Your ERAS Photo Is Doing More Than You Think
If you're deep in your residency application right now, your photo is probably the last thing on your mind. It's also one of the first things a program sees.
I work with a lot of Rutgers pre-health students, and this comes up constantly. You've spent years on your grades, your board scores, your letters. Then you get to the photo upload and think... wait, what am I even supposed to look like here.
What ERAS Actually Wants
ERAS wants a professional, current photo of you. Not a selfie. Not your undergrad LinkedIn photo from four years ago. Something that looks like the person a program director is about to interview.
The technical side is strict, if oddly specific. Your photo needs to be 2.5 x 3.5 inches, saved as a JPG or PNG, and no larger than 150 KB. That's a small file, smaller than most phone photos straight out of the camera, so plenty of applicants get tripped up just getting the size right before they even think about how they look in it.
Beyond the file specs, AAMC is clear about the rest: head and shoulders, face centered, neutral background, professional attire. No selfies, no casual snapshots, no photo that's a few years old and doesn't quite look like you anymore. Programs use this photo to recognize you when you show up for your interview, so it needs to actually be you, right now.
That's the whole reason a rushed phone photo the night before your deadline is a bad idea. Getting the size wrong means a rejected upload. Getting the vibe wrong means the first thing a program director sees doesn't match the effort you put into everything else in your application.
Professional, neutral, exactly what ERAS is looking for.
Why This One Photo Feels So High Stakes
Everything else in your application has a rubric. Your photo doesn't. There's no GPA equivalent for "looks put together." So people either overthink it for weeks or throw something together the night before it's due, neither of which feels great.
That's the part I actually help with. Not just the lighting, the posing, or the retouching. The part where you stop guessing.
White coat is NOT required for ERAS... but it's the photo you'll want on match day.
What a Session Actually Looks Like
You come in, we talk for a minute about what you need, and then we shoot your looks. Suit is the standard for your ERAS upload. A second look is included in the regular ERAS session - you can opt for a white coat image or a different pose in your suit.
I guide every pose, so you're not standing there wondering what to do with your hands. You'll see your photos before you leave, so there are no surprises and no second-guessing later.
The Rutgers Rate
If you're a Rutgers student with a valid ID, the session is $95 and includes one retouched image. Book the full ERAS session and you'll get two retouched images. Full pricing and everything included is on the page below.
👉 fotoplicity.com/eras-residency-headshots
The studio is in East Brunswick, about 15 minutes from Rutgers New Brunswick. No long drive, no scheduling around a trip into the city.
If you've been putting this off because you weren't sure where to go or what to wear, that's exactly why I built this session. One less thing on your list.