Australian passport photo regulations are pretty strict & include “ neutral expression”. I had mine done professionally last year & it cost all of about $25, I think.

This is one thing I've done myself only once--and that's when I was regularly using my cameras and the whole 'submitting whatever photo' (as opposed to an 'official' passport photo) had just become a thing. It worked at the time, but I wouldn't try it again--especially with today's processing wait times.

Go to a pro and save yourself any aggravation. You'll be kicking yourself if your self-taken photo is what rejects your application.

I lost track of this thread and now I see it in the basement! I didn't use an app, just went to CVS. We will see how long it takes. Thanks for all the replies.

Today’s processing wait times are back to normal, according to State Dept.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/us-passpo...mes/index.html

Processing time is a lot less now. I mailed our passports on 12/15/23 and got them back yesterday!

Another data point. Mailed my renewal January 11, not expedited. It arrived this morning - 22 days door to door (which included 3 weekends and a holiday so 15 actual business days).

You can just take a picture with your phone, and the app helps adjust it to the right size and proportions. I’ve tried one before, and it was simple to get the head size right, though you need to make sure the background is super white—some apps even help clean it up if it’s not.