US Greencard Through Diversity Lotto

username123

Ronchi wrote: »

Ok this is bs. I got a professional done photo 2 inch by 2 inch taken and sent it off to get checked and they tell me i have tore take the photo because theres some shadows behind my ears!! how the hell do u stop shadows from behind behind the ears

Did you bring the compositional and technical specifications to the professional photographer with you?

I was going to do the photos myself at home, but my camera is not high spec and I couldnt get the lighting right so I went to the place recommended here - camera shop at the top of Grafton St in Dublin. Personally I felt that 20 euro was a rip off for a photo but the guy knew the spec requirement and my application was accepted later that day.

I just checked my pic there and there are no shadows at all in the pic. Im not sure how your photographer got shadows in if it was lit correctly?

Who did you send it off to have it checked by?

Ronchi

username123 wrote: »

Did you bring the compositional and technical specifications to the professional photographer with you?

I was going to do the photos myself at home, but my camera is not high spec and I couldnt get the lighting right so I went to the place recommended here - camera shop at the top of Grafton St in Dublin. Personally I felt that 20 euro was a rip off for a photo but the guy knew the spec requirement and my application was accepted later that day.

I just checked my pic there and there are no shadows at all in the pic. Im not sure how your photographer got shadows in if it was lit correctly?

Who did you send it off to have it checked by?

yEA I showed him the sample ones on the government site. He knew they were american and how to do them. He used a high quality cam that had the right size and facial position. I sent it off to the government site some email address they give for one free check..They said was out of focus which i knew cause i scanned it wrong but they also said there were shadows under my ears =/ maybe cause there was a light on? i dunno ive spent 25 euro on photos for this app and still getting nowhere

And that photo validator they have on the official site is crap cause it says any photo is valid with 600x600 when there not so people should be careful

username123

Ronchi wrote: »

yEA I showed him the sample ones on the government site. He knew they were american and how to do them. He used a high quality cam that had the right size and facial position. I sent it off to the government site some email address they give for one free check..They said was out of focus which i knew cause i scanned it wrong but they also said there were shadows under my ears =/ maybe cause there was a light on? i dunno ive spent 25 euro on photos for this app and still getting nowhere

And that photo validator they have on the official site is crap cause it says any photo is valid with 600x600 when there not so people should be careful

Sounds like he claimed he knew but didnt know. Its not the camera that will give the right size and facial position, its how close the photographer stands or zooms and how you hold your head.

Why were you scanning it? Why didnt he give you the electronic version of the photograph?

There are shadows because the photo has not been lit properly. If it was lit properly there would be no shadows.

Yes, the photo validator only validates the dimensions.

When you say you went to a professional, what do you mean by that? Because what you are describing sounds unprofessional.

Ronchi

username123 wrote: »

Sounds like he claimed he knew but didnt know. Its not the camera that will give the right size and facial position, its how close the photographer stands or zooms and how you hold your head.

Why were you scanning it? Why didnt he give you the electronic version of the photograph?

There are shadows because the photo has not been lit properly. If it was lit properly there would be no shadows.

Yes, the photo validator only validates the dimensions.

When you say you went to a professional, what do you mean by that? Because what you are describing sounds unprofessional.

Everything was correct but the ear shadows. How do i get an electronic version..they print them out from that place..can i get them to put it on to a memory stick or something

username123

Ronchi wrote: »

Everything was correct but the ear shadows. How do i get an electronic version..they print them out from that place..can i get them to put it on to a memory stick or something

There is an issue with lighting then. There shouldnt be any shadows.

Yes, get them to put on a memory stick or a CD - but if they are doing that they need to follow the technical specifications for format, picture size and file size so you dont have to do any messing about afterwards.

Did you not notice the ear shadows when you were handed the print? I was asked to visually verify I was happy with the photograph before I paid for it. I wouldnt have accepted it with shadows.

Ronchi

username123 wrote: »

There is an issue with lighting then. There shouldnt be any shadows.

Yes, get them to put on a memory stick or a CD - but if they are doing that they need to follow the technical specifications for format, picture size and file size so you dont have to do any messing about afterwards.

Did you not notice the ear shadows when you were handed the print? I was asked to visually verify I was happy with the photograph before I paid for it. I wouldnt have accepted it with shadows.

So you got yours electronically done? They auto put it to 600 x600 240kb for you?

He let me look at it ya but i guess i missed the shadows..there pretty small..Thought was ok cause he didn't point anything out. Ya ill see if they do that otherwise i have to find a good scanner with propper settings.

username123

Ronchi wrote: »

So you got yours electronically done? They auto put it to 600 x600 240kb for you?

He let me look at it ya but i guess i missed the shadows..there pretty small..Thought was ok cause he didn't point anything out. Ya ill see if they do that otherwise i have to find a good scanner with propper settings.

Yeah, defo, I wasnt handing over 20 quid to be given something I had to manipulate!!

What he actually did was manipulate the pics to the correct crop and dimensions and gave me both the pic itself (in correct format, dimensions and file size) and the screen shot of the dimension checker with my pic in it saying it was accepted.

There is no reason they cant give it electronically if it was done on a digital camera.

But Id be more worried that they cannot get the compositional spec right, especially if you brought the info with you. Its fairly basic - particularly for a professional.

On the other hand if it was just some dude with a camera in a chemist who takes passport pics usually - then perhaps he doesnt realise how stringent the requirements really are.

Ronchi

username123 wrote: »

Yeah, defo, I wasnt handing over 20 quid to be given something I had to manipulate!!

What he actually did was manipulate the pics to the correct crop and dimensions and gave me both the pic itself (in correct format, dimensions and file size) and the screen shot of the dimension checker with my pic in it saying it was accepted.

There is no reason they cant give it electronically if it was done on a digital camera.

But Id be more worried that they cannot get the compositional spec right, especially if you brought the info with you. Its fairly basic - particularly for a professional.

On the other hand if it was just some dude with a camera in a chemist who takes passport pics usually - then perhaps he doesnt realise how stringent the requirements really are.

lol yea i'd say the guy you took it to specifically does it for that. I don't think they do the same in the place i was but will find out. Really just need to get rid of those shadows. Thanks for info

Dead Man Walking

How did you hear about that they weren't happy with the photo Ronchi? I got my photo done in the same place as username123 and I just took another look at it and lo and behold they are shadows behind my ears.

username123

Dead Man Walking wrote: »

How did you hear about that they weren't happy with the photo Ronchi? I got my photo done in the same place as username123 and I just took another look at it and lo and behold they are shadows behind my ears.

What? There are no shadows at all on mine! Hang on - Ill blur my face and link for you.

username123

Actually, on a close up there are faint ear shadows on mine - although with my scraggly bits of hair sticking out they are not obvious.

I never send my pics to any email address to be validated.

I notice on their photo requirements page they say this:

Shadows on the background can be reduced or removed by positioning a back-light below the person and pointing up and by minimizing the distance between the person and background.

Ronchi - how bad were your shadows?

username123

Hmmm, I imagine the reason they wont accept ear shadows is because they will put your pic through facial recognition software for security validations and if the ear shadows are substantial the software might think that they are part of your face or hair.

Bit concerned about this now - Ronchi could you post the email address you used to validate please? Although it will be too late if there is an issue with mine as Ive already applied, but Id still ask the shop for my money back!

Dead Man Walking

yeah mine has slight shadows too

Dead Man Walking

I think facial recognition is more to do with eye nose and mouth dimensions, could be wrong though.

The amount off hoops and the minute chance of winning I'd feel like charlie in willy wonka if I got a golden (green) ticket

username123

Dead Man Walking wrote: »

yeah mine has slight shadows too

Very slight. Id be interested in sending it to the email address Ronchi used.

username123

Dead Man Walking wrote: »

I think facial recognition is more to do with eye nose and mouth dimensions, could be wrong though.

The amount off hoops and the minute chance of winning I'd feel like charlie in willy wonka if I got a golden (green) ticket

Could mess up the ear dimensions maybe?

Yeah I know, all this messing about - seems like its made deliberately hard!

Dead Man Walking

username123 wrote: »

Very slight. Id be interested in sending it to the email address Ronchi used.

like you said its a bit late if it's not acceptable as I think it would mean applying again, which you can't.

Dead Man Walking

username123 wrote: »

Could mess up the ear dimensions maybe?

Yeah I know, all this messing about - seems like its made deliberately hard!

it doesn't mention ears in the wiki article on facial recognition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_recognition_system

this is all getting too csi, gonna take down my photo in case there is ear only facial recognizers out there :pac:

username123

Dead Man Walking wrote: »

like you said its a bit late if it's not acceptable as I think it would mean applying again, which you can't.

You could get your 20 euro back off the shop in who did the pic!

Yeah, very csi, who knows the mysteries of the photo software. I think if they were so stringent as to be failing on faint ear shadows then they would need a proper checker for people to use to check before making the application.

Dead Man Walking

Gut feeling is there is nothing to worry about since the shadows are so faint. Since the guy in the shop seemed to know what he was doing i'm sure he might have got negative feedback before if he was doing it wrong.

1st prize - ticket to where the streets are paved in gold
2nd prize - refund on photo and across to captain americas for a feed
3rd prize - try again next year

username123

Dead Man Walking wrote: »

1st prize - ticket to where the streets are paved in gold
2nd prize - refund on photo and across to captain americas for a feed
3rd prize - try again next year

I like your positive attitude!!!

Ronchi

username123 wrote: »

Hmmm, I imagine the reason they wont accept ear shadows is because they will put your pic through facial recognition software for security validations and if the ear shadows are substantial the software might think that they are part of your face or hair.

Bit concerned about this now - Ronchi could you post the email address you used to validate please? Although it will be too late if there is an issue with mine as Ive already applied, but Id still ask the shop for my money back!

Hi guys. They have a email address on http://www.americangreencard.com/ .. not the offical site where you do your form but they allow you to send your picture to info@americangreencard.com to check it for you for free and they also redo pictures but gotta pay if the government don't allow them. They said mine was out of focus which it was due to crap scanning and the shadows.

Looks to me ur picture is clear and the shadows are hardly noticeable so would not worry.

Here is my pic

username123

Ronchi wrote: »

Hi guys. They have a email address on http://www.americangreencard.com/ .. not the offical site where you do your form but they allow you to send your picture to info@americangreencard.com to check it for you for free and they also redo pictures but gotta pay if the government don't allow them. They said mine was out of focus which it was due to crap scanning and the shadows.

Looks to me ur picture is clear and the shadows are hardly noticeable so would not worry.

Ah ok, thanks for the info.

Tbh your ear shadows are a bit stronger alright - but they are still not terrible!! Maybe follow the tip from the instructions and get it redone standing closer to the background with some back lighting?

Ronchi

username123 wrote: »

Ah ok, thanks for the info.

Tbh your ear shadows are a bit stronger alright - but they are still not terrible!! Maybe follow the tip from the instructions and get it redone standing closer to the background with some back lighting?

Ya an hopefully can get it put straight on to memory stick to keep the quality! so much tedious work for 1 little pic hehe suppose won't complain if all works out :P

yosser hughes

I'm just wondering, is this just a complete lottery? As in does a computer randomly just pick the entrants? If so why the need to put down your education standards? What I'm really asking is, will they be more likely to favour people with a university degree for example?

username123

yosser hughes wrote: »

I'm just wondering, is this just a complete lottery? As in does a computer randomly just pick the entrants? If so why the need to put down your education standards? What I'm really asking is, will they be more likely to favour people with a university degree for example?

It is supposed to be random, although I did wonder the same thing when I saw the question on education.

Ronchi

username123 wrote: »

It is supposed to be random, although I did wonder the same thing when I saw the question on education.

I would have thought that if you were picked they would examine your application after to see if you still qualified. 100s get turned down after getting picked from what i heard from not having enough money or education standards to show at the interview

username123

Ronchi wrote: »

I would have thought that if you were picked they would examine your application after to see if you still qualified. 100s get turned down after getting picked from what i heard from not having enough money or education standards to show at the interview

Yeah, I can understand why they dont want to let people into the country who may be a drain on their social resources, hence having to have x amount of money in the bank. But the initial picking is supposed to be random. Who knows though - its in their best interest to pick the cream of the crop isnt it?

yosser hughes

username123 wrote: »

Yeah, I can understand why they dont want to let people into the country who may be a drain on their social resources, hence having to have x amount of money in the bank. But the initial picking is supposed to be random. Who knows though - its in their best interest to pick the cream of the crop isnt it?

When you think about yes,it makes sense for them to accept people with skills/education rather than someone who maybe can't speak English and have no education at all.Why would, or should they?

Skud

Just checked my photo online and think it fails the requirements, potentially in 2/3 ways. Will the photo cause my application to be unsuccessful or could it be resubmitted at the interview stage if selected?