Passport photo's for children with ASD

[Bagpuss]

We've begun getting passports for the holiday on October. So far DH, myself and DS have one, so that leaves the girlies. I know eldest dd will be fine about having a piccie taken, but abit worried about youngest dd. Do children have to look straight at the camera, unsmiling? I don't think we'll be able to manage it, and she will want to smile (although it will be like she's pulling a face), and I'm assuming the passport office won't accept it. She is due to have her blue badge renewed this month, so we thought we'd get one set of photo's done for both. We've just used a photo booth for ourselves, but I was wondering if there were any photo shops which actually take the photo's for you? Has anyone else had to get a passport for their child, and how have you managed to get an "acceptable" photo?

 

Thanks

[Bard]

Yes please someone out there, I need an answer too!

Tried to get B's passport last year, daughter and I were going abroad, and so I thought I'd do both at once.

He hated the photo booth, leaned so far back that his head didn't occupy the required amount of space.

Next time, he shut his eyes for every flash.

Then he decided that looking at his feet would stop the flash annoying him.

I have 16 unsuitable photos, and he still doesn't have a passport! I could have commissioned a personal portrait from David Bailey and saved money on the deal. His last school photo looked terrifyingly feral, but at least he was sort of looking in the right direction.

So if anyone out ther has the answer, please let us both know!

[baddad]

By far the easiest solution is to take a piccie at home then crop it to head and shoulders, resize and print off onto photo paper. Much easier to get a 'natural' shot than to try for something in a booth or at a studio, and you can have as many goes over whatever time period you want (beauty of digi cameras - you only print the ones you want!)

If you're a bit uncertain about printing yourself just take the memory card or camera to the high street for developing, after you've cropped it.

 

L&P

 

BD

[Bambi]

They say for a child of 5 yrs and under it is not that strict regarding facial expression, so for the older ones i think they are quite strict as they dont like any teeth showing, a smile is fine but not an open mouth expression.

 

I had Ts done last month and i coudnt get a booth one done (seat doesnt go high enough anyway!) so i went to a photography shop (lady at post office said it was adviseable given his difficulty) and they sit on a kids stool and look at a normal cam while the pic is taken by the worker in the shop (like us taking the pic of them ourselves really) and u get more than the standard 4 it was 8 for �3.99.

 

Very relaxed and ideal for anyone having passport pics done, I said to T he cant open his mouth as he needs it for his passport and this is serious stuff, he looked ever so strait faced on it but hey it was perfect!

 

The name of the shop was Janet Green, dunno if they are a nationwide shop but i hope this helps.

 

Bambi x

[brooke]

we spent a fortune on passport pics it was really hard. They just kept saying they werent good enough. But my boys were very young 5months on one!!! What i did was get the post office to check it. It does cost about �4 but they garentee it back within 10days plus they check it for photos or any mistakes.

[madme]

We had this problem with DD. Used a local shop that did it. Took quite a few goes. When we did get one that was ok got is signed etc only for the post office to reject. Went back and for four times each time to be told that not the right size by which point DD had really had enough. The post officer worker asked all the colleagues but they were insistent that it was too small. When I go home I checked the criteria and for a child the head size is different - makes sense but they were applying the adult criteria. Decided to try different post office 10 days later had the passport with the original photo. Will be complaining as they were really rude to us in the original post office. Kept making comments about DDs eyes - one higher than the other - what the relevance of that was heavens knows.

[SallyAspie]

Give the passport advice line a bell on 0870 521 0410.

[dooday24]

it took us ages to get one of reece in a photo booth, he ended up pressing the buttons and we got some nice stickers of him with bear from the big blue house but managed to get some in the end goodluckx

love donnaxxxxxxxxxxxx

[JsMum]

I know that your photo processing stores do passport photos, they can erase it until you are happy, they can also say what is passable too.

 

The ones that are good are stores like jacobs, max spielmans, they have a special camera that takes them and costs around 4pounds.

 

It may be that you could arrange it with them with a quiet time.

 

I know that you do have to get a proper photo taken as it has to be a spercific background.

 

JsMum

[dooday24]

thinking of it we did that wen the kids were tiny took them to a lloyds chemist and they did it. were very good

love donnax

[Bagpuss]

Thanks all <'> I'll pop into some local photo shops and check out if any of them do the passport pics. I may try her in a booth first, and if it's a no go, pop eldest dd into booth instead (in our one, you can take pic, review it and then click ok or try again).

 

Good luck Bard.

[Bard]

Thanks all <'> I'll pop into some local photo shops and check out if any of them do the passport pics. I may try her in a booth first, and if it's a no go, pop eldest dd into booth instead (in our one, you can take pic, review it and then click ok or try again).

 

Good luck Bard.

 

 

Yes, I forgot to winge about the cost and delay of having photos rejected by the Post Office!

So, I either buy a digital camera and go on Safari, or I superglue his head to an approved background and tie him to a chair.

Decisions, decisions!

[brooke]

One thing to mention about the booths where you can click again you only get about 3 gos then it just prints the last picture!!!!

[Bagpuss]

Thanks for warning me Brooke, hadn't realised that

[Tally]

I had to get myself some passport photos recently. I got them from a camera shop rather than a photo booth. They have a special machine that resizes the photo and puts your head at the right height. They take the photos on a digital camera, so they should be able to take several photos until they get it right. Perhaps they could try and catch your daughter by surprise to get one without a smile.

 

These are the criteria for passport photos: http://www.passport.gov.uk/general_photos_standards.asp

They say you need to be looking directly at the camera, and have a neutral expression.

They are a bit more lax about photos for children under 5: http://www.passport.gov.uk/general_photos_babies.asp

[Bagpuss]

Thanks for the links Tally <'>

[stressedmumto2]

I remember when I had to get my son's I sat on the chair with him and tried to get my head out of the picture and it worked for us.

 

Hope you get it sorted I can't believe how strict they are becominging with guide-lines <'>

[Bagpuss]

I know SM, we had a right palarva with our ds's passport. He is 13, sent all the relevant forms, pics, certificates etc off, and got a letter to say that the birth certificate wasn't acceptable as it was the shorter version, not the longer version. So we had to find out where the certificates would be kept, which turned out to be Harrogate, write a letter, send a �7 cheque off and get a full birth certificate. Re-sent it, then got another letter to say that they had been trying to ring the person who had countersigned the form, to verify that our son was who we said he was, but couldn't get hold of him, so we would have to fill out another form, and resubmit new photo's which had to be countersigned by someone else...........................it took weeks and weeks to finally sort out. Now I know they have to be careful, especially in this day and age with security threats, but come on, a 13 year old boy, is he likely to be a threat to national security

[Bard]

I remember when I had to get my son's I sat on the chair with him and tried to get my head out of the picture and it worked for us.

 

Hope you get it sorted I can't believe how strict they are becominging with guide-lines <'>

 

 

He's taller than me, and when he sits on my lap, he bounces up and down with the whole 8 stone of him.

Although you can't see my head when he's sitting on me, so it might work!

Edited June 20, 2007 by Bard

[LizK]

We got DS's done recently. Thankfully he's not yet six so they aren't as strict - see website. He was sort of looking at the camera with a shocked look on his face! We used a booth the ones where you get three chances to acccept or reject the photo before it gets printed out. The traditional type where it is four in a room would have been a disaster as he wouldn't have sat still long enough! However it took two or three full attempts before we got photos we thought would be ok . We got it checked at the post office and sent a covering letter saying he was autistic and two weeks later his passport arrived

 

Lx

[Emum]

We went to a film processing place which also did passport photos and explained the situation. They used a digital camera and must have taken about 20 photos. In the end, she held a toy, I stood just beside the person taking the shot and one of the staff from the shop stood behind us waving something very motivating and they took one where she looked up to see what the commotion was. They edited out, using their digital trickery the toy she was holding, as this wasn't allowed. It only worked because the shop was completely deserted at the time though.

 

The other way to do it, if you are desparate, is to take a photo at home against a white or cream wall, and send it off to one of these online people who will crop and resize it so that it complies with the regulations. Can't recall any names but if you google you'll find a few advertised. You email the pic and they do their magic and send it back in printed form. They don't charge very much for this.

[Bagpuss]

Thanks Liz and Emum <'>

[Bagpuss]

Had her piccies done today although unsure if they are suitable.Went to a booth, and wished I hadn't once we began. It was so hard getting her at the right height, and even now I'm doubtful that she is high enough on the pic's and found it so difficult with my back. Then we had 4 attempts, before you run out of options, and on one she was looking down, another one she was bent over to the side....which left two semi ok ones, so I clicked on the best of the bad bunch. DH thinks they are fine. I ended up doing it on the spur of the moment, after parking at the supermarket, putting her blue badge up, and realising it had run out Thought we had a little while longer on it, so moved the car, and thought I'd give the pic's a go while we were there. Off to sort her blue badge this week, and will be posting her passport app off once we moved....fingers crossed.