for details.
(The United States prefers to see them.)
Use a neutralface powderthat’s half to one shade darker to naturally contour.
Avoid shimmery face powder because it may add extra, unwanted shine.”
If your skin tends toward oily, a face powder isn’t a bad idea either.
Luckily, for your passport photo, it’s just head to shoulders.
“Keep it clean, no prints,” she says.
She likes black a crewneck or turtleneck to set off the white background.
“I’ll tell them before, ‘This is a 10-year photo.
Let’s work together to double-check it looks great.’
Because those lights…” Nabongo says of CVS, where she gets hers taken.
It’s not a bad idea to schedule a hair appointment before your passport shoot.
Learn from his mistake.
