This was my experience earlier this year in renewing my passport.
I used my own camera and sent a photo using the information on the web site. You need to include an image including shoulders as they crop the image themselves. There is no need to submit a signature.
You need to send your old passport separately for checking/cancellation - plenty of SMS/e-mail reminders once you have submitted the online form. The official LaPoste leaflet indicates you should put a contents declaration on the envelope. However my local passport office didn’t know anything about that and I didn’t bother. I sent it accusé de réception rather than recommandée .
It arrived at the Durham Passport office, which deals with overseas passports, within a week (4 below). There was then a long pause with no communication. The passport office didn’t acknowledge it as received for another two weeks (5 below). Then a week for approval and a a few days for printing/despatch. Once it was officially in the system (5) there were e-mails/text messages on the progress as well as the web site.
Passport Application history
1 Application submitted online 12:22pm on 11 May 2022
2 Application received 12:23pm on 11 May 2022
3 Package containing old passport posted on 12 May
4 Package containing old passport signed for as received by passport office on 18 May however. But no follow-up communications except for reminders to send old passport.
5 Official notification the old passport had been received was not until 6 June 2022 !!!
6 Application approved on 13 June 2022 - and that is the date of issue in the passport
7 Passport printed on 15 June 2022 followed by message it had been despatched
8 New passport delivered 17 June (DHL)
9 Old passport delivered 28 June (DHL)
Don’t forget to sign the new passport - I didn’t think the explanatory leaflet was very clear.