Just found some old passport size photos of myself while cleaning the room, so just wanted to write something, so writing this blog.

Remember those days, when your parent put your passport size photo in your school admission form (Actually I don't remember that, I was 3-4 years old) but after that, I remembered most of the days when I have to go to get clicked for passport size photo because you need it for some random form or something.
A little history about passport photos, Initial when the passport was issued they were issued without photographs. They used to describe passport bearer in words like this "having a straight nose, fair complexion, and oval chin". In late 1914, Secretary of US State William Jennings Bryan introduced the idea of passport photographs (no larger than three inches by three inches) to make the passport a more accurate personal identification document. The passport photograph was considered to be an entirely truthful image that could be used to reliably link a person to a passport and thus accurately establish an individual’s identity. After that, it has been used for all different purposes (Source 1, Source 2).
Now after 100 years, Passport photographs (physical copies) are mostly only used in the process of applying for a passport. This concept passport photo will remain here forever, not physically but digitally. But that nostalgia and excitement of getting ready for clicked and waiting for print will not be there. I remembered I used to go to this photo studio called Oberoi studio (Just the name is fancy, the studio was ok) for getting clicked, and after being clicked, I always asked to photographer (in excitement) "Bhaiya photo kab tak milegi (When will I get photos)", In early days when printers were expensive not many digital cameras are there in
market, So camera uses this negative film roll and they have to go with the traditional method of printing photos, which takes a lot of time. So you will have to do one visit to get clicked and another visit to take photos from the studio. They hand over your photos with one negative image. And then you look at photos to find out that you have closed your eyes in the last moment of clicking the photo, or you have kept your mouth open or you have made a crying face (like in this image).

They gave a negative image with passport size photos so that you can reprint it in the future if you want more copies of the same photo. I was very fascinated by the whole idea of how the picture gets printed from that film roll. I have
borrowed the same camera from a friend for my school event, the thing is that film roll was not expensive but the printing is very expensive and takes a lot of time to get printed, Also it has a limit of clicking only 32-36 photos in each roll, so you have to be more aware of what to click when to click and you have to do all that calculation to efficiently use the film roll.
After some time when digital cameras and printers are becoming more affordable. Photo studio started to give you printed photos within 5-10 mins. Also now you can make yourself more beautiful in between the process of getting clicked and printing photos. All because of this digital tool called photoshop, This also fascinates me same as the "idea how the picture gets printed from that film roll". So many options to manipulate the original image. Now I can look good in all photos, but the photographer told me to not smile too much for passport size photo, but better than having a crying face in the photo. For smiling-type photos, we used to go to a photo studio once a year or once in two years. Photographers always ask me to hold a flower or stand with a stupid flower pot or some stupid props (Not going to share those cringe photos here). I also don't complain about it at that time, cause no one wants opinions from children. Dude, I have a picture of myself in a frock, what can I say.
And then the era of mobile came, now everyone has a camera in their mobile and can manage to click decent photos. Now you can click photos from mobile and get printed from the nearby printing shop. No need to go to a photo studio two times to get your passport size photo, no need to worry about how you will look in the printed photo, no more worrying about the count of clicks remaining in negative film roll, and no more cringe photos.
Now we have more other problems to overthink and worry about.😛
Peace ✌️
An entertaining one 😂