Passport Photo Professional

Sarkis, one of the best portrait photographers ever.

Depending on what country you're going to some won't let you in if the passport is about to expire in six months. Why is there an expiry date on the passport if it's not good for the last six months? That's like putting an expiry date on yogurt and having it go bad ten days before the date.

I didn't find out about this expiry oddity until travelling to London and finding out my passport was going to expire a month later. When I found out it was the week before I was going to leave. Long enough to worry about it but not long enough to apply for a new passport and get one in time to go. The slowness of processing is partially due to the slow turn around time that is normal on getting any government thing done but also because there's a back up of applications for those applying to travel to the United States.

Up until now, travelling to the United States as a Canadian has been relatively easy. Show them your birth certificate and a driver's licence and you're in. You can still do this until the end of 2007 if crossing the border via car or bus. However if you're taking the plane you have to have a valid passport. This doesn't really bug me as you need a passport to go to other countries any way.

To make things easier for us computer folk, the government has put the applications on-line. Yes you can actually download the passport application from the web.

With any passport you need a good photo. There are standards that the government requires. No glare on the image, you can't wear glasses, no smiling. Yes, no smiling, because passport pictures are a serious matter and the guys at the border can't tell if you're a terrorist if you're smiling. Why not make it even easier for them and make one of the requirements of your photo being that you're not fully awake. Usually when I'm flying anywhere the long line ups while waiting for the plane to get my boarding pass and check my luggage leave me with little or no energy. A photo of me being tired would match me perfectly in that instance.

The photo must also be black and white. I'm not sure the reason for this. "We must make your picture look as drab and as boring a possible." floats through my mind. Luckily when taking your photo the official passport photo people know all this and will tell you while you're getting your photo taken.

Hidden away in a deserted mall at 137 Yonge street is a photographer by the name of Sarkis. He's been there, what seems to be, forever. As a kid I seem to remember him being there when I used to spend time walking around with my parents. As a fellow photographer I can now appreciate the work that he puts into photographing his subject. When you get seated he tells you how to smile, tilt your head and even sit to get the best results.

He's not only fast and efficient but also quite friendly. Maybe that comes from taking photos of so many people over the years. I can't give this photographer enough praise. If you have to get a passport picture taken I would highly recommend going to Sarkis. For under $20.00 you'll get your picture in under 15 minutes.


Sarkis is hidden away in this building