Should Talossan Citizen’s cards have photo requirements?

[Alejo Fernández]

Hello!
I'm an Argentine-Italian naturalized Talossan.
I want to request that Citizen's cards have photo requirements.
Such as:

• Neutral Expression
• White Background
• Photo focusing on middle-bust

I also suggest that photos were printed in black and white.
Do you think that it should be like that?

[Bråneu Excelsio]

Reading your post I'm not sure if you're asking for the requirements to be removed or to add them?

I send my photo for my ID recently and the instructions were:

The picture should be in portrait orientation, directly facing the camera, without headwear or sunglasses. (Reusing the picture from your extra-Talossan identification is completely acceptable).

I send a picture that has a  portait orientation, directly facing the camera withouth headwear or sunglass BUT now that I think about it, the light was more like a portait professional photo (with light-medium shadows on one side of the face) instead of like an ID light (all light, no shadows) and I'm afraid it will be "out of tune" because of this illumination variable.

What are your thoughts on this? @Mic'haglh Autófil, MC EiP

[Mic’haglh Autófil, SMC EiP]

I want to request that Citizen's cards have photo requirements.
Such as:

• Neutral Expression
• White Background
• Photo focusing on middle-bust

I also suggest that photos were printed in black and white.
Do you think that it should be like that?

Azul Alejo!

Going over your suggestions:

• I'm alright with a bit of a smile or something -- this is Talossa, people should be happy to be here. Obviously there's a limit -- no winking at the camera, making hand gestures, that sort of thing, but some facial expression is ok in my book. This hasn't been a problem in any of the photos I've received so far.
• If the background of someone's photo they submit to me is not a light, solid color, I insert a slightly off-white background. (There have been a few photos I have had to edit like this so far.)
• Similarly, if their photo contains too much of their torso, I would crop it as appropriate to ensure their face is the main focus. This is not really an issue I have had to contend with just yet, however.
• I'm fine with including the splash of color provided by a good portrait -- black and white photo almost seems a bit dated or low-tech, if I'm honest. I think Talossans, as a naturally colorful bunch, should have their photos reflect that.

Reading your post I'm not sure if you're asking for the requirements to be removed or to add them?

I send my photo for my ID recently and the instructions were:

The picture should be in portrait orientation, directly facing the camera, without headwear or sunglasses. (Reusing the picture from your extra-Talossan identification is completely acceptable).

I send a picture that has a  portait orientation, directly facing the camera withouth headwear or sunglass BUT now that I think about it, the light was more like a portait professional photo (with light-medium shadows on one side of the face) instead of like an ID light (all light, no shadows) and I'm afraid it will be "out of tune" because of this illumination variable.

What are your thoughts on this? @Mic'haglh Autófil, MC EiP

I'm fine with some variable lighting across someone's face -- it's unrealistic to expect everyone to have "perfect ID lighting" ( :P ) available to them whenever or wherever they are. There is of course a limit, but none of the photos I've received thus far have had any problems, yours included.

[Danihel Txechescu]

There's §3.9.1 from ICAO Document 9303 part 3, "Displayed facial image".

[Mic’haglh Autófil, SMC EiP]

There's §3.9.1 from ICAO Document 9303 part 3, "Displayed facial image".

That would appear to support my current process: "...No portion of the background or the subject's garments should be printed fully white and details should be apparent in dark shadow regions. Printed photos shall be colour images having balanced colour channels."

For those who weren't here when this discussion took place, it was S:reu Txechescu's good idea to have the IDs compliant with international standards for machine-readable documents. In other words, these are about as close to official/accurate as a nation in our situation could hope to get.

[Audrada Roibeardet]

No headwear allowed? Surely, there should be religious exceptions, right?

[Mic’haglh Autófil, SMC EiP]

No headwear allowed? Surely, there should be religious exceptions, right?

It depends on the headwear...if, for example, you're wearing a yarmulke, that should be fine, since it's not obscuring your face. The facial obstruction is what we're trying to avoid, same reason I said no sunglasses.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

Ummm... we're kind of excluding pious Muslim women here.

[Mic’haglh Autófil, SMC EiP]

Ummm... we're kind of excluding pious Muslim women here.

This is a fair point, and one I will admit I had not explicitly considered. As far as I'm concerned, though, that would also fall under a religious exemption.