Get Out of the Country!

Boy, if there were ever a time when most everyone feels like taking a break from life as we've come to know it, it would be now!

If you're going to take a vacay, take a big one! Well, as long as you can find a country that'll allow your US plane to land, that is.

But before you go, you may need to update your passport. And for those of you who have duel citizenship, you might need to update your foreign passport as well! Fortunately for you, Newsome's Studio of Photography is the most experienced passport photo creator in the southeast. Having successfully created passport, immigration, citizenship, visa, permanent residency, DV Lottery, and government issued ID photos for over 70 countries and counting, Newsome's Studio is on the preferred photographer list for consulates of several foreign countries. 

Measured in millimeters, foreign document photos cannot be created by most drug stores or travel clubs, you MUST go to a professional photography studio for custom sizes and Newsome's is THE studio to call in central Florida.

By appointment only, 813-968-2810.

Conceal Carry Permit Photos

Yes, we also provide the images needed to apply for a Weapons Permit, aka Conceal/Carry Permit. If you're a new or recent gun owner and are in need of a permit (IMO, every gun owner should apply for this, regardless of the type of gun they own), you're going to need to provide a passport styled photograph.

The specs are nearly identical to that of a US Passport and Newsome's Studio can provide that for you in less than 10 minutes.

Give us a call for your passport-style image and in just a few minutes, you'll walk out with your images.

Newsome's Studio of Photography... by appointment only... 813-968-2810

German Passport Photos

German passport photos are the same size and specs as the UK and France. All three call for two 35x45mm images taken on a light gray background with a head size of 32-36mm.

Because (like most of the planet), they're measured in millimeters, you're not likely to be able to get them from your local drug store or auto club. The measurements are very precise and must be custom cut and sized correctly in Photoshop to meet those requirements. In short, you really have to go to a professional photography studio that specializes in foreign passport photos.

Newsome's Studio of Photography, located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa (Carrollwood), has been providing passport photos for foreign citizens for several years. Having successfully done passport photos for over 75 countries and counting, we've yet to find a country's specs we couldn't create.

By appointment only, please call 813-968-2810 and schedule your 10 minute appointment to update your foreign passport photos.

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.

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 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

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!

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.

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.

International Passport Photographer Tampa

Hey, you're an International traveler, how awesome is that? If you're a US citizen, you'll need an updated US passport (one that won't expire within the next six months). And if you're a citizen of a foreign country, or a US citizen who plans to be traveling to China or some other country where a special visa photo is required, you're going to likely need a visa photo measured in millimeters.

That's where Newsome's Studio of Photography comes in. We are experts at producing customized passport and visa photos for all countries, regardless of size or specs. We've darn near seen it all, and we've got a great track record for making bureaucrats around the globe very happy.

Whether you need a 33x48mm Chinese Visa photo; a 35x45mm Australian passport photo, or a 50x70mm Canadian passport photo, we can take care of you in less than ten minutes. Just give us a call at 813-968-2810 and schedule yourself a ten minute appointment and get it right the first time!

DV Lottery Photo Photographer

It's that time again! November 17, 2017 is the deadline to submit your application for the Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery (aka DV Lottery).

You're going to need a passport size image that conforms to the size requirements similar to the US Passport, however, it isn't printed, it's submitted digitally, online only.

Essentially, that means you'll need to come to a photography studio (drug stores don't supply digital passport photos), and get a 600 pixel x 600 pixel JPEG, with your head sized properly for to their required specifications.

For your custom DV Lottery photo, all Tampa and St Pete area residents should call Newsome's Studio of Photography, located in Carrollwood (North Tampa) at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa (in Cypress Point Office Park, behind Starbucks at the corner of Linebaugh and N. Dale Mabry Hwy).

Call for an appointment, 813-968-2810.

US Passport Photographs

You might not know it, but the specs for a US Passport Photo have changed dramatically in recent years. Even I hadn't noticed it, but recently, I came in possession of all my mother's old passports. The style of the passport itself hasn't changed much, but the photo in it has.

Her oldest one was from the 1960's when she and my dad took a trip to Paris. Her passport photo was black and white (naturally), but it wasn't a close up, square to the camera, no glasses, and no smile. In fact, it was taken at an angle, sitting in a chair, 3/4 length (to her waist), and smiling like she'd just won a game of Monopoly!

As the years went by (every 10) her photos slowly began to conform to what we're all used to seeing today; they were slowly getting closer to the camera, more square to the lens, in color, but still smiling (smiling is something that is not allowed in foreign passport photos, and the US is starting to "frown upon" as well).

Nowadays, people practically look like they'd look if they'd just gotten off a nine hour plane ride full of screaming children, eaten nothing but peanuts, had no sleep in the last 24 hours, and were ready to kick a puppy! I suppose the custom agents just want us to look like we're going to look when we reach the customs desk, ya think?

US passport photos don't HAVE to look horrible, but evidently the border patrol WANTS them to.

Make the best of it and call Newsome's Studio at 813-968-2810. We'll help you look your "passport best!"

Greek Passport Photographer, Tampa

Fortunately for our Greek friends who live in the Tampa, St Pete area, the Greek Consulate is located in downtown Tampa at 400 N Tampa St, Tampa, FL 33602. This is important because in order for a Greek citizen to renew their Greek passport, they must appear in person at the Consulate.

And again, fortunately for them, Newsome's Studio of Photography in Tampa is on the Greek Consulate's "preferred photographer" list for providing the 40x60mm Greek passport photo they're required to have.

What that means is, Greek citizens from all over the state of Florida will make two appointments that day, one to visit Newsome's Studio to have their Greek passport photo made, then another, just 30-60 minutes later at the Greek Consulate to renew their passport (it's only 20-30 minutes from the studio, depending on traffic/time of day).

Located in Carrollwood's Cypress Point Office Park, at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa (behind Starbucks at the corner of Linebaugh Ave and N. Dale Mabry Hwy), Newsome's can provide your 40x60mm images in about 10 minutes.

We work by appointment only, so call 813-968-2810 and try to schedule it an hour prior to your appointment at the Consulate.