Answer to yesterday’s question (partial)
Just try to imagine the soundtrack.
From the U.S. State Department’s website:
“[T]he orientation of the facial region within the frame; head should be positioned such that the approximate horizontal mid-points of the mouth and bridge of nose lie on a vertical line at the horizontal center of the photo width; and a horizontal line through the center of the subject’s eyes can be located approximately 55% from the vertical bottom of the photo; and the width of the subject’s head is approximately 50% of the width of the photo [...]
[T]he distance from the bottom of a passport or visa photo to a horizontal line going through both eyes and which should measure between 1 inch (25 mm) and 1 3/8 inches (35 mm) [...]“
Yeah, we’ll get right on those approximate horizontal mid-points of the mouth and bridge of nose for you. Don’t mind all the howling.
These represent perhaps half of the frames shot in pursuit of one, just one for crying out loud, usable passport photograph for the senior whiner. He was amply bribed with crispy, cheesy Fonzies
The junior one was far more compliant.
And for anyone thinking of commenting along the lines of quit being such a notorious tightwad and just take him to the Malkovichin’ photo studio already : please.
Seriously, what are the odds a photo studio would have any better luck with this kid? Slim to nil, I suspect. This reminds me so much of the photo elves stories in Santaland Diaries.
Third row, first photo on the left: “You talkin’ to me?”
Comment by Jane — Thursday 1 March 07 @ 14.07 MST+2.00
Mr. Sgazzetti,
You’ve got to be kidding!!!? Adam’s so damn adorable, even the ex-Stasi clericals working at the U.S. Department of State’s Passport Office will be heard loudly oozing “Ohhhhhhh” while they’re pasting/melting his photo into his passport.
In fact, I think the whole sheet of photos should be included in his passport. For good measure.
Comment by DarkoV — Thursday 1 March 07 @ 14.53 MST+2.00
These are for Adam’s Polish passport. His U.S. one is a long-since done deal. The Jeż will require five photos, three for Polish passport and two for U.S.
Comment by sgazzetti — Thursday 1 March 07 @ 15.27 MST+2.00
Surprisingly Slovenia’s passport photo rules are even tougher. I just finished filling out my application the other day.
Comment by Michael N. — Thursday 1 March 07 @ 23.25 MST+2.00
I think you should have just sent all of them. Let them pick.
Comment by jdog — Friday 2 March 07 @ 06.37 MST+2.00
In that lower rightest most photo, I believe Adam’s eyes are below the 55% mark. ;-) You’ve gotta send them all in, maybe one per page so those bureaucrats can flip pages and watch Adam squirm. That is priceless!
Comment by gwynne — Monday 5 March 07 @ 04.32 MST+2.00
You’re quite right about the 55% thing, Gwynne. I posted those (U.S.) specifications just to remind us all of how (theoretically) meticulous they want you to be. In applying for something like seven passports, I’ve never seen a bureaucrat actually whip out a ruler and check to make sure that things are exactly as specified. These photos were taken for Adam’s Polish passport, which has entirely different specs, and they’re pre-cropping.
Anyway, all three passport applications were filed last Friday, and none of the photos provoked so much as a raised eyebrow.
Comment by sgazzetti — Monday 5 March 07 @ 09.34 MST+2.00