11 ms·

Passport Photos

1538 points by gaws 2y ago

meowster 2y ago
I was expecting some kind of article about an issue with passport photos or some kind of exploit, maybe photoshopping so it looks like the person but fools automatic facial recognition... but was pleasantly surprised instead.
shrx 2y ago
Hugged to death :(
- accrual 2y ago
  Hug text: The website is temporarily unable to service your request as it exceeded resource limit. Please try again later.
throw03172019 2y ago
Thanks for the good laugh. Looks great!
- ale42 2y ago
  They're very funny indeed. I doubt they are AI-generated, they would the best AI images I've ever seen. If they are, there must be a lot of post-processing. But the artist being among others a photographer, I imagine they're actual photos. See other series on the website too, e.g. https://maxsiedentopf.com/19-off-amelie-pichard/ https://maxsiedentopf.com/19-off-amelie-pichard/
  - throw03172019 2y ago
    Thank you for the link!
kevinsync 2y ago
The fish cursor is a delightful touch lol. I especially appreciate not knowing where the anchor point is hahaha
- pimlottc 2y ago
  I was confused why so many of the photos had a random fish it them until I realized that was the cursor…
bravura 2y ago
"Wear a tuxedo for your ID photos." - Glenn O'Brien (TV Party, Downtown 81, the Style Guy)
- xattt 2y ago
  I’ve always thought to go unkempt and unshaven. This is so that I would be recognized from my passport if I was detained for several months in a sketchy country.
  - chgs 2y ago
    It’s odd, last time I went to the US they barely glanced at my photo
    - telesilla 2y ago
      I believe the photo is encoded in the digital passport contents and the computer will check your face in the camera to see it matches. No human involved. Many countries have automatic passport gates now using this method.
      - alexanderchr 2y ago
        If they already have your picture the agent will usually know who you are before you have even handed over your passport. The tech has gotten eerily good.
  - TeMPOraL 2y ago
    A decade ago, I was sent for a two-month business trip to China. I didn't have a valid passport (didn't need it within EU/Schengen Area) and had to make one in a hurry. I went to take my photo unkempt but freshly shaved. While in China, I didn't bother shaving, but I did get myself a haircut, that left me almost bald (communication mishap). One month in, I had to spend a weekend in Hong Kong to renew the work visa. On my way back, I happily handed my passport to the border control officer, and then spent terrifying 15 minutes trying to convince him, his colleague and then his superior, that the clean-shaved unkempt person in the photo and the near-bald, bearded person in front of them, are in fact the same person.
teractiveodular 2y ago
Hugged to death, here's an archive copy: https://archive.is/uPMjd https://archive.is/uPMjd
vallode 2y ago
Oh! Something I took a part in on HN. That's a first. Almost everything there was practical. Highly recommend checking out all of Max's work, beaming with creativity.
- swyx 2y ago
  how did you come to take part?
  - vallode 2y ago
    It was fairly random, someone in my network had mentioned that Max was looking for people to take part in the project and I reached out. I was given a date and time slot and that was that.
- edm0nd 2y ago
  So its not mentioned on the post but is this your actual passport photo that was accepted and used and you have it on your physical passport right now?
  - vallode 2y ago
    I'm not sure anyone tried to actually use it as a passport photo. Would have been a great touch though.
    - consf 2y ago
      [dead]
    - latexr 2y ago
      Would that even work? Are you not in Europe, where passport photos are taken on location?
      - lobochrome 2y ago
        In Germany and Japan, you bring one. It wouldn't be an issue if it fit the biometric spec.
xoxxala 2y ago
Clever usurpation of expectations _and_ artistic.
eric_h 2y ago
this really makes me regret doing nothing like this when I recently had my passport photos taken.
- nickjj 2y ago
  I had my photo taken by an employee at the post office where they submit the application. It would have been fun to walk in and start duct taping myself to the wall without saying a word.
- extraduder_ire 2y ago
  Here (ireland), you can take your own photo with a phone or something. Though, they explicitly say "no selfies". I'm glad of this, since I can try multiple times to get a good one. Also, you normally get them in the post in two to three days. I'll likely try something like this next time I renew.
cbsks 2y ago
> Can I smile in my passport photo? > Yes. Make sure your eyes are open and your mouth is closed in your photo. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-app...
- madeofpalk 2y ago
  > Neutral expression (not smiling, laughing or frowning) https://www.passports.gov.au/PhotoGuidelines https://www.passports.gov.au/PhotoGuidelines
  - redundantly 2y ago
    Just got passports for my kids recently. My 14-year old was scowling in his photo. They accepted it.
    - dylan604 2y ago
      They know that nobody standing in front of a customs officer that is looking at their photo will actually be smiling. So having it neutral or even scowling as your experience will be much more likely to match. /s
  - awesome_dude 2y ago
    But but but - I have resting happy face!
  - scrollaway 2y ago
    Some countries (definitely France) are implementing automatic passport photo checks. Those checks are not at all rigorous concerning smiles. I managed to get a photo I'm actually proud of in my new ID!
    - oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
      They do have problems with facial hair, though, IME.
yapyap 2y ago
lol I thought these were AI generated at some point too just because of how silly they are
- avgDev 2y ago
  Organic + cage free is how I like my photos.
alimoeeny 2y ago
Don't forget to scroll down the page. The girl with the wine glasses is my favorite. And the guy taped to the wall.
jonny_eh 2y ago
All the fun stuff is happening out of frame.
rconti 2y ago
It's a lot of "fun" trying to get acceptable photos. Last week I went to my local American Automobile Association (AAA) office to get an International Driver's Permit (IDP). It's just a translation of your license, which is valid for 1 year. I had to take 2 passport-sized photos with me, which I did. But I was told they wouldn't be accepted because I had long hair and a beard in them, but short hair and no beard now. That's absurd, because it's the same photo used in both of my passports, and there's no requirement that you don't alter your appearance from your passport photo. Somehow border guards can crack the code. Amusingly, my California driver's license shows short hair and no beard, but the AAA person wasn't even looking at my CA license at the time. What happens if I grow long hair and a beard before I travel? Was he just trying to upsell me on a $9.99 photo? We had a hell of a time getting the UK passport authorities to accept the photos we sent in for her passport; they recommend getting your photos taken at an "official" UK location where the digital photos are identified by a code you send in. Well, we happened to be traveling through Australia during this timeframe, so we were able to stop at an Australian Post Office, which supposedly had the same "digital" system, but instead of a code to send to the UK authorities, they handed us printed photos and a web link. Thankfully I was able to use the web link to download the photo and upload it to the UK site, where it was approved almost immediately, and the new passport arrived back at our home before we returned from our trip. But there's no user-obvious criteria that was being used to reject the SEVERAL rounds of photos we had sent to the UK earlier.
- dylan604 2y ago
  > But I was told they wouldn't be accepted because yeah, and I would have expected nothing less. from my personal experience, the photos were required to be recent. just based on your having visited a barber would signal to me that the photos were not recent. even if you visited the barber while you waited for the 1-Hour Photo guy to finish, a logical person would realize this was not going to work out well
  - rconti 2y ago
    The criteria says "Two original passport pictures" ; it does not say "recent". Regardless, the photos are recent (<1yr) and my driver's license has a 5 year validity and passports 10 year validity. As an illogical person, I sometimes change my appearance over a given 10 year span. When I renew my US passport by mail, they don't actually know what I look like at the time of the renewal.
stevenhubertron 2y ago
This is the web I miss.
ldargin 2y ago
I took my own passport photo with my mirrorless camera, and a whiteboard as the background. It took a while to get it right, with no bright spots on the background and now shadows. It was accepted.
- aimor 2y ago
  A tip for 10 years from now: take the picture with diffuse backlighting and you can easily blow out the background completely. For example, a sheer curtain in front of an outdoor window is just about perfect.
  - latexr 2y ago
    Ten years from now, hopefully you won’t have to be taking and printing your own passport photos. I haven’t done that in at least a decade, maybe two, in Europe. I go to the office that handles it and there’s a machine there that takes your photo.
    - Ekaros 2y ago
      The system here is simple, I just paid the 9,90 for photo, it is directly uploaded to the police and I am texted a code. I log on their system, put in the code. And pay. Passport is delivered to pickup location near me in week or so... Only issue is the signature and fingerprints, have to reserve time early or wait in line.
      - latexr 2y ago
        Here it’s simpler, the same machines handles everything. You make the appointment, go there, and done. Then it’s just the pick up.
        desas 2y ago
        Here it's simpler, you fill out the form on your phone, take a picture on your phone and then the passport arrives in the post. Then you eventually sign it after a bored border official passes comment.
frompdx 2y ago
Great project. It reminds me of the SNL sketch (can't remember which) where the character says "I like to keep a piece of sliced ham folded up in my pocket just so I have my own little secret."
- jedberg 2y ago
  https://snltranscripts.jt.org/06/06pporch.phtml https://snltranscripts.jt.org/06/06pporch.phtml No video that I could find.
  - frompdx 2y ago
    Yep, that's the sketch I'm thinking of.
jftuga 2y ago
tangent: I wrote this: https://github.com/jftuga/photo_id_resizer https://github.com/jftuga/photo_id_resizer This program is used to resize large photo ID images. When image resizing occurs, a content aware image resizing library is used with its face detection algorithm to avoid face deformation.
- albumen 2y ago
  honest question: why is this needed? I would have thought that when downsizing an image, most programs would (should?) use bicubic interpolation to give a pretty accurate downsampled version of the image.
  - jftuga 2y ago
    https://github.com/esimov/caire?tab=readme-ov-file#face-detection https://github.com/esimov/caire?tab=readme-ov-file#face-dete... This shows an example of what can happen when you perform a basic resizing of faces. You will notice the distortion when this library is not used. When I had to resize 40,0000 photos, I noticed better visual outcomes when using this library for my testing set of photos.
- jval43 2y ago
  A screenshot or example would help. Interesting idea.
major505 2y ago
Well lhat is a weid website. Can unseet that anytime soon.
pfist 2y ago
What an amusing experiment! I laughed out loud many times. A novel way to explore the boundaries of something so stringent.
bze12 2y ago
Reminds me of those portraits in the Haunted Mansion ride that expand when you go down the elevator. https://hauntedmansion.fandom.com/wiki/Stretching_Room https://hauntedmansion.fandom.com/wiki/Stretching_Room
jtheory 2y ago
I especially appreciate this on the assumption that it will be pulled in as input for AI training.
TacticalCoder 2y ago
My actual passport photo is like that. We were on vacation, sunny place, warm, no pant, only a boxer. And only nature around us, no white wall. So I put on a nice shirt, was still in my boxer, and wife held a white towel behind my face while someone took a picture. On the original pic you could somehow see that it was a towel and not a white wall but some photoshopping took care of that. Why a shirt while in underwear? A shirt looks "serious". And real people like that. They like a shirt, it looks serious. As to why the boxer underwear: for the same reason as in TFA. Next time I'll show up with the complete picture and cut it in front of the person asking me for the picture.
stogot 2y ago
I lost it at the duct hands
aaron695 2y ago
[dead]
daft_pink 2y ago
Where can we see/buy this artwork?
hcfman 2y ago
Integrate artwork with clearview. Check.
djcoding 2y ago
I once used a website https://makepassportphoto.com https://makepassportphoto.com to create such photos for my family
endofreach 2y ago
This looks like what my experience taking a passport photo with a 8 month old mini human felt like.
- consf 2y ago
  [dead]
- k1kingy 2y ago
  Oh boy do I know the feeling. We live overseas and both our kids were born here. So basically the first thing we had to do was get them their passports. Trying to get a 2-4 week old baby to open their eyes and look somewhat at the camera was... an experience. Tip: Swaddle the baby, lie it on top of a plain light piece of fabric (we used one of my work shirts) and click the camera 100 times. Having said that though, I'm starting to think an 8 month old would be even harder based on the fact that they move :D
consf 2y ago
The rules (for passport photos) are designed to strip away any trace of individuality, which feels ironic for a document that's so personal
- Ekaros 2y ago
  On other hand it kinda is document of subjectdom. You are ultimately subject of particular nation.
  - consf 2y ago
    [dead]
matthberg 2y ago
Looking at other art by him, his latest piece Democracy features three figures in voting booths, one with their pants pulled down. Sure feels timely. He wrote a nice blurb with it too, I love it when artists include some of their thoughts in portfolios rather than just the photos alone (though this piece was a sculpture). https://maxsiedentopf.com/democracy/ https://maxsiedentopf.com/democracy/
- ivolimmen 2y ago
  I actually came to the comments to post the same.
  - jamaicanindian 2y ago
    [flagged]
- urduntupu 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - atombender 2y ago
    "Storming" seems a perfectly apt word to use for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnzQXD2_d38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnzQXD2_d38.
    - urduntupu 2y ago
      [flagged]
      - atombender 2y ago
        They did not. Protesters broke into two different entrances (which has been abundantly documented), then opened the doors from inside. This video is editing it together to look like the police welcomed the protesters in.
vincnetas 2y ago
If it's a "print" do not add changing images. Now we have on first slot "Passport Photos" story with plinking photos, which makes me wanna click X ASAP...
indus 2y ago
This is what the internet was in 1998, before hustlers invented SEO.
kestralg 2y ago
[dead]
oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
Now I want to see more 'extreme' passport photos — one taken from the top of a skyscraper, in the middle of a rollercoaster ride, etc.
kweks 2y ago
When I got French nationality, I spent 6 months growing an impressive old-style moustache just for the ID photo. it's the little things that count.
- swah 2y ago
  If one goes with a fake (but not obviously fake) moustache, would they question?
  - lazide 2y ago
    What is your definition of fake - can be pulled off? Not your own hair? Lots of options here.
    - moffkalast 2y ago
      What if it's your own hair, but glued back on haha
      - Temporary_31337 2y ago
        Where from and is it curly?
      - Moru 2y ago
        It doesn't really matter. If you are not recognizable, it's not valid. That is the whole point of a photo-ID the photo has to be a good likeness with you. Glad the GP met friendly people that let him get away with it but don't count on it working for ever :-)
        ygra 2y ago
        The driver's license is not an ID, though. Besides, at least in Germany you get it and then it never changes. So the photo is pretty much always outdated.
        2y ago
mrweasel 2y ago
There's at least a few of these which may not be acceptable as a passport photo, due to the top of the shoulders not being visible.
yzydserd 2y ago
Could do a similar project for Zoom/Teams. I often wonder what's just out of view.
- 082349872349872 2y ago
  https://scontent-zrh1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/455099012_918822950274122_8261839512274980075_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=833d8c&_nc_ohc=iaxm80ZWALkQ7kNvgG-ASQV&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-zrh1-1.xx&_nc_gid=AM94YS3h3K_TvwJuc-riBn8&oh=00_AYDX2WclzngqQcWUOcbDJM2seYxuxt18d2TMjeZZX0ziEQ&oe=673265EA https://scontent-zrh1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/455099012... Or maybe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RQxD4Ff7dY#t=48s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RQxD4Ff7dY#t=48s ?
nbeleski 2y ago
As someone who has actively written algorithms for passport security verifications, including photo strict requirements and validation, this post really struck a chord with me. Awesome work!
- blantonl 2y ago
  Interesting. I have a friend who has been completely unable to upload a photo for his passport renewal online because he has a lazy eye.
- amichal 2y ago
  I expected the layout, head size, expression etc rules to be more or less standard across countries. More than a decade a go our dual citizen baby got both passports at once and I thought I could use one of the US duplicates for the other country... an hour of fiddly standards checking, measuring, reprinting, cropping and I got something that would pass on the application but got a scolding that it was not quite right.
_joel 2y ago
Wanna buy any pegs^H^H^H^H toast Dave? https://maxsiedentopf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Passport-Photos-Max-Siedentopf43.jpg https://maxsiedentopf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Passpor...
robertlagrant 2y ago
It's very fun, but I don't think it's challenging any rules.
T3RMINATED 2y ago
[dead]
ambyra 2y ago
Would be great to tape the whole picture inside the passport. I’m sure the passport officials could use a good chuckle. … or you’ll go to jail.
JSDevOps 2y ago
Genius lol.
paran0ia 2y ago
Love it
paran0ia 2y ago
I want to have a passport photo like this for myself
huesatbri 2y ago
calm.jpg
ramassnel1 2y ago
Damn this is fire
amelius 2y ago
I have the feeling that this should be presented in an animated way. Like, you see somebody's passport, then it zooms out, the passport disappears and you see the entire picture.
- vestrigi 2y ago
  Nice idea, maybe even tied to the scroll wheel. I‘d love to see this in a book that has simple white pages with little cutouts showing only the passport picture of the next page. Then you turn that page around and see the full picture.
andrewshadura 2y ago
I once had a conversation with a friend about passport photos. In particular, how much makeup are you allowed to wear? And, how much makeup if you're a man? Next day I went and got myself a driving license with a photo wearing black lipstick. The photo lady was unhappy but was unable to find a rule to justify sending me home.
hi41 2y ago
This is so funny! Such creativity! The guy on the chair with his legs splayed up in an acute angle!

1538 points by gaws 2y ago

I was expecting some kind of article about an issue with passport photos or some kind of exploit, maybe photoshopping so it looks like the person but fools automatic facial recognition... but was pleasantly surprised instead.

shrx 2y ago

Hugged to death :(

accrual 2y ago
Hug text: The website is temporarily unable to service your request as it exceeded resource limit. Please try again later.

throw03172019 2y ago

Thanks for the good laugh. Looks great!

ale42 2y ago
They're very funny indeed. I doubt they are AI-generated, they would the best AI images I've ever seen. If they are, there must be a lot of post-processing. But the artist being among others a photographer, I imagine they're actual photos. See other series on the website too, e.g. https://maxsiedentopf.com/19-off-amelie-pichard/ https://maxsiedentopf.com/19-off-amelie-pichard/
- throw03172019 2y ago
  Thank you for the link!

kevinsync 2y ago

The fish cursor is a delightful touch lol. I especially appreciate not knowing where the anchor point is hahaha

pimlottc 2y ago
I was confused why so many of the photos had a random fish it them until I realized that was the cursor…

bravura 2y ago

"Wear a tuxedo for your ID photos." - Glenn O'Brien (TV Party, Downtown 81, the Style Guy)

xattt 2y ago
I’ve always thought to go unkempt and unshaven. This is so that I would be recognized from my passport if I was detained for several months in a sketchy country.
- chgs 2y ago
  It’s odd, last time I went to the US they barely glanced at my photo
  - telesilla 2y ago
    I believe the photo is encoded in the digital passport contents and the computer will check your face in the camera to see it matches. No human involved. Many countries have automatic passport gates now using this method.
    - alexanderchr 2y ago
      If they already have your picture the agent will usually know who you are before you have even handed over your passport. The tech has gotten eerily good.
- TeMPOraL 2y ago
  A decade ago, I was sent for a two-month business trip to China. I didn't have a valid passport (didn't need it within EU/Schengen Area) and had to make one in a hurry. I went to take my photo unkempt but freshly shaved. While in China, I didn't bother shaving, but I did get myself a haircut, that left me almost bald (communication mishap). One month in, I had to spend a weekend in Hong Kong to renew the work visa. On my way back, I happily handed my passport to the border control officer, and then spent terrifying 15 minutes trying to convince him, his colleague and then his superior, that the clean-shaved unkempt person in the photo and the near-bald, bearded person in front of them, are in fact the same person.

teractiveodular 2y ago

Hugged to death, here's an archive copy: https://archive.is/uPMjd https://archive.is/uPMjd

vallode 2y ago

Oh! Something I took a part in on HN. That's a first. Almost everything there was practical. Highly recommend checking out all of Max's work, beaming with creativity.

swyx 2y ago
how did you come to take part?
- vallode 2y ago
  It was fairly random, someone in my network had mentioned that Max was looking for people to take part in the project and I reached out. I was given a date and time slot and that was that.
edm0nd 2y ago
So its not mentioned on the post but is this your actual passport photo that was accepted and used and you have it on your physical passport right now?
- vallode 2y ago
  I'm not sure anyone tried to actually use it as a passport photo. Would have been a great touch though.
  - consf 2y ago
    [dead]
  - latexr 2y ago
    Would that even work? Are you not in Europe, where passport photos are taken on location?
    - lobochrome 2y ago
      In Germany and Japan, you bring one. It wouldn't be an issue if it fit the biometric spec.

xoxxala 2y ago

Clever usurpation of expectations _and_ artistic.

eric_h 2y ago

this really makes me regret doing nothing like this when I recently had my passport photos taken.

nickjj 2y ago
I had my photo taken by an employee at the post office where they submit the application. It would have been fun to walk in and start duct taping myself to the wall without saying a word.
extraduder_ire 2y ago
Here (ireland), you can take your own photo with a phone or something. Though, they explicitly say "no selfies". I'm glad of this, since I can try multiple times to get a good one. Also, you normally get them in the post in two to three days. I'll likely try something like this next time I renew.

cbsks 2y ago

> Can I smile in my passport photo? > Yes. Make sure your eyes are open and your mouth is closed in your photo. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-app...

madeofpalk 2y ago
> Neutral expression (not smiling, laughing or frowning) https://www.passports.gov.au/PhotoGuidelines https://www.passports.gov.au/PhotoGuidelines
- redundantly 2y ago
  Just got passports for my kids recently. My 14-year old was scowling in his photo. They accepted it.
  - dylan604 2y ago
    They know that nobody standing in front of a customs officer that is looking at their photo will actually be smiling. So having it neutral or even scowling as your experience will be much more likely to match. /s
- awesome_dude 2y ago
  But but but - I have resting happy face!
- scrollaway 2y ago
  Some countries (definitely France) are implementing automatic passport photo checks. Those checks are not at all rigorous concerning smiles. I managed to get a photo I'm actually proud of in my new ID!
  - oneeyedpigeon 2y ago
    They do have problems with facial hair, though, IME.

yapyap 2y ago

lol I thought these were AI generated at some point too just because of how silly they are

avgDev 2y ago
Organic + cage free is how I like my photos.

alimoeeny 2y ago

Don't forget to scroll down the page. The girl with the wine glasses is my favorite. And the guy taped to the wall.

jonny_eh 2y ago

All the fun stuff is happening out of frame.

rconti 2y ago

It's a lot of "fun" trying to get acceptable photos. Last week I went to my local American Automobile Association (AAA) office to get an International Driver's Permit (IDP). It's just a translation of your license, which is valid for 1 year. I had to take 2 passport-sized photos with me, which I did. But I was told they wouldn't be accepted because I had long hair and a beard in them, but short hair and no beard now. That's absurd, because it's the same photo used in both of my passports, and there's no requirement that you don't alter your appearance from your passport photo. Somehow border guards can crack the code. Amusingly, my California driver's license shows short hair and no beard, but the AAA person wasn't even looking at my CA license at the time. What happens if I grow long hair and a beard before I travel? Was he just trying to upsell me on a $9.99 photo? We had a hell of a time getting the UK passport authorities to accept the photos we sent in for her passport; they recommend getting your photos taken at an "official" UK location where the digital photos are identified by a code you send in. Well, we happened to be traveling through Australia during this timeframe, so we were able to stop at an Australian Post Office, which supposedly had the same "digital" system, but instead of a code to send to the UK authorities, they handed us printed photos and a web link. Thankfully I was able to use the web link to download the photo and upload it to the UK site, where it was approved almost immediately, and the new passport arrived back at our home before we returned from our trip. But there's no user-obvious criteria that was being used to reject the SEVERAL rounds of photos we had sent to the UK earlier.

dylan604 2y ago
> But I was told they wouldn't be accepted because yeah, and I would have expected nothing less. from my personal experience, the photos were required to be recent. just based on your having visited a barber would signal to me that the photos were not recent. even if you visited the barber while you waited for the 1-Hour Photo guy to finish, a logical person would realize this was not going to work out well
- rconti 2y ago
  The criteria says "Two original passport pictures" ; it does not say "recent". Regardless, the photos are recent (<1yr) and my driver's license has a 5 year validity and passports 10 year validity. As an illogical person, I sometimes change my appearance over a given 10 year span. When I renew my US passport by mail, they don't actually know what I look like at the time of the renewal.

stevenhubertron 2y ago

This is the web I miss.

ldargin 2y ago

I took my own passport photo with my mirrorless camera, and a whiteboard as the background. It took a while to get it right, with no bright spots on the background and now shadows. It was accepted.

aimor 2y ago
A tip for 10 years from now: take the picture with diffuse backlighting and you can easily blow out the background completely. For example, a sheer curtain in front of an outdoor window is just about perfect.
- latexr 2y ago
  Ten years from now, hopefully you won’t have to be taking and printing your own passport photos. I haven’t done that in at least a decade, maybe two, in Europe. I go to the office that handles it and there’s a machine there that takes your photo.
  - Ekaros 2y ago
    The system here is simple, I just paid the 9,90 for photo, it is directly uploaded to the police and I am texted a code. I log on their system, put in the code. And pay. Passport is delivered to pickup location near me in week or so... Only issue is the signature and fingerprints, have to reserve time early or wait in line.
    - latexr 2y ago
      Here it’s simpler, the same machines handles everything. You make the appointment, go there, and done. Then it’s just the pick up.
      - desas 2y ago
        Here it's simpler, you fill out the form on your phone, take a picture on your phone and then the passport arrives in the post. Then you eventually sign it after a bored border official passes comment.

frompdx 2y ago

Great project. It reminds me of the SNL sketch (can't remember which) where the character says "I like to keep a piece of sliced ham folded up in my pocket just so I have my own little secret."

jedberg 2y ago
https://snltranscripts.jt.org/06/06pporch.phtml https://snltranscripts.jt.org/06/06pporch.phtml No video that I could find.
- frompdx 2y ago
  Yep, that's the sketch I'm thinking of.

jftuga 2y ago

tangent: I wrote this: https://github.com/jftuga/photo_id_resizer https://github.com/jftuga/photo_id_resizer This program is used to resize large photo ID images. When image resizing occurs, a content aware image resizing library is used with its face detection algorithm to avoid face deformation.

albumen 2y ago
honest question: why is this needed? I would have thought that when downsizing an image, most programs would (should?) use bicubic interpolation to give a pretty accurate downsampled version of the image.
- jftuga 2y ago
  https://github.com/esimov/caire?tab=readme-ov-file#face-detection https://github.com/esimov/caire?tab=readme-ov-file#face-dete... This shows an example of what can happen when you perform a basic resizing of faces. You will notice the distortion when this library is not used. When I had to resize 40,0000 photos, I noticed better visual outcomes when using this library for my testing set of photos.
jval43 2y ago
A screenshot or example would help. Interesting idea.

major505 2y ago

Well lhat is a weid website. Can unseet that anytime soon.

pfist 2y ago

What an amusing experiment! I laughed out loud many times. A novel way to explore the boundaries of something so stringent.

bze12 2y ago

Reminds me of those portraits in the Haunted Mansion ride that expand when you go down the elevator. https://hauntedmansion.fandom.com/wiki/Stretching_Room https://hauntedmansion.fandom.com/wiki/Stretching_Room

jtheory 2y ago

I especially appreciate this on the assumption that it will be pulled in as input for AI training.

TacticalCoder 2y ago

My actual passport photo is like that. We were on vacation, sunny place, warm, no pant, only a boxer. And only nature around us, no white wall. So I put on a nice shirt, was still in my boxer, and wife held a white towel behind my face while someone took a picture. On the original pic you could somehow see that it was a towel and not a white wall but some photoshopping took care of that. Why a shirt while in underwear? A shirt looks "serious". And real people like that. They like a shirt, it looks serious. As to why the boxer underwear: for the same reason as in TFA. Next time I'll show up with the complete picture and cut it in front of the person asking me for the picture.

stogot 2y ago

I lost it at the duct hands

aaron695 2y ago

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daft_pink 2y ago

Where can we see/buy this artwork?

hcfman 2y ago

Integrate artwork with clearview. Check.

djcoding 2y ago

I once used a website https://makepassportphoto.com https://makepassportphoto.com to create such photos for my family

endofreach 2y ago

This looks like what my experience taking a passport photo with a 8 month old mini human felt like.

consf 2y ago
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k1kingy 2y ago
Oh boy do I know the feeling. We live overseas and both our kids were born here. So basically the first thing we had to do was get them their passports. Trying to get a 2-4 week old baby to open their eyes and look somewhat at the camera was... an experience. Tip: Swaddle the baby, lie it on top of a plain light piece of fabric (we used one of my work shirts) and click the camera 100 times. Having said that though, I'm starting to think an 8 month old would be even harder based on the fact that they move :D

consf 2y ago

The rules (for passport photos) are designed to strip away any trace of individuality, which feels ironic for a document that's so personal

Ekaros 2y ago
On other hand it kinda is document of subjectdom. You are ultimately subject of particular nation.
- consf 2y ago
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matthberg 2y ago

Looking at other art by him, his latest piece Democracy features three figures in voting booths, one with their pants pulled down. Sure feels timely. He wrote a nice blurb with it too, I love it when artists include some of their thoughts in portfolios rather than just the photos alone (though this piece was a sculpture). https://maxsiedentopf.com/democracy/ https://maxsiedentopf.com/democracy/

ivolimmen 2y ago
I actually came to the comments to post the same.
- jamaicanindian 2y ago
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urduntupu 2y ago
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- atombender 2y ago
  "Storming" seems a perfectly apt word to use for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnzQXD2_d38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnzQXD2_d38.
  - urduntupu 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - atombender 2y ago
      They did not. Protesters broke into two different entrances (which has been abundantly documented), then opened the doors from inside. This video is editing it together to look like the police welcomed the protesters in.

vincnetas 2y ago

If it's a "print" do not add changing images. Now we have on first slot "Passport Photos" story with plinking photos, which makes me wanna click X ASAP...

indus 2y ago

This is what the internet was in 1998, before hustlers invented SEO.

kestralg 2y ago

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oneeyedpigeon 2y ago

Now I want to see more 'extreme' passport photos — one taken from the top of a skyscraper, in the middle of a rollercoaster ride, etc.

kweks 2y ago

When I got French nationality, I spent 6 months growing an impressive old-style moustache just for the ID photo. it's the little things that count.

swah 2y ago
If one goes with a fake (but not obviously fake) moustache, would they question?
- lazide 2y ago
  What is your definition of fake - can be pulled off? Not your own hair? Lots of options here.
  - moffkalast 2y ago
    What if it's your own hair, but glued back on haha
    - Temporary_31337 2y ago
      Where from and is it curly?
    - Moru 2y ago
      It doesn't really matter. If you are not recognizable, it's not valid. That is the whole point of a photo-ID the photo has to be a good likeness with you. Glad the GP met friendly people that let him get away with it but don't count on it working for ever :-)
      - ygra 2y ago
        The driver's license is not an ID, though. Besides, at least in Germany you get it and then it never changes. So the photo is pretty much always outdated.
        2y ago

mrweasel 2y ago

There's at least a few of these which may not be acceptable as a passport photo, due to the top of the shoulders not being visible.

yzydserd 2y ago

Could do a similar project for Zoom/Teams. I often wonder what's just out of view.

082349872349872 2y ago
https://scontent-zrh1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/455099012_918822950274122_8261839512274980075_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=833d8c&_nc_ohc=iaxm80ZWALkQ7kNvgG-ASQV&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-zrh1-1.xx&_nc_gid=AM94YS3h3K_TvwJuc-riBn8&oh=00_AYDX2WclzngqQcWUOcbDJM2seYxuxt18d2TMjeZZX0ziEQ&oe=673265EA https://scontent-zrh1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/455099012... Or maybe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RQxD4Ff7dY#t=48s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RQxD4Ff7dY#t=48s ?

nbeleski 2y ago

As someone who has actively written algorithms for passport security verifications, including photo strict requirements and validation, this post really struck a chord with me. Awesome work!

blantonl 2y ago
Interesting. I have a friend who has been completely unable to upload a photo for his passport renewal online because he has a lazy eye.
amichal 2y ago
I expected the layout, head size, expression etc rules to be more or less standard across countries. More than a decade a go our dual citizen baby got both passports at once and I thought I could use one of the US duplicates for the other country... an hour of fiddly standards checking, measuring, reprinting, cropping and I got something that would pass on the application but got a scolding that it was not quite right.

_joel 2y ago

Wanna buy any pegs^H^H^H^H toast Dave? https://maxsiedentopf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Passport-Photos-Max-Siedentopf43.jpg https://maxsiedentopf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Passpor...

robertlagrant 2y ago

It's very fun, but I don't think it's challenging any rules.

T3RMINATED 2y ago

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ambyra 2y ago

Would be great to tape the whole picture inside the passport. I’m sure the passport officials could use a good chuckle. … or you’ll go to jail.

JSDevOps 2y ago

Genius lol.

paran0ia 2y ago

Love it

paran0ia 2y ago

I want to have a passport photo like this for myself

huesatbri 2y ago

calm.jpg

ramassnel1 2y ago

Damn this is fire

amelius 2y ago

I have the feeling that this should be presented in an animated way. Like, you see somebody's passport, then it zooms out, the passport disappears and you see the entire picture.

vestrigi 2y ago
Nice idea, maybe even tied to the scroll wheel. I‘d love to see this in a book that has simple white pages with little cutouts showing only the passport picture of the next page. Then you turn that page around and see the full picture.

andrewshadura 2y ago

I once had a conversation with a friend about passport photos. In particular, how much makeup are you allowed to wear? And, how much makeup if you're a man? Next day I went and got myself a driving license with a photo wearing black lipstick. The photo lady was unhappy but was unable to find a rule to justify sending me home.

hi41 2y ago

This is so funny! Such creativity! The guy on the chair with his legs splayed up in an acute angle!