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.

We're BACK Baby!

So, after a Covid hiatus, the studio has reopened to much fanfare. We had a parade, elephants, a marching band, jugglers, cotton candy machines, and cheering crowds like you wouldn't believe. In fact, the new organizations that covered it were 24/7, surely you saw it on CNN, ABC, FOX, etc, right? RIGHT?

Okay, none of that happened, but yes, we're back open with a whole new set of rules to satisfy the social media mobs charged with governing our thoughts and behaviours.

• EVERYTHING IS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
• ALL CLIENT AREAS ARE CLEANED AND DISINFECTED BETWEEN APPOINTMENTS
• WEAR THE MASK PER GOVERNMENT MANDATES (you can take it off for your passport photo, we're not stupid)
• NO CONTACT MEANS NO HANDSHAKES, NO FIST BUMPS, NO ELBOW BUMPS
• FREE TEMPERATURE TAKEN (if requested)

The message is... we're here and we're doing everything we can to accommodate our wonderful passport clients within the bounds allowable by the laws of government and nature. 

Call us for an appointment! 813-968-2810

Jamaican Passport Photos

Jamaican Passport photos have a fairly new requirement.... matte finish paper. Most of the rest of the planet requests glossy, and at one time, so did Jamaica. This changed and we found out the hard way when one of our photos was rejected due to the glossy finish.

Most sources for the paper we use for passports only carry glossy, so we went on a global search for the perfect photo paper with a matte finish that could be paired successfully with our printers. WE FOUND ONE!

If you're in need of a Jamaican Passport photo with a matte finish, you've come to the right place. Newsome's Studio of Photography, located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa can do that for you.

Please call 813-968-2810 for a convenient 10 minute appointment!

Chinese Visa

We recently found ourselves with an increase in Chinese Visa requests. Turns out, a nearby high school was planning a summer field trip China and all the students needed a set of Chinese Visa photos.

Being the only source in town for photos that can be measured in millimeters, Newsome's Studio was tapped to create the 33x48mm images for all their students and parent chaperones.

Newsome's Studio of Photography is located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa (Cypress Point Office Park) in Carrollwood.

Call for an appointment at 813-968-2810 and get your Chinese Visa photos in less than 10 minutes.

US Passport Photos

The US passport photo is only a 2x2" print. The passport office DOES have head size requirements, background requirements, and eyeglass requirements (none allowed), but they just don't seem to have any QUALITY requirements.

If they did, then drug stores, auto clubs, and post offices likely wouldn't bother with them.

Every time someone walks into my studio with a pair of blurry, underexposed, off center, greenish passport photos and screams "HEEEELLLLP!" I know what has happened.

I highly encourage people to seek out Tampa's Best Passport Photographer before venturing into the path of point and shoot held by someone who can't tell you the difference between an aperture and an FStop.

I don't sell toothpaste. I sell photographs. And passport photographs are with you for TEN YEARS! Do it right. Call Newsome's Studio at 813-968-2810 and schedule a ten minute appointment today.

"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.

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

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.

Central Florida's Passport Photo Experts

The most experienced Passport Photographer in Central Florida... right here!

Canadians in the Tampa Area

It's always been my understanding that our friends and neighbors to the north who live in Florida part-time, typically arrive here around Labor Day (first week of September) and go back north around Easter (April). 

Not sure if the April 16th Easter weekend has anything to do with it, but the uptick in Canadians renewing their passports had jumped dramatically since February. I suppose if you're needing to update your Canadian Passport before crossing the border, now is as good a time as any!

Newsome's Studio of Photography routinely provides 6-10 Canadian passport photos per week. And considering how difficult it is for many photographers to create an acceptable Canadian passport photo of 50x70mm, with a head size of 31-36mm, in focus, and well lit, it's comforting to know that Newsome's has such a stellar reputation with the Canadian Consulate, that we're on their preferred photographer list for photos.

Give us a call, 813-968-2810 and schedule your ten minute appointment.

US Immigration and Visa Photos

Tampa Visa Photographer

Newsome's Studio provides photo services to create Visa, Immigration, Citizenship, Green Card, and Passport photos for any country. The US standard is 2x2 inches, but most all other countries are measured in millimeters, and come in all sizes and colors. If we don't have the specs on your particular photos, we'll get them (sometimes it helps if you bring your paperwork with you, just to be sure we know what you need). Either way, there is no size or requirement we can't do.

And the best part is, we do these while you wait. It only takes a few minutes - usually less than ten - to create a set of images for any of your passport style photos.

We do work by appointment, so PLEASE call us before coming down. We do a lot of work outside the studio, so we can only promise to be here for you if you have an appointment. 

See you soon! 813-968-2810

Located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 219, Tampa, FL 33618.

Proper Size for Foreign Passport Photos - Tampa

A Passport Photo has certain quality requirements, set forth by the various governments around the world. Contrary to popular belief in the states, the entire planet does not use the Imperial Measurement System (miles, yards, feet, inches). In fact, the only countries still using that system are the US, Burma, and Liberia. The rest of the planet is on the Metric System (kilometers, meters, centimeters, millimeters). Thus, when a foreign government sets it specs for that country's passport photos, it's measured in millimeters, not inches.

A common size for many European Passport Photos is 35x45mm. The Canadian passport photo is 50x70mm. The passport photo for India is 35x35mm and for a Greek passport photo, it's 40x60mm. These are not sizes that can accommodated by the local drug store or post office. All that most of them are capable of doing is 2x2 INCHES.

If you're a citizen of a foreign country and living in the US, you'll need to go to a professional photography studio who specializes in passport photos that can be custom sized in millimeters.

Newsome's Studio of Photography in North Tampa (Carrollwood), located 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) can provide you with the exact size specified by your country's passport office.

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

British Passport Photo Photographer, Tampa

Our local UK citizens needing to update their British Passports, need a special size photo to accompany their passport documents. In the United States, we measure in inches. In the United Kingdom, the standard is in millimeters. A UK Passport photo is 35x45mm, with a head size of 29-34mm tall. The local drug stores will not even attempt a measurement that precise, thus, you need to call a true professional photography studio.

Newsome's Studio of Photography is located at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy in Carrollwood (Cypress Point Office Park), and is your go-to professional photography studio for all foreign passport photo requests. By appointment only, they can accommodate your British Passport Photo needs in less than ten minutes. Call 813-968-2810 for more information.

British UK Passport Photographer, Tampa

A few times a week, a Tampa resident will call asking us to create a set of British Passport Photos to renew their UK Passport.

The UK Passport photos, like all European countries, are measured in millimeters, not inches. The standard size for a British or UK passport photo is 35mm x 45mm, with specifics on the head size, the background color, etc. Get it wrong, and you'll be waiting several more weeks to re-file.

Get it right the first time by calling Newsome's Studio of Photography, Inc., located in Carrollwood (North Tampa) at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. Call 813-968-2810 to schedule an appointment and there will be no waiting and you'll be done less than ten minutes with your finished images in your hand!

Passport Photos, Tampa

Your passport photo doesn't HAVE to make you look like a criminal! If you're going to have to live with an image for ten years, you might as well stack the odds in your favor that it's an image you actually like.

US citizens needing a US Passport Photo (2x2 inch) have plenty of options as to where to get these taken, but those options get very limited when selecting where to go for a GREAT Passport Photo. Proper lighting, a high quality camera, and more than one shot taken, can greatly improve your chances for success. You may not be able to get that from a drug store, but you WILL get that from Tampa's Passport Photographer, Newsome's Studio of Photography.

Located in Cypress Point Office Park at 10012 N. Dale Mabry Hwy in Carrollwood, Newsome's Studio has been providing top quality US Passport Photos for nearly 30 years.

Invest in that image wisely. You'll be looking at it for TEN YEARS!