Photo Requirements: Quick Guide for Passports, Weddings, Prints & More
If you’ve ever Googled "how to take a passport photo" or "best lighting for wedding pics", you know the rules can feel scattered. This page pulls the most common requirements into one place so you can stop guessing and start shooting with confidence.
Passport and ID Photo Rules
Every country has a strict set of dimensions, background colors, and facial rules. In India, a passport photo must be 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), with a plain white background, full‑face view, and no shadows. The same size works for most visas, driver’s licences, and SIM cards. If you use a smartphone, make sure the camera is set to the highest resolution, keep the lens parallel to your face, and avoid any filters. After you snap, use a free online tool to crop to exact dimensions and check the DPI – 300 dpi is the safe bet for any official document.
Common pitfalls: wearing glasses (glare can cause rejection), covering ears or hair (the top of the head must be visible), and using busy backgrounds. A quick tip is to stand about a meter from a plain wall, turn on natural light from a window, and ask a friend to take the shot from eye level.
Wedding and Candid Photo Essentials
Wedding photos are a mix of posed and candid moments. For posed shots, the couple should stand tall, relax shoulders, and avoid stiff smiles. A simple trick is to think of something funny – it relaxes the facial muscles and gives a natural look. For group pictures, position the bride and groom in the center, then fill outwards. Use a wide‑angle lens if the space is tight, but stay at least six feet away to avoid distortion.
Candid photography thrives on being unobtrusive. Keep the camera ready, use a fast shutter speed (1/500 sec or faster) to freeze movement, and stay in the background. In India, some candid shots can run into legal gray areas – you can’t sell images taken in private spaces without permission. Always ask for consent if you plan to use the photos commercially, and respect privacy rules around schools, hospitals, and religious sites.
If you want to turn wedding shots into prints, remember print‑ready specs: 300 dpi, CMYK colour mode, and a minimum of 12 × 12 inches for album pages. Services like Rio Photography Services offer high‑quality prints that preserve the colour depth you see on screen. For photo books, aim for a paper weight of 200–250 gsm and a matte finish if you prefer a subtle look.
Finally, keep a backup of every RAW file. Editing tools like Photoshop or free alternatives such as GIMP let you tweak exposure, remove minor distractions, and export a final JPEG that meets all the size and quality requirements for both digital sharing and printing.
With these straightforward rules in hand, you’ll spend less time Googling and more time capturing the moments that matter.
