arkon

This is not a whinge just a funny that happened today.
We took the baby to be photographed for his passport photo, we took him to a local photography shop to get it done on the spot. The shop sells cameras etc and specializes in taking photos and developing them then and there. When we asked for a passport photo to be take we were asked why! Why does he need a passport! Then he is a bit young for a passport isn’t he? The were not joking and deadly serious they didn’t think it was right to do it. Anyway we insisted but then they couldn’t find the flash card for the camera. 30 minutes later they found the card but then couldn’t figure out how to work the camera. Baby is getting restless by this point and starting to grizzle. I think you should feed him says the woman. I can’t says the wife unless you want me to get me tits out in the middle of the shop. Oh no says the woman but I do think you should feed him. Anyway after a standoff where we refused to feed him and insisted she just take the photograph she stands there for another 10 minutes with the baby lined up in the viewfinder but not pressing the button. What’s the problem we ask, Oh I’m waiting for him to smile she says. There’s really no need we say please just take the photo he’s going to scream the place down soon if you don’t take it soon. The woman refused to take it unless he smiled and said maybe it would be better if we came back next week to get it done and he might smile then.

Suffice it to say we left the shop with no photo, a grizzly baby and no intention of going back. I should have gone to the shoe shop to get it taken, more chance of success methinks.

spalen

Dont bunnings do passport photos?

arkon

LOL, theres no pulling the wool over your eyes is there? No bunnings probably sell the cameras but not the film. If they did have a photo booth then it probably won't have a money slot, and dispenses sand instead of your photograph.

ozzieeagle

It took me 3 trouble free mins to get our photos done here in Coburg. The shop is one of those Kodak express shops, It is run by a Vietamese shopkeeper, with some family back up. There are two other shops in the Coburg shopping strip that I could have had the photograph taken at, and they would have been equally trouble free ?????

Whats going on mate ?

NIGENABBY

HOW VERY RUDE!! What if you just wanted to go to France for the day, or a holiday??

Anyway, I thought you were not supposed to smile in british passport photos?

I got a passport for my daughter at about 4 months, I took the photos on a digital camera at home and printed them there (do you have that option?) It took me about 30 photots to get a straight ahead, half deacent photo!!

Good luck

walaj

we did it at home too - For UK passport we put a white blanket over car seat and placed our baby in that to take picture with digital camera, so we could alter it to the required size.

ozzieeagle

You have to get it past the "gestapo' at the post office here, and they say "nein" to about 20 pct of photos taken, so good luck with home ones, is all i can say.

cranni

i had my paasport photos done at the main post office.

Elaine M

We took my grandson to the local camera shop where they do passport photos (this was in the UK). They were really impressed as he was the youngest baby they'd ever done - at 8 days old he just beat their previous record by 3 days!

They just laid him down on a white blanket and took the pics looking down at him, luckily he was as good as gold, all done in a few minutes!

No problems at all.

Elaine M

arkon

I think its to do with where we live, there seems to be a reluctance to actually sell you something here, I've lost track of the number of times I've been allowed to leave a shop without parting with a penny. I'll do the photo myself I think on the digital camera. I didn't think this would be allowed but after what a few of you have said I might give it a go. Talking of not wanting to sell you things, yesterday I went into the local tool shop to buy a special tool like a pair of special pliers for twisting wire when your making a wire fence. The guy said he had them but all I needed was a piece of metal with 2 holes drilled in it and then went on to draw how to make one. So I left the shop empty handed and have been busy making my own which is great as its saved me a few bob. I just can't get my head around this concept of a shop assistant talking you out of buying his goods.

OzTennis

Arkon, it just doesn't seem to matter what you do on the 'Fatal Shore' it just goes pear shaped!

A little Scottish saying I heard seems to apply. 'If I stood in dog shite, it would have a nail in it'.

OzTennis

poppet

We did a similar thing when we had to get photos of our 4 week old. We put a plain sheet on the floor and took about 50 photos before one was suitable according to the A4 sheet of instructions the Passport Office now issue with application forms. Head facing forward, eyes open and looking forward, mouth shut, no shadows... the list goes on and they have obviously never tried to take a photo of a baby. At least with the digitial camera we were able to make sure the photo was the correct size and the head the correct size within the photo. Then we discovered that, although the photos looked fine to us, our printer was not up to the spec required if you are printing your own photos at home. So £70 lighter and with new printer we finally get the (almost) perfect passport photo. Send it off to the passport office with all the forms. Passport is sent to us 3 weeks later and they have cropped the photo (perhaps the instruction sheet measurements wasn't correct??) - but they chopped her right ear off. So the poor girl has a passport photo with only one ear. Only hope they don't bring in facial recognition techniques at airports until her passport expires in 5 years time!! Certainly wouldn't recommend making too much effort with the photo. Good luck.

moneypenny20

I think it's Canada where you have to show the left ear WTF can't the rules be standard the world over? They are only slightly different but that is enough to cause problems. Getting the girls and hubby's aus passport photos done in England was like pulling hens teeth - understandable but irritating

The Crow

Poor Arkon - you don't have much luck do you
Perhaps you could post a photo of yourself and if there's a member who's a White Witch they can see if you have a troublesome aura

Vash the Stampede

You have to remember, Arkon is an expert. There's no way you could reproduce these results; it takes a professional.