I was going to get my passport renewed today so yesterday night, I was looking for a place to have my pictures taken. Found Passport Photo on Yelp, read the awesome reviews and decided to give it a try. I read about the "imposter" shop and made sure that I went into the right unit. In and out took about 10 minutes. John was a very friendly and sociable guy. He greets everyone cheerfully and obviously puts effort into his work, as simple as it may appear to be. The photos turned out really nice! Yay for passport photos that don't make me look like a zombie! It doesn't hurt that it only cost $7.90 including tax as well!
The reason why I wouldn't go to a Shoppers Drug Mart, RCSS, or any of those chain stores is that it's like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. Employees are not hired for their photography skills nor their passport guideline expertise. On the other hand, John is a subject matter expert - he knows how the photo needs to be to meet guidelines. Given that planning a trip to the Passport office is not a walk in the park, I would hate to clear my calendar and then be turned away because the pictures did not meet guidelines.
If you need photo's done, go to Passport Photo and support a mom & pop shop!