A Hijab Struggle I Faced

Assalamu alaikum everyone, I wanted to share something that happened and ask if others have experienced the same. A while back, I went to get my passport photo taken. I'd already paid the fee, which was non-refundable, so I felt pretty stuck. When I went into the room, the photographer was a non-Muslim man. He told me I had to remove my hijab to take the picture. I felt a lot of pressure-my female family member with me also said I should just take it off to get it done, and the man insisted he wouldn't take the photo unless I did. He mentioned I'd need a special inquiry to keep it on, otherwise, it had to come off. With all that pressure, the non-refundable payment, and feeling like I couldn't just leave, I ended up removing my hijab for the photo. Looking back, I really regret it and wish I had found a way to handle it differently. Has this happened to any other sisters or those with female family members? This non-mahram made me take off my hijab twice during the process. I'm wondering, is this common? Is this something new Muslims should be aware of if they want to keep their hijab on for official photos?