4 Tips for Taking a Great ID Badge Photo

Taking a photo sounds easy. You point the camera and press the button. That's it, right? While this system works if you're taking photos in your free time, it won't work if you're in the process of creating custom ID cards.

An ID badge represents each individual inside a company or a group. Meaning, the ID card should have a clear photo of the individual. One option is to hire a professional photographer, and the other option is to do it yourself. If you feel like doing it yourself, here are essential tips to turn every photo into a professional ID photo.

Correct Lighting

If you merely point the camera at the person, the photo will end up blurry, or worse; the person will look ten times older. That usually happens because of poor lighting that generally comes from the ceiling. Because the light source is above the person, there are apparent shadows under the eyes, nose, and lips. You don't want your employees or colleagues to look like scarecrows on their ID cards.

Besides investing in professional lighting, the best way to ensure proper lighting is natural lighting. Either take photos on a sunny day or include a light source below to negate the unattractive face shadows.

Proper Lighting
Neutral Background

Neutral Background

You don't want a custom ID badge where the background is more interesting than the face. This is especially true if you're creating an employee badge. The face needs to be first that other people see. If you have an overly colorful or detailed background, it can become difficult to figure out where the face is.

The safest bet is to use either a white or grey background. You can ask the person to stand in front of a room wall or buy a grey dropdown at the local store. It will do wonders.

Get a Tripod

You might think that you have stable hands, and that's probably true, but no matter how steady your hands are, they get shaky after fifty photos. Meaning, get a tripod. It only takes once to stabilize everything, but you also nullify the possibility of getting a blurry image.

Furthermore, using a tripod and having employees or members sit at the same place every time ensures consistency across different headshots. It might not seem much, but once you design ID badges in an ID maker or start printing, you'll be grateful. Additionally, it will look professional as well.

Camera on a Tripod
Comfortable Work Attire

Dress Comfortably

Besides helping the person relax, they will naturally be more comfortable in the picture by allowing them to dress comfortably. The result? Better ID badges and happy coworkers. Depending on your business or organization, you want to set up certain limitations, but if you trust your coworkers, leave the decision-making to them.

By allowing them to choose what to wear, they will look natural, and you'll have less work once you start designing ID cards using ID card software.