Getting a high-quality passport photo doesn’t need to be an arduous and time-consuming process. A simple solution is to take the photo yourself to avoid the time and expense of using the automatic machines at airports and train stations. Here are a few tips for taking a passport photo:

Daylight is best

The best time to take the passport photo is in the day when there is a lot of natural light. Stand somewhere that gives plenty of natural light to avoid shadows on the background or face. It is important to use flat lighting to minimize the risk of a photo being rejected due to shadows.

Facial expression

Take the photos while holding a natural, relaxed facial expression. Make sure to avoid blinking, smiling, or any other expressions. Use the camera’s self-timer and take several snaps and choose the one that is most appropriate.

Plan what to wear

It helps to keep it professional and wear a collared shirt or blouse. Try to avoid the loose-fitting clothes that don’t give the best look in photographs. A light-colored shirt is great for those with dark hair, while a dark top is practical for light hair. Also, it may be practical to groom yourself. Get the hair cut if necessary and wear neutral make up to stop a photo looking unflattering and garish.

Your surroundings

It is essential to have neutral surroundings when taking the passport photo. A light-colored background is the preferred option. Avoid dark or bright colors for your surroundings. For instance, a red background can create a luminescence effect that is likely to reflect back onto you. Try to recreate something similar to a photo booth with the clean and light background.

Use passport photo software

The passport photo software makes it really easy to click and select a preferred picture and have it printed out in a matter of minutes. The actual photo can be taken using a digital camera with a timer feature, or have a family member take the appropriate picture. The software gives the option to edit, crop or rotate the image to match the exact criteria of the passport. However, it is essential to avoid any post production that manipulates your appearance because this will likely mean the photo gets rejected.

Once the editing is done, use a high-quality photo paper with a decent resolution at the same onscreen size. The photo must be free of marks, creases and tears, so make sure to avoid using low-quality paper.

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Delphi has survived the ravages of earthquakes and time, although it is hard for us today to imagine why this remote place was the centre of the ancient world. However, it was the home of the sun god Apollo and visited by the rich, famous and nobility of the day.

Delphi is most famous for the oracle, which attracted the visitors to the site. All of them wanted to have advice from Apollo given to them by his priestess.

The priestess in attendance at the oracle did not see visitors every day. She gave her prophecies once a month, for nine months a year, but only if the omens were favourable. There must have been queues of people waiting to hear what their futures held.

Apollo’s priestess spoke while perched on a tripod hanging over a hole in the ground. In recent years archaeologists and geologists discovered that she sat over a fissure through which fairly noxious vapours escaped. The priestess was undoubtedly affected by these, as they were methane, ethane and ethylene. It must gave been a hallucinatory experience.

It is said that this place was discovered by goats and a goatherd, who noticed that his goats were behaving very oddly. He went to investigate and started to prophesy. He wasn’t unique, anyone who went near the fissure did the same.

The priestess gave her prophecies in riddles,so this meant that interpretations wee necessary and sometimes these were woefully wrong. One famous example is when King Croesus (remember the saying as rich as Croesus?) of Lydia visited Delphi and asked the oracle to say whether or not he should attack the Persians. The answer was “Cross the border and a great empire will fall.” Croesus took this to mean that he would be victorious and the Persian empire would be vanquished. What actually happened was that he lost the battle. As a remonstrance to the priestess, and so also to the god Apollo, he sent his chains to Delphi.

In response he was told “”You should have asked which empire would fall.” There was no apology. The priestess and the god Apollo were above reproach.

Delphi was extremely rich as rulers such as Croesus sent their riches to the site of the oracle in the hope that this could favourably influence their fortune. As illustrated in the story of Croesus, however, these gifts did not always work.

These days you come across Delphi suddenly. It nestles between the two ‘Shining’ Rocks on Mount Parnassus. You can’t see it as you approach the ancient site from the road, but suddenly – there it is. There’s a certain ‘Wow’ factor involved.

When you have negotiated the rocks and boulders that strew the site, visit the museum. You’ll need at least three hours to see everything.

If you have time visit Arachova, a good place to stop for lunch, and don’t leave without seeing the nearby 11th century monastery of Osio Loukas. There are some marvellous frescos and icons, the work of Michael Damaskinos, the renowned Cretan icon painter of the 16th century.

Everyone should visit Delphi at least once in a lifetime. It’s an incredible place, even now.

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It is easier than you think to set up luxury travel plans with great upgrades. Yet you don’t have to pay full price for them. In fact, you can often get those rewards without paying much more than you would for the basics. It all comes down to finding the best deals and putting them in motion. Rather than spending a great deal of time to do this, you can get it done through a provider.

There are luxury travel planners who love looking for specific offers and deals to match the needs of their clients. Once you share with them where you would like to go and what you are interested in, they can spend some time looking around. Once they find options, they can discuss them with you. The final say of what you do and what you pay is always up to you.

Finding a Provider

The key to getting terrific results with luxury travel planners is to find a provider you can trust and that allows you to get exactly what you need. The longer they have been in business and the better reputation they have, the easier it is for you to put the planning into their hands. Ask questions and make sure you know what other customers have to say about their experiences.

Find out about the types of methods and resources the provider uses to find you deals. The best luxury travel planners are efficient and they know where to look and what resources to use to offer you the best outcome. They are interested in offering you overall value, not just saving you money. They want you to become a repeat customer and to refer your friends to them.

One of a Kind Experiences

They are experts and that means they can offer you one of a kind experiences. They can include perks and bonuses you aren’t going to be able to get on your own. The connections luxury travel planners have with various entities means they can get you those sold out tickets you wanted or they can get you a dinner reservation where you thought it was all booked up for your timeframe.

They can also provide you with all-inclusive packages. This means everything you will do for activities is included in the price. Often, this comes with some great perks including upgraded seats and even first opportunities for the best time slots. It certainly doesn’t hurt to talk to them and see what they can do for you.

Making Memories

With the assistance of luxury travel planners, your travel plans will be above and beyond what you had hoped for. You will be able to make wonderful memories and never have to stress about your travel arrangements. Most can help with last minute travel plans, but it is best to contact them as soon as you know where you want to go and when.

The more time they have to put it all together for you, the more exciting it is going to be. If you travel often, it isn’t going to be hard to forge a long term relationship with luxury travel planners. They will learn to identify what you like and prefer, and that helps them to make additional recommendations for you down the road. No more spending lots of time trying to get results on your own. Just contact them and they will do all the legwork for you. Then they can give you results and you can pick and choose what you want to take part in.

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My long-time dream came true when I visited Konya (Turkey) in the first week of April 2017, to pay my respects to the 13th century great Sufi saint, a dervish, philosopher, spiritual leader and a preacher of Divine love, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi. Rumi do not belong to a particular religion or sect. His words of wisdom and his message of love is for all mankind, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

The ancient city of Konya is the second most visited city of Turkey after Istanbul. Apart from its historic significance, Konya has become a pilgrimage city not only for Muslims but also for people of other religions who seek spiritual guidance from Rumi’s poetry and treat Rumi as their spiritual leader. Rumi spent most of his life in Konya and was buried there. In 1927, his monastery was converted into a museum named as Mevlana Meuseze or the Maulana Museum. Maulana is a religious title for respect. In the west Maulana is known as Rumi and the museum named after him as Rumi Museum.

Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi was born in Balkh (now Afghanistan) in 1207 and came to Konya alongwith his parents when he was only 12 years old. Rumi became a great religious scholar of his time and started teaching Koran and Islamic Sharia to his students. After meeting with Shams Tabriz at the age of 37 his whole life changed. He became a whirling dervish and followed the footsteps of his Murshed Shams.

Shams Tabriz filled Rumi’s heart with Divine spiritual enlightenment and taught him the knowledge what he could not learn from the books. After that Rumi started writing poetry. He wrote 70,000 verses in a period of 25 years. Rumi’s poetry, written in the Persian language, has been translated in all the prominent languages of the world, and thus Rumi has become the best known, most respected and the most read poet of the world.

Rumi Museum is opened daily from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm and the admission is free. Before entering the Rumi’s shrine, everyone is required to wear thin plastic covers on shoes as respect for the holy place. In the main room there are many tombs of Rumi’s family and followers. Rumi’s tomb is covered with a large thick cloth embroidered in gold with a big green turban placed on it. Besides his tomb there is the tomb of Rumi’s father, Maulana Bahauddin Valed.

In the next room, placed in the glass cases are the hand written books of Rumi’s poetry written in Persian language, hand written Holy Quran in various periods, clothing belonging to Rumi and his son Sultan Veled, caps belonging to Rumi and his Murshed Shams Tebriz, etc. The next is the prayer room for men and women. The main shrine was built by Seljuk emperors while the rooms in front of the main shrine were added in the times of Ottoman Sultans and became a part of the Rumi Museum.

Rumi left this world on 17 December 1273. This day is remembered every year as his leaving this world and “wedding with God”. Every year, on 17 December, pilgrims from all over the world come to Konya to pay their respects to the 13th century great poet and Sufi saint. They participate in religious ceremonies and witness the whirling dervishes performing live in front of the pilgrims.

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