Photo Submission Guidelines

Need a believable excuse to take photos of someone?
Top Plausible Reasons to Take Photos of the Unsuspecting Giftee

 

Good : 1 photo	Make sure your digital camera's Flash is forced ON
Good : 2 photos	+       or     +
	A left or right side photo helps better estimate your facial profile. One side photo is sufficient.

 

Photo Guidelines

 

Good Frontal Photo	Bad Frontal Photo
Flash used Straight and level No hair on forehead Hair pulled back Mouth closed (no teeth showing) Matching expressions	Hair on face/forehead Head back No glasses Uneven light Mouth open  Teeth showing Head tilted to side Not straight on Out of focus Poor quality Black & white Aligned horizontally Chin Tucked   Slanted             Not straight and level Mouth open / Grinning / Teeth showing Hair on face Black & white Not whole face Face too small in frame Wearing glasses
Good Side Photo	Bad Side Photo
	Hair on face or forehead Head tilted up Head tilted down
Good Front and Side Photos	Bad Front and Side Photos
Good match	Bad match

 

 

• Your front shot must be straight-on to the camera, and your optional profile shot should be as close to side-on as possible.
  Resist the temptation to tuck your chin in, or raise it up, or look out the corner of your eyes. Having your head straight and level in your photos is the single most important requirement. 
  If you can see the same amount of each ear, then your head is probably straight.
  
• Your entire head must be in the photo.
  
• Your hair should not cover your lower forehead or any part of your face.
  
• Your mouth should be closed. You can still smile (no grinning), make silly faces and grimaces.
  
• In the frontal shot, your chin should be slightly elevated as if you're looking just above the camera.
  
• Focus your eyes on something just above the camera, rather than into the distance, to avoid a spacey look.
  
• You should not be wearing glasses. 
  
• Facial hair (i.e. moustaches or beards) and make-up is fine.
  
• Flash diffusers can be used.
  
• The camera should be at least 3 feet (i.e. 1 meter) away from the face.
  
• Flash lighting must be used as it limits shadows on your face. But try not to saturate the photo!
  
• Your photos should be in focus, large and crisp. The face part of the photo should be 700 or more pixels high (use your camera’s highest quality setting). Most image formats are supported.
  
• Take the photo against a plain background (not essential) - try a light-colored wall. Not a big deal if you cannot.
• Avoid uploading huge photos (>2MB) as this might overload our servers. Reduce the size by cropping around the facial area first and increasing the JPEG compression ratio. If you are buying a gift, best to email us your large photos so we can get the best quality out of them.