Size of Visa Photo

My husband and I are in the interior of B.C. We are travelling to China in April. I had a passport-style photo taken for the application, but when my husband went to get his photo taken today, the photographer said it needed to be a specific size for it but she didn't know what size. The photo I had taken is 2 inches by 2 and 3/4 inches tall. Is that size okay or do I need to get it redone to the 2 x 2 I read on this page? Can I just cut it down (it would basically just show my head, not shoulders).

Also, we are several hours from Vancouver. There is an embassy in Vancouver. What service do we need to use to process our Visas without having to travel to Vancouver?

Thanks
Cindy