We've all lived this moment: we enter a photomaton cabin a little peaty, we pull the curtain, we sit on a stool that has had better days, and a robotic voice we just don't smile. Four flashes later, we come out with a photo that makes us look like someone we're interrogating in a police station.
On the other hand, there is another way to get a picture taken: a session designed for well-being, where one takes time, where one breathes, where one even has the right to smile (or even laugh, be well). Here are 10 differences, for those who had never dared to compare the two out loud.
1. Reception
Picture of identity: a cabin, a curtain, and the warm atmosphere of a trash room. Well-being session: someone who welcomes you, asks you how you are, and really thinks it.
2. The departure instruction
Photo ID: « Closed mouth, open ears, no expression. » That's to say: « Just pretend you don't really exist. » Welfare session: « Breathe. Take your time. Just be you. »
3. The time you're given
Identity photo: 4 photos in 30 seconds, thank you bye. Well-being session: an hour, sometimes more, during which one has the right to exist at a human rhythm.
4. Sound atmosphere
Identity photo: the buzz of the cabin and the noise of a falling room. Well-being session: soft music, a real conversation, sometimes even some crazy laughs.
5. Authorized facial expression
Identity photo: mandatory neutral, under penalty of administrative refusal. Wellness session: the whole range is open — smile, thoughtful look, mutiny little air, everything is allowed.
6. The decor
Picture of identity: grey or blue background, the great classic of official boredom. Well-being session: a chosen setting, a thought light, sometimes even a bit of staging.
7. Photo lens
Photo ID: convincing facial recognition software that you are yourself. Well-being session: Reconnecting to whom you really are, which is much harder for an algorithm to evaluate.
8. What we do with the result
Identity photo: hidden at the bottom of a wallet, reluctant exit at each check. Wellness session: framed, sent to her mother, or used as a profile photo with assumed pride.
9. Frequency
Photo of identity: to be repeated every 10 years, whether you like it or not, usually at the worst moment (last night, missed haircut). Well-being session: a moment you choose, at the moment you just need it.
10. How you feel when you leave
Identity photo: the relief of surviving the test. Wellness session: the strange and pleasant feeling of having taken a little care of yourself.
In short, in one case one undergoes an administrative formality, in the other one offers a moment for oneself. Both have their utility — But only one of them really wants to go back.
