For the proof of identity, I had to give the post office my birth certificate and my driver's license. I actually had to get another copy of my birth certificate cause it was my mom's copy. My mom wanted to keep it just in case anything happened. I went to my department of health website for my state and print out an application. Fill it out to the best of my abilities and mailed it to them that was specified at the bottom of the form. Along with my application I sent in my $10.00 check and a copy of my driver's license that was 150% of it's original size. You can copy your license on a photo copier. I did mine at a local supermarket, haha. After a week or 2 I got my birth certificate.
My post office has a service that can take pictures for your passport. After handing in your application and your identification forms, you pay around $135 for the whole thing. It's $110 for the application fee and $25 for the execution fee. For more information you can check out Travel.State.Gov. The cashier took my application and took me to the side of the building. Took my picture and just put it on my application. Now......I didn't even know how I looked like when my picture was the taken. The cashier didn't even let me take a look. For all I know I could've had a lazy eye or something. Luckily it came out fine, but.....I looked like a 13 year old, haha. The photos were $15 for 2 copies. After about 2 weeks I got my passport mailed to me. It was only fast cause it was not at peak season. You can check your passport status to see how long it's going to take. I checked mine almost everyday, haha. Remember to sign your passport or it's not valid. Here's how my passport looks like:
