Quixdraw Loc: x

The only good ID photo I ever had was on my first passport. I lighted myself, took the photo with a remote, developed and printed out the result. Current stuff is awful. The advantage, I suppose as was mentioned, very minor changes in appearance would render me unrecognizable if the photo was used to try and locate me.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

The photo on my license is extremely over-exposed, I look like I'm a glowing, bright yellow ghost. Really terrible.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Ages ago, when I started out in professional portraiture, folks used to come to PORTRAIT studios for ID photographers of many kinds. There were different specifications for passports photos, driver license shots, pictures for visas, immigration, firearms permits, citizenship applications, various job applications, press passes, all kinds of stuff. We treated them, within reason and specifications, like mini-portraits, decent lighting, sometimes a bit of light retouching if permitted, good posing and camera position and nice expression, etc. Customers liked them- many of them ordered extra copies or make appointments for a real portrait session.

For the most part, all of that is gone. License bureaus and government agencies are using automatic imaging devices with on-camera flash lighting, operated by clerical staff. You sit in a chair or stand in a line, the machine makes your "mug-shot and it's all over. You may as well place your face in a copying machine! Even if some government departments allow folks to go their photograher, the specs are such that they might as well be "mug shots"!

The image on my Ontario Drivers Permits looks like the Devil and one on my Medicare Card looks like I am already dead. When I show these cards as "picture ID" folks ask if THAT is really me!

What irks me, is I used to pay my studio rent and cover other basic business expenses with ID photography. Sure, I did custom portraiture, corporate work, and commercial photography, but average folks who don't usually come in for those services came in and became return clients.

This is one area of retail photography where photographers have been replaced by machines. SAD!

R.G. Loc: Scotland

In the UK you can send in a photo for your licence and your passport. Most people use photo booths, but the trouble is that when you're sitting in one of those waiting for the thing to take the pictures you can start to feel a bit silly or just plain awkward. Throw in a bit of shadowy lighting and it's easy to end up looking like a gorilla with toothache (and that's just the women ). I've never been to a professional portrait photographer but I can guess that one of their skills is getting the customer to look a bit more pleasant to behold. I imagine it's the same photographing models. I can imagine that being far more important than the technical quality of the shots.

Perhaps they could do something to make those booths a bit less impersonal. Maybe pictures of smiling faces on the side of the booth just out of shot might help.

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

Got my Texas DL license renewal card last year. Also, black & white. Makes me look like I have at least twice the amount of beard than in real life. If I was a cop I don’t if it would really look like me.

Grey Ghost

Duuh. Who cares! It’s only a DMV photo!!

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

DMV, Costco and Walgreens (for a passport photo) all showed me the photo before using it. All were willing to re-take if I requested.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

srt101 you have educated me, thank you ... Karsh was a Master Photographer of the 20th century.
https://karsh.org/overview/portraits/#thumbnails

Warning to all, check your expiration date... easy to forget that your license is not forever.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

First look to the usual suspects who work for a government agency, there you will find your answer.

LittleBit Loc: St. Louis, MO

Mine came out so dark you can hardly see me. I thought it was so poor in quality that they would have retaken it. But they let stand as is.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Also one might want to dress decently (waist up?) and comb their hair and women might try putting a bit of makeup on like they were going out.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Some years back when I was getting a new racing license, they were using the new Kodak portrait camera. The picture of me was so good, I asked for 8x10 glossies! So I guess getting good DL licenses is possible. They just choose not to.

Chan Garrett

We should all recognize that the problem with such photos is that they are taken with "straight on" lighting from a very small light source. Thus the washed out, harsh result. We need to think about that before we decide to light a subject with the small light source "pop up" flash on most cameras.

Stash Loc: South Central Massachusetts

Where I'm from they give you the chance to re-take the photo if you don't like the first one. If the second turns out worse than the first you are out of luck.

Michael1079 Loc: Indiana

I've read that the images are used in a facial recognition software database. For that reason your features need to be oriented in a certain way, which maybe why most people look confused, concerned, or mad as h*ll when the person at the BMV has them tilt their head this way or that and then snaps the pic?