Head Position and Background


Guidelines

  • Head should be positioned directly facing the camera
  • Photo should capture from slightly above top of hair to middle of chest
  • Eyes should be open and looking at the camera
  • Eyeglasses should be worn if normally used by the subject
  • Glare on eyeglasses can usually be avoided with a slight upward or downward tilt of the head
  • Background should be plain white or off-white
  • Include headpieces if worn daily for religious purposes; they should not obscure or cast shadows on the eyes or any other part of the face

Photo Examples

INCORRECT CORRECT SUGGESTIONS
Head Too Big
Head size example
Correct Head Size
Head size example

Crop the image so that the head size and position match the Composition Checklist.

 
Head Too Small
Head size example
Correct Head Size
Head size example

Crop the image so that the head size and position match the Composition Checklist.

 
Head Not Centered
Head position example
Correct Head Position
Head position example

Re-crop original image so that the head is centered in the frame or recapture new image with head centered in the field of view.

Head not Facing Camera
Head position example
Head Facing Camera
Head position example

To prevent geometric distortion and ensure an adequate depth of field, the camera should be placed at the subject’s eye level and approximately 4 ft (120 cm) from the subject.

By placing the subject on an adjustable height seat, the height of the camera tripod can be fixed.

A lens of about 105 mm focal length on a 35 mm film camera, or its equivalent on any other camera, should provide a sufficiently flat field-of-view

The subject’s eyes should look directly at the camera and the subject may be either smiling or not, but unusual expressions and squinting should be avoided.

 
Head Tilted
Head position example
Correct Pose
Head position example

Recapture with subject's head facing directly frontal.
Image Rotated
image position example
Correct Orientation
image position example

Use an imaging editor to rotate the image ±90 degrees.

 
Glare on Glasses
Eyeglass glare example
No Glare on Glasses
Eyeglass glare example

A slight downward tilt of the head will usually eliminate glare on eyeglasses.  If this does not reduce the glare, try tilting the head slightly upward or rotating the glasses slightly upward or downward.  The head should not be tilted by more than a few degrees to eliminate glare.

Red Eye conditions should be avoided.  Red eye is caused by a direct reflection, through the pupil, from the retina of the eye when an on-camera flash is used, particularly for a subject who has adapted to a darkened environment.  Red eye can be reduced by using an off-camera flash or by brightening the ambient lighting.

Background Not Plain
Subject background example
Plain Background
Subject background example

A distracting background should be avoided.  Use a plain wall or a photographer’s backdrop cloth as the background.  The background color may be white or off-white.

Ideally, the background will be out of focus so that minor markings or texture on the background are not apparent in the photo.