It is not art. It is not vanity. It is a ritual of bureaucracy.
So the next time you look at your Rossmann photo and sigh, remember: That tired, slightly asymmetrical, staring-into-the-void face is the face that customs agents across the Schengen Area have come to know and trust. It is the face of a real person living a real life. rossmann passbild
This person has seen it all. The crying toddler. The man who forgot to remove his sunglasses. The woman who spent 45 minutes doing her makeup only to be told, "Nein, your ear is covered. We need to see the ear." It is not art