Biometric Passport Photos

Some foreign governments will request or require a "biometric" photo for your passport. A biometric passport is a traditional passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip within the cover. The chip contains information that can be used to authenticate your identity.

Your "biometric" photo is simply a digital image (a JPEG) that becomes part of the information embedded in that chip. It is taken with a digital camera and delivered to you via email in the exact same size required as a printed image might be.

If you're in need of a biometric photo for your foreign passport, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone other than an independent professional photographer who can do it. Newsome's Studio has been providing this service for many years.

Newsome's Studio of Photography is located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, FL 33618. Please call 813-968-2810 for an appointment.

Passports Measured in Millimeters

Here's the thing...

The US uses the Imperial Measurement System. That means your US passport photos are measured in inches.

The rest of the planet uses the Metric System. That means THEIR passport photos are measured in millimeters.

If you're a citizen of a foreign country living in the US, and you're in need of updating your passport for your native country, you're going to need a passport photo that is measured in millimeters and sized to the specifications of your native country's passport photo requirements.

If you're from the UK, it'll be 35x45mm. If you're from Canada, it'll be 50x70mm. If you're from Greece, it's 40x60mm, and if you're in need of a Chinese Visa, it's 33x48mm.

Your local drugstore employee may not be aware of these differences and will give you a 2x2 inch (51x51mm) image, that will promptly be rejected by your consulate.

Do it right the first time and contact Central Florida's most experienced professional passport photography studio, Newsome's Studio of Photography, located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, FL 33618.

By appointment only, call 813-968-2810.

DV Lottery Photos in Tampa

Every year, there's a rush for DV Lottery Photos in Tampa, indeed, across the US! To find a professional photographer in Tampa that can create the proper image that conforms to US standards for a Diversity Visa, and then provide that image in a digital format suitable for uploading, is a very difficult thing.

Along comes Newsome's Studio of Photography! We've been providing DV Lottery photos for years, and in Tampa, there is no better, more experienced professional photographer in this arena.

Located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa (in Carrollwood), we work by appointment only and you'll have your digital image in about ten minutes.

Please call for an appointment 813-968-2810.

Canadian Permanent Residency Photos Tampa

The Canadian Permanent Residency photo specifications changed a while back (not exactly sure when), and what was at one time a 35x45mm photo, is now a 50x70mm photo - exactly the same specs as the Canadian Passport photo.

Same head size (31-36mm), white background, no smiles, neutral expression - EXACTLY the same as the passport photo.

One minor change here...
The information on the back (required on only ONE image) starts off the same; photographer's name, address, and date the image was taken, but also requires the full name and birth date of the person in the photo. 

Newsome's Studio has been providing Canadian Permanent Residency photos for decades and his images are guaranteed to pass muster with even the most disagreeable-passport-office-bureaucrat-on-a-Monday-morning-with-a-broken-coffee-maker-and-a-brand-new-reject-stamp.

Located in Carrollwood at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 2019, Tampa.
Please call for an appointment at 813-968-2810.

"Preferred Passport Photographer" in Tampa

The consulates of some countries keep a list. It's a list of photographers that they refer their citizens to for creating their passport photo that is guaranteed to pass their strict specifications.

Not all passport photos are created equal. The US is one of only three countries still using the Imperial Measurement System. The rest of the planet is on the Metric System, thus, their passport photos are measured in millimeters, not inches. If you're a citizen of Canada, the UK, Australia, Greece, or any number of other foreign countries, your passport photo might be 35x45mm, 50x70mm, 40x60mm, or even 33x48mm. The drug stores can't do this, they can only do 2x2 inches (51x51mm).

Newsome's Studio has been one of a VERY few photographers in the entire state of Florida who is on the preferred passport photographer list of SEVERAL foreign countries, and we got that way by doing it correctly over a very long period of time.

Newsome's is located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, FL and can accommodate your foreign passport photo requests in less than ten minutes.

By appointment only... 813-968-2810.

Australian Passport Photo Studio Tampa

You're an Australian citizen and your passport needs to be renewed. You're going to need a 35x45mm Australian passport photo that will pass muster with the Australian consulate. Why not follow the advice of the Australian consulate and go to their preferred photographer in the state of Florida? Newsome's Studio!

The reason Newsome's Studio is the preferred photographer in Florida, is because they invested in a high quality printer that conforms to the strict Australian passport photo requirements. Drug stores have been unable to meet the printing standards for the land down under, but Newsome's CAN!

Newsome's Studio of Photography is located in North Tampa (Carrollwood), at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 2019, Tampa, FL (Cypress Point Office Park). 

All photography is by appointment only, please call 813-968-2810 for a convenient time.

Colombian ID Photographer

There aren't many, but a few times a year I get a surge of Colombians in need of a Colombian ID photo. The size requirement is different than most, 40x50mm with a head size of 25-30mm, so as usual, the drug stores and auto clubs typically won't (or can't) do them.

The Colombian ID photo requirements also call for three, not two photos, one of a very few countries that request more than two.

Another interesting difference, is that while they request a white background, they shift it up a bit if you're bald. Yes, if you're bald, you must go on a blue background. Now why do you suppose that is? I have no clue, but I always have a blue background for all the bald Colombians in the Tampa/St Pete market (and yes, I had one last week).

Newsome's Studio of Photography is the leading expert in foreign passport, visa, immigration, permanent residency, DV Lottery, citizenship, and ID photos in the state of Florida... nay, the SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES!

Located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219 in Carrollwood. Call 813-968-2810 and schedule your ten minute appointment today.

Passport Photographer for Babies Tampa

It wasn't the first time, and certainly won't be the last, but I had a four-day old baby come in for a passport photo last week. Did you hear that?... FOUR. DAYS. OLD.

Now, mind you, the baby didn't just waltz in here alone and say, "Hey Mister, I need a new passport photo, I'm heading to Australia in a month!" No No, he was chauffeur driven and tended to by a highly competent team of parental handlers.

When they realized their newborn was going to need a passport to travel out of the country very soon, they quickly Googled "Infant Passport Photographer in Tampa." Google did what Google does best, and ranked "Newsome's Studio of Photography" numbers one, two, three, and four in the search results. They needn't look any farther, they called right away.

They traveled from Orlando because it was hard enough to find someone who is on the preferred photographers list kept by the Australian consulate to create Australian Passport Photos, but to find one who ALSO will photograph infants as young as a few days old in nearly impossible.

Newsome's Studio has been doing this a long time, and has the experience, know-how, and patience to do just that... make the Australian consulate happy with a newborn passport photo!

Located in North Tampa at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219 in Cypress Point Office Park, you'll be in and out in a matter of minutes with your finished passport photos in hand.

All work by appointment, please call 813-968-2810 for a convenient time, and rest assured, we know babies and we know how to photograph them!

Passport Photos for Children - Tampa

Hey, you know what's funny? Watching a drug store employee attempt to photograph a six week old infant for a passport. Most drug stores will turn you away, simply saying they don't photograph children for passport photos at all. Hard to blame them, they're not experienced - they're not professional - they're NOT PHOTOGRAPHERS!

So where does that leave you if you have a six week old infant and need a passport photo? It leads you to Newsome's Studio of Photography, that's where!

Newsome's Studio has been in the photography business for over 30 years. We've photographed more babies than drug stores have sold hair spray! As the Tampa Bay area's resident expert in passport photography (both foreign and domestic), we know EXACTLY what to do and how to do it when it comes to photographing your child to satisfy the government bureaucracy on a passport photo.

Located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219 in North Tampa (Carrollwood), you will be in and out in just minutes with your precious newborn's photo in hand.

All photography is by appointment, please call 813-968-2810 to schedule yours today!

Canadian Passport Photographer in Carrollwood

So, you're a Canadian citizen and you need to renew your Canadian passport. You live in the Tampa area and you've already made the mistake of going to the local drug store. They SAID they could do it, but they handed you a blurry, orange image that was cut to a 2x2" square. Your paperworks states that it should be clear, sharpe, no color cast, and cut to 50x70mm (quite obviously NOT square). What to do... what to do...

Call the Canadian passport photo EXPERT, Newsome's Studio of Photography in Carrollwood. Newsome's Studio, located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, in Cypress Point Office Park (behind Starbucks, at the corner of Linebaugh and N. Dale Mabry).

By appointment only - 813-968-2810.

You'll walk out with the correct images, sized to spec, in about ten minutes.
You're welcome.

That's How it Works!

If you want your leaky faucet fixed, do you call a dog trainer?
If you want your tires rotated, do you call a real estate agent?
If you want your house painted, do you call a shoe repair shop?

No. So why, when you want passport photos taken, should you go to the drug store? Well... you shouldn't.

You want a quality photograph? Go to a quality photographer.
You want cough medicine? Go to the drug store.
See? That's how it works. Even if my electrician offered half price apendectomies, I still wouldn't call him to remove my appendix.

I can't count the number of times I've had clients walk into my studio crying "HELLLLP!" while holding passport photos they'd just had taken at a drugstore. You want it done right the first time, go to an expert. Drug stores LOSE money on passport photos. They know this, and they don't care, because they profit off your visit when you pick up hairspray and toothpaste while you're waiting for your poorly exposed passport photos to be printed... that's how it works!

Newsome's Studio of Photography, located in North Tampa (Carrollwood) at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, FL 33618 (in Cypress Point Office Park, behind STARBUCKS at the corner of Linebaugh and Dale Mabry Hwy).

By appointment only, because THAT'S HOW IT WORKS! 813-968-2810

UK Passport Application Change

Recently, the British Empire shifted their requirements regarding updating your UK Passport. No longer are subjects allowed to apply at the consulates in foreign countries. Beginning in 2018, anyone needing to update their British Passport must do so via snail-mail directly in the United Kingdom. You must now MAIL your renewal application and photo to England!

This can take much longer than applying here at a consulate in the US. This also means that if you send them a photo that doesn't meet their exact requirements and it gets rejected, your passport faces a considerable delay in getting issued!

If you want to eliminate any worries about your passport photos being rejected, costing you time and money, call Newsome's Studio of Photography and get it right the first time.

Newsome's Studio is located in Carrollwood (North Tampa) at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, behind Starbucks at the corner of Linebaugh Ave and N. Dale Mabry Hwy.

By appointment only... 813-968-2810.

Passport Photo Studios in Tampa

Honestly, there aren't very many.

In fact, there are very few photography studios left in the Tampa area at all. Most photography businesses these days are either part-timers, or "on location only" shooters... they don't have camera rooms ("the world is my camera room!"). And that's fine, but they will not be able to accommodate passport photos.

Your only other choices besides a professional photography studio are travel clubs, drug stores, or shipping outlets, however, they typically only offer US passport sizes (2x2"). They're incapable of providing foreign passport photos that are measured in millimeters, and THAT'S where a professional STUDIO comes to the rescue.

Newsome's Studio of Photography, located in North Tampa (Carrollwood) at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, has been providing professional passport photos for US passports and every other country on the planet (measured in millimeters) for over 30 years.

By appointment only, contact the studio at 813-968-2810 and schedule your 10 minute appointment to get it right the first time!

Top Five Reasons to Use a Professional

One might think "It's only a passport photo... who cares how bad it is?"

Well, you COULD adopt that attitude about it, but it may actually make difference with a customs agent nowadays. Here are five good reasons to care...

1. Size... Not all passport photos are created equal. The US passport photo is measured in inches, but all other countries measure theirs in millimeters. Drugstores and travel clubs have difficulty measuring in millimeters and keeping up with all the different sizes required by more than 200 countries.
2. Background... see above. The US requires white, the UK - gray, and Jamaica is either white, gray, or blue depending on skin tone, clothing and hair color.
3. Color... a professional studio will use a professional lighting system that is calibrated with their printers. Drug stores often use available light, which changes depending on if the scene is lit with fluorescent lights, tungsten lights, or window light (each producing a different color cast).
4. Sharpness... using a professional lighting system (as above), your images should be crispy sharp. Using available light at a drugstore, the slower shutter speed required to get a good exposure means there will likely be hand movement by the camera operator.
5. Experience... a professional photographer makes their living by creating high quality images, whether it's a passport photo or a canvas wall portrait. A drugstore employee may be brand new at the job and by the time he or she has figured out what they're doing, they've either quit, been fired, or even promoted, replaced by another brand new employee.

Bottom line, even though it's "only a passport photo," go to a professional and avoid getting it wrong, wasting precious time and money by having to do it all over again.

Newsome's Studio is by appointment only. Call 813-968-2810 for your ten minute appointment!

Tampa's Passport Photo Expert

To our foreign citizen friends and neighbors... when the day comes to update your passport for your home country, your choices on where to get you passport photo will be very limited.

If your native country is anything other than the US, Burma, or Liberia, then your passport photos are very likely measured in millimeters, not inches. This means that the drug stores and travel clubs either can't, or won't, be able to correctly provide the images your need.

When knowledge of the metric system is required, and every country has different size requirements, you really need to call someone who is an expert at foreign and international passport photos. Lucky for you, the most experienced and qualified foreign passport photographer in Florida, resides right here in Tampa.

Newsome's Studio of Photography, located in Carrollwood (North Tampa) at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219 in Cypress Point Office Park (behind Starbucks, on the NW corner of Linebaugh and Dale Mabry Hwy), is Tampa's passport photo expert.

By appointment only... call 813-968-2810 and get it right the first time.

International Passport Photos - Tampa

Passport photos for countries other than the US are measured in millimeters. The drug stores and travel club either can't or won't be able to provide that, because it requires continuous updated knowledge of each country's size and background requirements which are known to change unexpectedly.

The US is still on the Imperial Measurement System, meaning they use inches, feet, yards, miles, etc. The rest of the planet is on the Metric System, meaning they use millimeters, meters, kilometers, etc.

As an example, the UK (Great Britain) requires their passport photos to be 35x45mm with a light gray background. Australian passport photos are also 35x45mm, but on a white background and must be printed at a minimum of 450ppi resolution. A Chinese passport photos is 33x48mm while a Greek passport photo is 40x60mm and Canada's is 50x70mm.

These differences make it very difficult for anyone other than an experienced, full-time, professional photographer like Newsome's Studio of Photography, to stay up to date and provide a quality passport photo that is sure to pass the discerning eye of a foreign country's passport office.

Newsome's Studio is on the "preferred photographer list" kept by the consulates of several foreign countries. Get it right the first time and contact Newsome's for a ten minute appointment and rest easy that your photos won't be rejected.

By appointment only... 813-968-2810

He used a CELL PHONE?

A recent client for a Canadian Passport photo had just come from a local drug store. She was holding a pair of very underexposed, blurry, orange photos of her on a pink background, that were taken by the nice young man behind the photo counter and hand-cut to an incorrect size for Canada. They were shot with his cell phone.

Here... let me repeat that... THEY WERE SHOT WITH HIS CELL PHONE!

Seems the drug store camera wasn't working that day, but he assured her that his cell phone "takes great photos." Yeah, that's right... "great photos." However... indoors, under tungsten lighting conditions, in a dark corner of the store, with a shaky cell phone being hand held by a nervous young store clerk, his cell phone "takes pretty bad pictures." (that's not an opinion, that's a fact - I SAW them).

She reluctantly paid for them, then went outside and immediately Googled "BEST PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPHER IN TAMPA." Newsome's Studio of Photography came up number one in the Maps, and numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 9 in the organic listing. She called me immediately and drove straight over.

In less than ten minutes she was holding two perfectly exposed, color corrected, razor sharp images, on a pure-white background, and machine-cut to an exact 50x70mm size.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, she paid me, tipped me, hugged me, thanked me, and wrote me a glowing five star review on Google.

I love Canadians. They're so polite (although I know how much they dislike hearing that). And when they want the very BEST PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPHER IN TAMPA, they know who to call.

Newsome's Studio of Photography, where cell phone pics will never EVER be good enough for our clients.

Egyptian Passport Photographer in Tampa

Let's talk about Egypt!

The Egypt passport photo size is 40x60mm, second in size only to Canada (50x70mm). The size is so uncommon that companies who make passport photo cutters, do not make this size. This requires the photographer to custom cut it - tricky at best. Measuring in millimeters is tough enough, but paper cutters do not have that measurement system listed on them, so you either convert to inches, or you have a mad skill superpower (which perfectly describes ME).

Several countries have odd size requirements, and all measured in millimeters, so foreign citizens are very limited in where they can go for their passport photo. Egyptian citizens in the Tampa area are fortunate that Newsome's Studio has the experience, equipment, and superpowers necessary to create a 40x60mm passport photo that adheres to the stated requirements of the Egyptian Consulate.

Newsome's Studio of Photography is located in North Tampa (Carrollwood) at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, FL in Cypress Point Office Park (behind Starbucks at the corner of Linebaugh and Dale Mabry Hwy).

Please call for an appointment - 813-968-2810.

Australian Passport Photos Near Me

Okay, that title isn't even fair...

If you're an Australian citizen living in the Tampa area, and planning on going to Orlando this month to update your passport, you likely Googled the search term "Australian Passport Photos near me" or something of that nature. So essentially, that title will be a perfect match for your search results, and you know what? We ARE a perfect match!

Newsome's Studio is on the preferred photographer list for the Australian Consulate in Washington, DC, and for good reason... we invested heavily in a printer that would produce the highest quality passport photo possible, JUST so the Australian Consulate would approve! That's right, we dropped the big bucks, just to sell passport photos!

Newsome's Studio of Photography is located in North Tampa's Carrollwood area, at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, FL 33618 (Cypress Point Office Park, behind Starbucks at the corner of Linebaugh and Dale Mabry).

We highly recommend an appointment, so call 813-968-2810.

US Passport Photo Rules

For the first time in over 30 years, I had a US Passport photo rejected. REJECTED! If DRUG STORE photos can pass, why can't WE?

Well, turns out, it wasn't the US Passport Office that rejected it, it was a postal worker at the post office. Seems she interprets the rules differently than the US Passport Office, and when she saw the image being submitted, claimed it wasn't going to pass and insisted on taking a new one (which, of course, she charged them for).

She rejected it on the grounds that the child's HAIR exceeded beyond the top of the photo. Why yes, yes it did... because the child's HAIRDO was piled extraordinarily HIGH... like, almost a foot higher than his SKULL!

The standard by which every country on the planet (including the US) adheres to, is that the "HEAD" size fit within a stated set of parameters. In the US case, it's 1"-1 3/8" from chin to top of the head. In her estimation, that included the hair, regardless of whether or not the hair came straight off a Parisian Fashion Runway, or the set of Hunger Games.

Now, imagine if you will, Marge Simpson coming in for a passport photo. If I applied the Post Office clerk's understanding of the rules to Marge's passport photo, her face would only be about 1/4" big, not nearly enough to discern what she looks like, and her eye height would not meet the required position in the photo.

I dunno, but after going down to the Post Office and having a personal conversation with the postal clerk who rejected the image, I'm of the belief that she is going to CAUSE more rejections from up the chain of command at the actual Passport Office, because if Marge Simpson submits the image on the right, it'll get kicked back faster than Homer can eat a bacon doughnut.

Tampa's Best Passport Photographer

You need it done and you want it done right. A lot of places will advertise that they can do passport photos, but they have no more business offering photography services than I do overnight shipping or tubes of toothpaste.

If you're a citizen of a foreign country and your passport photo for your home country is measured in millimeters, then you MUST contact NEWSOME'S STUDIO OF PHOTOGRAPHY at 813-968-2810. At least, that is, you MUST if you want it done correctly the first time!

Newsome's has been offering foreign and international passport photos, customized to your specific country's specifications... if you need a 33x48mm Chinese Visa... a 35x45mm UK Passport... a 50x70mm Canadian Passport... or a 40x60mm Greek Passport... or hey, a 51x51mm US Passport photo... call Central Florida's expert in passport sized photos!

Located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, FL (Greater Carrollwood area), in Cypress Point Office Park - behind Starbucks at the corner of Linebaugh and Dale Mabry Hwy, on block north of Busch Blvd.

Ten minutes to success... 813-968-2810.