new thread
I have to renew my California drivers license in September and I need some advice.
Several months ago, the longhaired picture taking process was discussed on how to look the best you can in your license picture(which is already difficult with the poor quality of their pictures).
I have really long hair and a beard. I want to avoid having a big head appearing too close in the picture. I have seen other guys license pics with longhair and they came out really close up and not good, their hair making the pic look worse.
Back on the last topic, one board member mentioned standing two steps back behind the line you are instructed to stand behind when taking the picture. In doing this, he said you would come out just right size for the picture space and the long hair would show good in the picture. Does that still hold true?
Since I will photograph with my hair down loose, I want to come out as good as I possibly can showing my beard and as much of my longhair as possible.
Any suggestions or feedback would be appreciated.
Thanx,
Eddie.
Since the purpose of the license picture is to identify you it is ideal to have your face as visible as possible. With this in mind I suggest tying your hair back for the picture. This will put the proper emphasis on your face and will make it easier for the picture to be used to identify you.
...although I think hair can be left down, but swept aside to still show the face just fine. Your photo here demonstrates this.
If I were to attempt to include all of my hair in my driver's license photo, I would have to stand several additional feet away from the camera than the norm. It would wind up being a full-body shot. I can't expect this, so realize that most of my hair can't show in the photo if my face is to show clearly.
JE
Thanx for the suggestion, that makes sense, but I would prefer to wear my hair down, since that is its natural state and because I have long hair I want it to show and not to conceal it from the photo.
I would once have thought there was something in that POV, I'm sorry, but there isn't.
What changed my mind was one time when I was passing through Customs and Immigration on a motorcycle, and was told that there was no need atall to remove my full-face crash helmet. The nice lady behind the desk explained that only the area around the nose and eyes was actually used to identify people, everything else being far too easy to change.
The simple truth, and for once this is not merely my POV, is that it matters not atall for ID purposes whether your hair is up or down. Strange but true.
You know, I'm not the biggest fan of the DMV and I BET you they WILL NOT let you stand two steps behind the line 'cause they're uptight fascists.
Love,
Kiat T.
Thanx Kiat.
What state are you in? Do you think all or most states are that strict, or as you state it, fascist.
Yeah, I just remember a member of this board mention that he stood one or two steps behind the line when they took his picture and he came out good.
Eddie.
I'm the member you probably remember. I stepped back, just about one foot actually, and the difference was major. Here are the two for comparison:
Although I almost always wear a bandanna when outdoors, they would not take the photo with a bandanna on, but they said nothing about my standing back behind the line a bit.
The one thing I would have changed, had I known, would have been to push my hair upwards a bit from both sides near the top of my head, to give it a wave similar to what it has on the sides. The bandanna had been on there and had smashed my hair flat. This left the impression, once the bandanna was gone, that I was perhaps balding on top, and I am not.
Bill
Bill, thanx for the info. Yeah it was you back then.
When you say standing a foot back behind the line, I assume you mean one step backwards right? Seeing your picture makes sense and you are right, it makes a difference. I will try that when I take the picture making me look as good as I can considering the DMV bad picture taking.
Youre a life saver. Thanx and Take care.
Still would welcome other feedback.
Eddie.
No, not a full pace (which is about two and a half feet). Just one foot (i.e. twelve inches) is what I meant. My recollection is that I actually stood back about ten inches. That's 25 cm for the metric crowd.
Don't say anything to them, just do it. If you step back too much, they will notice.
If they do say something, just say that your posture leans forwards a bit and you know from experience that you need to step back some to make pictures come out as photographers intend. [grin]
Well, although people use the face mainly to identify other people, what they are taking a picture of in reality is your HEAD. If that was not the case, they would zoom in or crop out all the hair of shorthaired people too. Your picture will look weird if it does not show all of YOUR head. A longhair has a bigger head than other people so he needs to step back. Besides hair fluffing out, hair hanging down is also perceived as being part of the head to most people, at least that part within say, six to eight inches (15-20 cm) of the chin. One could say the same thing about beards. For your photo to look like one of YOUR head, you need to get those areas in the picture. To do that, you have to step back.
You bet. Keep it growin'. And SHOWIN'!
Bill
I've got to say, you look much better when you stepped back a foot. If my face appeared on my driving licence big like that, I would be embarressed to show it to anyone, the second photo looks cool.
I'm in California. LA County. I'm not sure how strict other states are, but they're pretty tough here... Or at least in my case. Maybe I'm just unlucky.
Love,
Kiat T.
Yeah, I'm near you, I'm in Ventura county and will try what Bill says anyways, no matter what they say.
I also start studying for the test and practicing my smiles. he he he.
Even if it's not the best picture, does it matter that much how your drivers license picture looks?
The picture in my passport is truly horrendous, taken while my hair was really damaged and on a very windy day. Good thing I don't *have* to show my passport to anyone but the customs officers :)
Well, if I can at least come out looking half decent, I would be content.
Eddie.
I still don't get all this ado about license photos. It's a license, not a portrait. If I want a good looking photo, I have a portrait taken. The license is just an ID. Maybe it's my latent anarchist gene, but when I have license photos taken, I take every step to end up with a photo that looks nothing like me. Not like the law cares. The only people who ever see it are retail clerks when I use my credit cards or, on those increasingly rare occasions, bouncers who (God love 'em) have a momentary lapse of reason and still card me.
Well, I figure if I have to have that photo for 5 years, maybe longer, if I get an extension, it might as well look hlf ass decent and not loking stupid and goofy.
