How do I get a passport photo done for a 6 month old?

[Maiakins]

Help! My dd is 6 months old and I need to get her passport photo done. I tried doing it in one of those booths where you pay £3 and get 3 chances. But in each one she waves her hand around, screams or looks away! In the instructions, the Passport Office say there should be no-one else in the picture, so I think the problem was I was trying to hold her up without my hands showing, but of course she was having none of it! What is everyone else's experience of getting their baby's passport photo done? Are there any shops you can go to where they'll do it for you with a proper camera/background? If so, how much does it cost? I don't think I'm going to have any success in those photo booths!

A bit of your arm showing is fine. In my DSs photo you can see my arm holding him up.

I went to Superdrug (or could have been Boots...) I think with ds1 (with ds2 we used our own digital camera and laid him down on a white sheet) - they have a camera like a polaroid type thing that they can take the shot with - much simpler.

Go to a photo shop that'll take them for you. Ours does them with a digital camera and prints them out, but others do them with a Polaroid camera. It's much better than struggling in a booth with a wriggly baby.

i went to a small photography firm,and held DS at arms length, whilst trying to keep hands out of picture and get a squigley 3 month old to look straight ahead lots of'look over here'! and 'smile at the nice lady' stuff but it worked, photo labs are used to it and quite relaxed.

Have you got a 'Snappy Snaps' near you or a small private photo shop. They lie them down on a white pillow and somebody does amusing baby things behind the photographer so the baby looks straight at the camera. It cost £4 and you can choose your fave photo.

I'm the same as scaltygirl, took ds1 at 3 mos for a passport photo and you can see my fingers supporting his neck! Must renew it, he's nearly 6 now...

DD1s was taken in a photo booth, and you can see a little of my arm, but it was tricky getting her to look at the camera, as she was only four months. DD2 was taken at a pro-photographers, and cost £5 (in Chislehurst, if you are anywhere near there) and they had a special mat that they laid her on and took a photo from that.

I took dd2 to Jessops, granted she was only 7 weeks old at the time and not 6 months, but they laid her on a big white cushion to take the photo. I would think that they would maybe prop up your dd on the big white cushion for support, if she can't sit by herself. They were really relaxed about it all as they do them all the time.

Snappysnaps will sort you out

Our ds needed a passport when he waas two weeks old, so at 2 days we went to Tesco's (his first ever outing!) and got photos done in a photo booth - white sheet over the car seat, put baby in car seat, hold car seat up, voila!

To think he'll have that photo in his passport till he's 5 years old....

Ladies, ladies, I'm so surprised none of you did it the easy way. Lie your dd down on a white blanket and take a photo with your own camera standing above her. Take a few closer and further away. In fact, take a whole roll and you'll be bound to get a few good ones to send to relatives too. Take the photos to your local photo shop and get double prints done. Pick a photo that you like and cut it out to the right dimensions (draw outline on back in pencil). AND that way you have extras (plus negs) if you ever need any more. I do all our passport photos this way (except standing up, not lying down for the adults) and keep the extra photos for other forms and send a few to the relatives.

Have also taken photos at home. If using a digital camera can check before printing & increase pic if necessary.

We did ours in a booth in Tesco's too, when they were only a couple of days old (we lived overseas, came back to UK to pop them out, then flew home when they were about 5 weeks old - or as soon as the passport came back.)

We've always had very early (1 or 2 weeks old) passport photos of our kids. For the UK ones, we've always just gone to photo booths or the local pharmacy, and put up with the arms across the face, etc. The main criterion, apparently, is to have their eyes open. I think it is a good idea for the parent to wear a white top if they are holding the child, as this would then merge into the background.

For our American photos, I've always gone to a photographer until the last time (the photographer retired) when we went to Snappy Snaps - per the instructions of the American Embassy. They did the biz in one-hour at 10 quid a go - expensive when four kids were up for renewal. But, most importantly, the photos met specification.

you can send in any jpg to photobox you crop it online and they send yoyu 10 passport photos for 99p!

Ameriscot I was told that it didn't matter if they had their eyes closed. But dd2 obliged by being wide awake for her photo. The first photo they took was perfect, so I thought, she was looking right at the camera and it was a lovely photo. but they said it was too dark and had to do another one by which point she'd decided that she didn't want her photo taken. She has her hand up by her face, still cute and allowed in the photo but I preferred the first one. Still it wasn't up to me it had to be accepted by the passport office so she has her hand by her face in her passport.