Re-crop the original image so that the head is centered in the frame or take a new photo with the head centered.
Not Facing Camera
Head Facing Camera
Look straight ahead at the camera. Profile photos will not be accepted.
Head Tilted
Correct Pose
Keep your head upright and face the camera. Do not tilt your head.
Image Rotated
Correct Orientation
Use a photo editing tool to rotate your image 90 degrees to the left or right so that it is oriented correctly.
Glare on Glasses
No Glare on Glasses
Glare on glasses is not acceptable. Glare can be avoided with a slight downward tilt of the glasses or by removing the glasses
or by turning off the camera flash.
Background Not Plain
Plain Background
You must use a white or off-white background in your photo. Use a plain wall or a photographer’s backdrop cloth.
Ensure there is proper lighting and exposure to avoid an overly dark photo.
Contrast Too High
Correct Contrast
High contrast can be caused by uneven lighting or by inappropriate camera settings. Use balanced lighting to minimize shadows
on the face of under the chin.
Improper Color
Natural Color
Photos are affected by the type of light used. Avoid mixing incandescent and fluorescent lighting. The color balance selected
on the camera should match the illumination.
Over-exposure occurs when the film or camera sensor receives too much light, which results in a loss of resolution or fine
detail in highlights and more graininess.
Avoid exposure problems by using the recommended light arrangement and diffuse the light sources.
Under Exposed
Correctly Exposed
Under-exposure occurs when the film or camera sensor receives too little light, which results in loss of detail in shadows.
Avoid exposure problems by using the recommended light arrangement and diffuse the light sources
Shadows on Background
Background Uniformly Illuminated
Shadows on the background can be reduced or removed by positioning a back-light below the person and pointing up and by minimizing
the distance between the person and background.
Shadows on Face
Face Uniformly Illuminated
To reduce shadows on the face,avoid overhead lighting and make sure the lights on either side of the person are of equal intensity.
Image quality and resolution are directly related. The higher the resolution on your digital camera, the better the image
quality. You should not be able to see individual pixels in the image, even if the image is enlarged on a monitor.
Low Quality: Visible Coarse Dot Pattern
High Quality: No Visible Dot Pattern
Digital printers have variable resolution settings, and the highest quality settings should be selected so your photo does
not appear fuzzy or grainy.
Poorly Focused
Properly Focused
The person’s face should be the point of focus in the photo. You may have to adjust the distance or zoom to properly focus
the person in the photo