Most long-time residents of Fort Campbell know it as the Photo Lab. A stone’s throw from Gate 3, the World War II-era building at 832 Florida Ave. has seen more than 100,000 Soldiers over the past 25 years. They all had one thing in common: a desire for career advancement.
The lab part of the photo facility no longer exists. The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Defense regulations mandated a transition from chemical to digital processing in the mid-1990s. The darkrooms are now office space and the bulky film processing machines and chemicals have been replaced by computers and digital printers.
The studios, however, have not changed. Lights.Camera. DA Photo.
The Multimedia Visual Information Service Center takes between 5,000 to 8,000 Department of the Army photos annually. The busiest times are a month before any board, especially the Sergeant First Class Promotion board in late January.
To ensure each Soldier is provided with a quality photo, Soldiers must plan and schedule an appointment as early as possible. MVISC is moving the appointment process online to allow Soldiers to schedule appointments any time on a Common Access Card-enabled computer. By going to www.vios-east.army.mil, Soldiers can see all available appointments and select the time that works best for them. The online system is currently up and running and may be used to schedule appointments set for Nov. 1 or later. Soldiers calling in to MVISC will be directed to the website.
“The system ensures that every Soldier gets the chance to make his or her own appointment,” said MVISC lead photographer Jerry Woller. “It will keep them from making multiple appointments, hoping to get a good photograph….The system is going to be fair.”
While appointments may be made online, there are still only so many appointments available. Waiting until just before a promotion board is a recipe for disaster. It is not uncommon to have the schedule full six weeks before the promotion board cut-off date.
The photo studio is open for appointments Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
“If a Soldier is going to cancel or change an appointment, they have to do it themselves online,” Woller said.
“The two biggest challenges Soldiers face are getting an appointment at the last minute and having a uniform that does not fit,” said MVISC Visual Information Manager David Bilan.
DA photographers are not allowed to enhance or change the photograph. They cannot digitally make the Soldier thinner or take wrinkles out of their uniform.
“The Bible for [Soldiers] is the ‘Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia,’” Bilan said. “They should work with their [noncommissioned officers] to make sure they get it right.”
Soldiers have three days from the time the photo is taken to accept or reject it or it will be automatically forwarded.
Once the Soldier approves the photo, it is then sent to the Department of the Army Photograph Management Information System. DAPMIS receives the official DA photo directly from the Army’s worldwide photo labs and is specifically designed to eliminate DA photo-accountability problems, such as lost, incorrect or damaged hard copy photos. According to Army regulations, the DA photo is valid for five years.
“Ninety-five percent of Soldiers who work to look good will get a good photograph,” Bilan said. “Our goal is to provide the best quality photo we can.”
