PA S S P O R T P H OTO S 1
One really bad thing about a lousy passport photo: Youre stuck with it for 10 years. We asked Travel staffer Anne McDonough to pop into five shops close to the Washington Passport Agency (1111 19th St. NW) within a two-hour period on the same afternoon. Her mission: to see what developed. If only she hadnt been having a bad hair day.
The Basics Photo taken at Ritz Camera (1750 L St. NW, 202-861-7710) with a digital camera. Price: Two photos for $15.81, eight for $21.09 The Experience The first take looked goofy, so we tried again. and again. but the vendor was patient and the camera digital, so we didnt feel bad. Within minutes we had two photos in a cute passport-lookalike folder. If we were going for the SPF 200 look, then this is the shot. The process took about eight minutes, from first snap to being handed dry prints. Pros and Cons Pro: Shooting digital means retakes dont cost a cent; having eight images is good for a multiple visa trip. Con: Camera ran out of memory; shots were erased as taken, so there was no way to compare images. Pro: Shop opens early. Staffer later told us the pale image was due to variance in film, so shop would comp a retake (normally it shoots digital). Con: Otherwise, to reshoot runs $5 more. Even a full-blown studio didnt help our causewe call this one the Prison Break photo. Despite our pleading, we were told that we could get a retake only if the photo was sure to rejected by the Passport Agency (i.e., if our eyes had been shut). The picture was shot and blow-dried before we could say boo. Or even fully sit down for that matter. Pro: Shop opens early, plus its the closest one to the passport agency (its even got the same address). Con: That price, which staffer later told us was due to high quality of film. Vanity wasnt deemed a good enough reason for a free retake on this unappealing photo. We blame our own sullen look for this one. Pro: We liked the honesty at this shop. The congenial owner told us later he usually refers squirmy babies and the, ahem, truly vain to digital shops. Con: Sadly, greens not our color. To reshoot, its $5 more. A peek in the mirror didnt prepare us for the windblown effect we got with this digital Glamour Shot. We were channeling Mona Lisa, but the photog didnt seem a fan. I told you to smile, he said. Pro: Had we wanted to reshoot, it would have been free. Plus, you get a bonus enlargement of your passport photo. Con: You get a bonus enlargement of your passport photo. Its digital and gives us that wry, mysterious look you want in a travel document. It was speedy and a fair price, but we wont be flashing this shot around. Bottom Line The price was right, and we think the picture sort of looks like its subject. Thats the point, right?
Photo taken at ID Systems (1413 K St. NW, 202-2656500) with a conventional insta-developing camera (digital camera was broken). Price: Two photos for $12.50, four for $19.25. Photo taken at DAX Visa Services (1111 19th St. NW, 202-466-8300) with a conventional instadeveloping camera. Price: Two photos for $24.27.
The cheapest photo of the buncheven if we did go home looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost. We actually paid to look like this?
Photo taken at Green Press (1107 19th St. NW, 202-785-3456) with a conventional instadeveloping camera. Price: Two photos for $14.28, four for $19.56. Photo taken at MotoPhoto (1105 19th St. NW, 202-293-5484) with a digital camera. Price: Two photos for $15.85, four for $21.50.
Prices include tax. For more information on passport photos, check out the U.S. Department of States Passport Services and Information Web site, www.state.gov/travel, and the Bureau of Consular Affairs Office Web site, http://iafdb.travel.state.gov.