A reason to smile

Like most folks, Cresencia Martinez typically braces for the worst when she gets her driver's license picture snapped.

Because -- let's face it -- the end result of those photo shoots typically isn't pretty.

"But today, this is nice," a surprised Martinez said as she exited the Niles Department of Motor Vehicles on a recent Saturday. She even admitted she rather liked how she looked in her new snapshot, complimenting the photo's brightness, clarity and hue and lamenting only that she hadn't fixed her hair.

"This one is really better (than normal)," the Skokie woman said. "Last time I had one, it wasn't so clear."

It's no mirage.

The photos, infamous for making America's driving public look like they've been booked by the police after a long night, really are better, officials say, thanks to upgraded cameras and lighting equipment installed in recent months at facilities statewide.

"I'm glad people are getting to notice it," said Dave Drucker, a spokesman for the Illinois Secretary of State. "It is not just that the people are getting better looking."

He said the DMV's camera and photo-processing supply contractor has been upgrading the equipment over the last year, per its contract.

A little indulgence for drivers, since Drucker concedes driver's license photos -- taken with nary a moment to glance in a mirror -- always have been the bane of the vain.

"Traditionally, people have complained about the pictures," he admits. "It is nice to see that people recognize we have tried to fix that."

The upgrades seem to brighten the background, advancing it from a dull, faded gray to a vivid blue. The result? More color overall, making that grinning face look a little less washed-out.

"It's definitely better quality," said Katrina Dodge of Chicago, who noted with a smile that her blue scarf, paired with the photo's bright blue background, tended to make her blue eyes pop a little.

Fellow Chicagoan Maureen McCarthy also was pleased as she left the Niles facility.

"I'm not very photogenic, so to get this one right is good, I think," said McCarthy, who noted she's had her share of dud photos but would have to say her latest is a pretty decent picture.

Patron after pleased patron offered similar sentiments, though a few -- like Richard Witt of Palatine Township -- required a little prodding to notice any of the changes.

Witt, who'd noted while in line at the Schaumburg DMV that he always looked bad in license photos, admitted as he studied the latest shot that he did look better than usual.

"I think my face looks better," he said with a smile.

At the same time, plenty of drivers said they didn't see any difference in quality, hurrying out of the DMV as they shoved in their wallets the license pictures that will, for better or worse, stick with them for the next few years.

Others said better photos were merely a factor of their own improvements, like new hairstyles, primping or looks that just got nicer with age.

And Laura Stout, who had her photo snapped by cameras at the Schaumburg facility, insists her old license shot actually was more favorable.

"I looked better in the other one," the Arlington Heights woman said, gazing at her new picture as her daughter snickered at the license image. "I like the other better."

It certainly, she added, isn't the quality you'd see from a professional photo studio.

Perhaps not, but it has come a long way, those who emerged -- smiling! -- from the DMV facilities agreed.

The better mugs will carry over with Illinois' new license design, which incorporates security features like waves of color-shifting lines and a ghost image of the photo.

The equipment that makes the new design will be installed in all DMVs by the end of 2008. It already is up and running at the Melrose Park DMV and starting to be installed downstate, as well.

For now, Park Ridge driver Allison Lilligren has one more suggestion: In light of digital camera technology, she proposes giving folks a chance to review their photo before slapping it on the license, in case they'd like to do it over.

"You should get a few tries," said Lilligren, who ranked her new photo above other ID pictures she's had but said it's not her best ever. "You should be able to look."