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Photography/Questions Answered by Expert Joe Appel

SubjectDate Asked
Too many choices in point and shoot cameras9/10/2010
  Q: Can you recommend, from experience, a top notch digital I can buy? Image quality, low light ...
  A: I've got a Panasonic Lumix LX3 which does all of the things you listed except the powerful zoom. ...
Photographer for school newspaper aplication8/31/2010
  Q: I am apllying to be the photographer for the school newspaper and i was wondering what sort of ...
  A: Well, they're likely going to be looking for pictures of people. But really, the important thing is ...
resizing digital pictures.8/22/2010
  Q: I hope you can help. I have tried printing some pictures both obtained from the internet and ones I ...
  A: I'm not familiar with the picture printing software you're using but there are a few things I'd ...
Rebel XT Flash Choice5/11/2010
  Q: I am in the market for a flash for my Rebel XT. Problem is that some are made to sit to the side of ...
  A: I prefer to use flash units made by the same manufacturer as the camera. Depending on your budget, ...
Identify Old Photographers5/9/2010
  Q: I have a couple of antique photographs (10" x 24") of cadets at West Point. The name of the ...
  A: You might have better luck by directly calling the public library - or better yet - the local ...
Very urgent !!!!!!!5/2/2010
  Q: hey I’m busy with a project concerning photography. i am in need to find out what salary extents ...
  A: Salaries vary wildly according to experience, location, type of photography, etc. I think one can ...
A few photography questions1/5/2010
  Q: Appel; I am doing a science fair project about the effect of shutter speed and aperture on picture ...
  A: 1. When there is little ambient light, or if you purposely wish to create an effect such as star ...
white,round spots12/28/2009
  Q: Often times, when taking my digital photos, I see white round spots in the photo. One or a few... ...
  A: Well, it could be paranormal activity but most likely it is lens flare. Look for a light source in ...
Raw Format12/23/2009
  Q: I was thinking since you do photojournalism you might know a thing about RAW format since it ...
  A: Sorry it took me this long to answer. The Holidays are a busy time. I don't know why your camera ...
home vs. store photo prints11/9/2009
  Q: Is regular 4 by 6 type store photo paper that you would get from one hour photo or a kiosk laminated ...
  A: Yeah, the difference is that the home inkjet print is based on water soluble ink while the kiosk is ...
Digital Cameras10/10/2009
  Q: Hey Joe, I am picking up photography as a hobby and don't know much about it as of now. I know I ...
  A: If you're thinking about doing photography as a hobby as opposed to snapshots you're probably going ...
remote flash photography with a D200 and SB 800 flash7/14/2009
  Q: Even though I have loved photography all my life, I remain an amateur. I recently bought a Nikon ...
  A: Sure, no problem. Go into the menu of your camera and select the Custom Setting Menu. Go to E - ...
albums3/25/2009
  Q: Im trying t design an album for a cuxtomer on my own. I got this software called "Yervant Page ...
  A: I'm not personally familiar with Yervant Page Gallery, but I know a lot of photographers use it to ...
Digital cameras3/22/2009
  Q: Which of the following digital cameras is best: 1. Canon PowerShot A 590 IS, 2. Canon PowerShot ...
  A: Of the three, I'd go with the A1000 IS. It's the newest technology of the bunch. It shares the ...
glass glare12/9/2008
  Q: I have been tring to remove glass glare from some ones glass in photoshop 7. I have not been very ...
  A: That's a tough one, especially without seeing the image in question. Essentially what it sounds ...
Wide angle lens10/20/2008
  Q: I have an Olympus E-500 DSLR camera. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on wide angle ...
  A: You're always going to have better results using a true wide angle lens rather than attaching ...
Far objects9/12/2008
  Q: How may I get the best photo for far persons or animals (more than 1 mile far)? I need to obtain the ...
  A: David, A couple of things will help. First off, a really clear day. Secondly, a powerful ...
Photographers' Rights8/18/2008
  Q: I'm an 18 year old girl and I have a question about the rights of photographers. I'd like to start ...
  A: Well, what you've described (in graphic detail) is a situation where you're doing something in a ...
Techniques & accessories8/13/2008
  Q: I've taken a couple of photography classes before, but have mostly forgot them. I just bought a ...
  A: Becka, I'm not much of a filter user besides the standard Ultraviolet filter. In the old days with ...
public6/14/2008
  Q: I have googled my brains out trying to find out if taking photos of someone on a public street with ...
  A: While you're within your rights to take photos of people and places on and from public property, ...
going digital5/15/2008
  Q: i have been taking pictures for about 4 years already with my good Nikon N80 but I think it is time ...
  A: Yep, the D3 is a digital SLR with a full-frame sensor. It's also a little short of $5,000. I've ...
going digital5/14/2008
  Q: i have been taking pictures for about 4 years already with my good Nikon N80 but I think it is time ...
  A: Vinicio, Sounds like you're well on your way to a very nice system. About the only thing you might ...
hello5/6/2008
  Q: I'm a senior at Leilehua High School and I'm doing a senior project on photography i was wondering ...
  A: Wow, that's a huge question. I'll try to answer as much of it as I can. I'm a professional ...
cameras4/13/2008
  Q: please can you give me some pointers re what to upgrade to from a Canon 30D...I am lookiing at the ...
  A: Jane, I'm a Nikon guy, and have been for years. The new D300 is an extremely good camera. Like ...
Photos of Real Estate for Research3/4/2008
  Q: I realize that legal advice may not be your forte, but I thought this comes closest to ...
  A: As long as you are not on private property you are within your rights. People may not like you ...
Too Good to be True1/12/2008
  Q: I'm a newbie to cameras and could use your help. My local camera shop will charge me $450 more ...
  A: Mike, You're right, it's likely a gray market camera. Since you get no warranty if anything goes ...
New Camera12/21/2007
  Q: I'm about to invest in my first good camera. The main use for this will be to photograph my kids in ...
  A: I've heard good things about the Rebel, and have a high respect for Canon products in general. I ...
Digital Photography Outside12/15/2007
  Q: I have been stuck with taking digital photos only indoors for a while now. Whenever I take a ...
  A: Floyd, Given the sparse details I'll have to guess at what your problem is. Without knowing what ...
taking still pics for ebay, website9/18/2007
  Q: I have a website, colourtherapyspa.com, which you might look at if you don't get what I'm trying to ...
  A: Lisa, Since you're taking photos of little things, I think your task is made more simple. What you ...
hi7/13/2007
  Q: how long does it take for 35 milimiter negatives of 4x6 photos to fade? when pix fade do they do so ...
  A: Yom, The short answer is "it depends." Properly stored in archival sleeves in a cool, dark, dry ...
Quick Question7/4/2007
  Q: I am a new student to photography and I was curious if, after you focus a zoom lens, can it remain ...
  A: Skyler, A good zoom lens won't change focus when you change focal lengths, but many of the less ...
Coloured hue on B&W prints6/8/2007
  Q: Joe, I scanned a B&W photograph into my PC and printed it on my EpsonStylus Photo RX6409 printer. ...
  A: Eric, Yeah, it's definitely a printer issue. You might try using your advanced printer settings ...
Moving prints to digital6/7/2007
  Q: Good evening, I have some old prints that I would like to put into a digital photo album. Can you ...
  A: Ted, Scanning prints is tedious, but it is the best way to digitize them. It would be better if ...
Information on photo restoration5/25/2007
  Q: I recently brought a new scanner and new printer to assit me with photo restoration. My question is ...
  A: I've not had much experience calibrating screens. I don't see any reason why you couldn't calibrate ...
white balance4/28/2007
  Q: Canon Rebel XT. My question regards white balance. I have a number of insect eggs and plan on ...
  A: Pete, I think you're on the right track. What I'd do is set the camera's white balance each time ...
b/w Photo.3/11/2007
  Q: I like to start taking blk /wht photographs in landscaping and portraits. Which is the best camera ...
  A: You may want to consider bypassing film cameras altogether and purchasing a digital SLR along with a ...
Photographing Swing Dancers.12/20/2006
  Q: I'm interested in taking photos of social dancers, Swing, Salsa, Tango, etc. Most of these venues ...
  A: Well Chris, there's a couple of ways you can go. You can bite the bullet and use a flash. It can ...
Picture size12/1/2006
  Q: I have Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Lexmark printer.I never had problems printing pictures until ...
  A: My first guess is that your printer settings have been changed somehow. I don't think that ...
Software11/21/2006
  Q: I am trying to get started in photography. I was wanting to know what software would be best for ...
  A: Stacy, Without knowing what kind of computer you're using or more about your workflow, I can't ...
Orange pictures11/10/2006
  Q: I have a 3 y/o Sony Cyber Shot 3.2 mega pixel camera. For the past year or so almost all of the ...
  A: Jane, I'll answer your questions in the order you asked them. 1-I suspect the problem with the ...
Cannon Digital SLR Rebel10/24/2006
  Q: I have a digital cannon rebel and I do amateur free lance photography as a side business for family ...
  A: Sophie, When I shoot a wedding I use a combination of a 17-35mm and an 80-200mm lenses. The wide ...
School in FL10/20/2006
  Q: Would you be able to recommend a photography school in Miami, FL? Thank you in advance, Larry
  A: Larry, I went to the Southeast Center for Photographic Studies in Daytona Beach, FL. It's part of ...
jewellery photography10/18/2006
  Q: I have a canon powershot S3 digital camera.(6.0 mega pixels). I want to take photographs of ...
  A: I'm not familiar with your specific camera. However, most new cameras have a macro (or micro) ...
Digital Camera but have 35mm lens10/11/2006
  Q: I bought a 35mm camera(pentax ZX-50) and a 75-300 Tamron lens to go with that camera. Now I want to ...
  A: I suppose that would depend on the make and model of camera you buy. You might be able to have a ...
photography school9/11/2006
  Q: Sorry if this my be boring or too long but i need help on a decision on school. I Graduated ...
  A: Shelley, You're looking to get into photography as a freelancer instead of as an employee, right? ...
airshow prints9/2/2006
  Q: Hey Joe I hope you can help me on this one. I recently captured a great shot of a trick plane doing ...
  A: I'm not a lawyer. I can't imagine why you couldn't do that, though. It was a public event, he's a ...
report on photography businesss7/10/2006
  Q: I'm a college student taking a business class this summer. Our teacher assigned us businesses to ...
  A: Danielle, I'll try to answer your questions, but a lot of them don't apply to my situation. I work ...
Low Key camera work6/12/2006
  Q: Hey Joe, I really like street photography and the element of taking photos when I am traveling to ...
  A: Nope, you are what you are. I have found that as long as I am polite, sincere, and respectful ...
selling photos of popular locations6/9/2006
  Q: Can i legally sell photos of locations like restaurants, homes, raceways, or amusement parks?
  A: Kyle, For the most part, yes you can sell photos of places. As you might imagine there are a ...
Film or Digital?5/31/2006
  Q: Joe, I am trying to get into photography. However, I'm not sure what camera I should get. I'm ...
  A: Brennan, I really believe that film is dead. At least for the things you want to do. What you ...
best camera for beginners?5/6/2006
  Q: I'm taking up photography classes as an absolute novice/beginner, I have no idea what camera brand ...
  A: The nice thing about 35mm cameras is that since digital took over they're relatively cheap. If I ...
Canon EOS Rebel digital3/23/2006
  Q: If you cannot answer this question could you put me in touch with someone who can. You seem to be ...
  A: Jean, I use Nikons, but I played around with an EOS a few months ago and I think I know what you ...
going digital3/1/2006
  Q: i have about 200 rolls of films (regular 35 MM) halh are color and half B&W. What would be the best ...
  A: Short of taking the rolls of film to lab that does this sort of thing I think you're going to have ...
digital portraiture2/15/2006
  Q: hey Joe I recently bought a Nikon D-200 pro digital camera after years of using SLR's. I'm having ...
  A: Jacqueline, I've not yet had a chance to use that particular camera. What I do is pay close ...
Taking pictures1/31/2006
  Q: I have a Sony DSC-P92 Cyber-Shot Digital camera and I put up lots of auctions on eBay, so I am ...
  A: Seth, You're using a couple of lamps with incandescent bulbs. This gives off a yellowish-orange ...
Creating Slides1/25/2006
  Q: I am applying for a government grant for art education and need to provide slides mounted from 35mm ...
  A: Evan, Back in the old days we photographers used to shoot with film. Some of that film was ...
picture alteration12/24/2005
  Q: i'm not sure if you can help me, but i have some photos on my computer that i would wish to print ...
  A: Jamie, There ought to be a way to switch the orientation in whatever program you use to crop, tone, ...
General Questions for a photographer12/19/2005
  Q: my name is Linda and I am a student at Northeast High School in Philadelphia, PA. I was wondering if ...
  A: Whoa, Linda that's a lot of stuff to ask. Sorry if my answers are short, but here goes: 1. What is ...
Sports photography12/14/2005
  Q: I'm an aspiring sports photographer, and looking at some of the clients in your profile I thought ...
  A: Natasha, Are you familiar with the Joseph Heller book, Catch 22? The illogical nature of starting ...
Filters for digital camera12/2/2005
  Q: I have a set of filters [polaroid, sky and fluorescent] for my Olympus C-720 camera, and have ...
  A: Henry, You're right, it makes no difference at all whether the filter is on the front of the lens ...
Hi, how are you? I am writing...10/23/2005
  Q: how are you? I am writing because I am an amateur photographer and I use a lot my SRL camera, but ...
  A: Alex, You'll have better luck if you scan the photos in at as high a resolution as you can. I ...
Overexposure on Digital Camera10/13/2005
  Q: I have a Canon PowerShot S1 IS (digital camera) and my question regards trying to "force" a blurry ...
  A: Merilee, Yeah, you're trying to do something that seems to be beyond the capabilities of your ...
background colour9/26/2005
  Q: I have a Canon EOS 20D camera and have been trying to take pictures of jewellery placed in a cocoon ...
  A: Sal, You might try moving the lights a bit to add a little more light to the background. You also ...
buying a camera9/13/2005
  Q: If you had to pick either of these two cameras, Olympus Ultra Zoom C-770 or the Kodak Easy Share ...
  A: I think that both cameras are quite nice. The Kodak is a bit cheaper. I doubt that there's a rapid ...
File size with digital cameras8/27/2005
  Q: I have a new digital camera and am confused about the file size of my pictures. I took birthday ...
  A: Without more information all I can do is guess. I've observed that some pictures have higher file ...
digital SLR8/24/2005
  Q: I want clean crisp photos, I have been looking at the Canon Rebel digital XT or one of the Nikon ...
  A: Beth, Either one of the cameras you've named would be a good choice. I use the D70 on a daily ...
astrophotography8/19/2005
  Q: i want buy a digital camera for astrophotography but my budget is limited, is it suitable to buy ...
  A: Alireza, I don't do much time-lapse photography. I do think that it would be desireable to have a ...
digital vs. film8/7/2005
  Q: Beyond just the darkroom vs. a computer, how do digital cameras and film cameras really contrast?
  A: Melissa, Darkroom vs. a computer is a big contrast. The convenience, the power to manipulate ...
digital cameras & strobe7/18/2005
  Q: I have been using a decent quality Sony digital for about a year...expecting to turn to Canon or ...
  A: Max, One of my biggest gripes about switching to digital SLR's was the impossibility of using the ...
photography subject law6/22/2005
  Q: I do not know if this is going to be simple or not. I was wondering, what is the protocol/law for ...
  A: Sheri, Generally speaking you can take photos of anybody or anything in a public place. That ...
Selling my first photo4/27/2005
  Q: I've recently been contacted by a professional racing team interested in seeing a set of photos I ...
  A: Mike, It's impossible to say what an average street price for selling photos is. There just isn't ...
Can Forensic Images be thought of as Fine Art?3/21/2005
  Q: I am working on my BFA in photography and a minor in Criminal Justice. I am working towards a ...
  A: Lexie, I'm no artist, but I think I can see what you're going for. Although I've no idea what a ...
Photographing artwork3/15/2005
  Q: I need some help in photographing my watercolor paintings. I have my favorite, Olympus OM1 and a new ...
  A: Laurie, You might try manually setting the white balance to match your light source. It also ...
inside lighting3/14/2005
  Q: I have a Nikon D70 w/ 18-70 zoom. Problem, I could not for the life of me get any decent shots of a ...
  A: John, That's a tough one. The situation is really quite common for a newspaper photographer. You ...
enlargment paper3/12/2005
  Q: Will Kodak polycontrast rc 4 enlargement paper (glossy) produce the same results as a 2 or 3 when ...
  A: Stephen, It's been a long time since I printed b&w. If memory serves, it is the same developer ...
Camera quality3/1/2005
  Q: My question is dealing with the quality of my camera and the application I may or may not be able to ...
  A: Austin, While I'm not familiar with your particular camera, it seems that the file sizes would be ...
Film2/10/2005
  Q: I've recently purchased an AF SLR camera for which I intend to use on various arts projects. I'm ...
  A: Stuart, I really don't know what you're talking about. Sorry. I can tell you that film from ...
Digital Wedding Photography2/7/2005
  Q: I have just bought a Canon 300d Rebel, and I have a couple of weddings coming up. I have a couple of ...
  A: Nicola, I think that the setting for the highest quality jpeg will serve your needs. You're going ...
Indoor people groups2/4/2005
  Q: I recently took a picture of a group of people in a large office. A white object in the centre of ...
  A: Tony, If it's an important shot then it never hurts to bracket. Sounds like your problem is mostly ...
Warm and arty pictures1/20/2005
  Q: Appel, I am a metal sculptor with a very basic knowledge of photography. I am creating my own ...
  A: Alfredo, Starting from the end - Photoshop is a great program but one of the things it can't do is ...
Beginning a Photography Business1/6/2005
  Q: Appel, My name is Faith Morrill, and I have worked as a photographer for the past four years. I've ...
  A: Faith, Like any business you're probably going to have some lean times at the beginning until you ...
Cameras12/22/2004
  Q: What type of camera would take high quality photos, both night and day...of generally anything or ...
  A: Michael, Without knowing whether you want a digital camera or not I'll try to offer a few ...
USM?12/5/2004
  Q: What is USM as it pertains to lenses? I have seen many lenses that say they are "USM" lenses, but I ...
  A: Paul, Canon uses an ultrasonic motor (USM) in their autofocus lenses. It refers to a silent ...
Flash12/4/2004
  Q: I just bought a Canon EOS Digital Rebel. Previous camera was a Canon T70. I have been a very amateur ...
  A: Jack, I've always had the best luck using a flash made by the same company that made the camera. ...
film ISO and studio flashes11/26/2004
  Q: I recently purchased three studio photo flash units rated @a maximum of 320 w/s each. I also have ...
  A: Mark, There ought to be a number on your shutter speed dial that is red or even a little flash ...
lens doubler11/21/2004
  Q: I have a nikon D100 and 28-200 lens which is great. i would like to obtain another longer lens . ...
  A: Martin, The main disadvantage of a lens focal length doubler is that you lose two stops. In other ...
Cannon PowerShot A75 digital11/20/2004
  Q: I recently bought this camera and took about 38 photos that was what fit in the memory card. I ...
  A: Richard, Your Canon A75 is a 3.2 megapixel camera. That means that the file sizes are probably ...
hi rez to lo rez11/12/2004
  Q: I have a 4.0 megapixel camera. Pictures taken with high resolution tend to be very large (i.e around ...
  A: Selim, I use Adobe Photoshop to lower the resolution of photos for e-mail or to sell an item on ...
MPEG Movies??10/26/2004
  Q: Thinking of buying a digital camera. Notice that some specify that can record movies in MPEG ...
  A: Kat, Digital cameras are great. I've got a Canon Elph 4 megapixel model that takes wonderful ...
Old cameras10/20/2004
  Q: 1 - Minolta Maxxum 300si SLR body with 2 - Vivitar 28-210. 72mm Autofocus 1:35 - 5.6 ...
  A: Marian, You might try to find the manuals on eBay. You might also try S & G Photographic Equipment ...
Choices10/3/2004
  Q: I am a beginner in photography. I have a choice between a Nikon coolpix 8700 or D70. Is the coolpix ...
  A: It depends on what you want to do with photography, how far you want to take it. If you're going to ...
car ad photography9/28/2004
  Q: I need to know the purpose of the photographing of different angles of a car in a car ad, such as ...
  A: Marie, Just like when I sell something on eBay you want as many views of an item as possible. ...
digital camera9/24/2004
  Q: How are you? A friend of mine purchased a digital camera (Fuji Finepix S7000). To his big surprize ...
  A: Eric, According to the review I read at www.dpreview.com the camera has a 10-step aperature range ...
Portrait quality printer???9/13/2004
  Q: Joe, My bf and I are hoping to purchase a portrait quality printer for his dad this christmas. ...
  A: Becky, The printer you're talking about does indeed sound like a good machine. I've not had any ...
circ polarizing filter7/23/2004
  Q: How are you? I am thinking of buying a circular polarizer filter for my camera. I am an amateur ...
  A: Eric, It makes sense to get the larger one and purchase an adaptor. I think you'd be happy with ...
How To7/12/2004
  Q: Mr. Appel: I have a Canon A1 that I haven't used in about 10 years. I used to take a lot of ...
  A: Buck, You're going to want to get the National Geographic Photography Field Guide. Get it at: ...
D70 RAW and Submissions7/8/2004
  Q: I am wanting to submit some of my shots to a photo library - a new one which opens in about october ...
  A: Andrew, The D70 won't meet these criteria. The image size of a D70 at 300 dpi is 254mmx169mm. ...
scanner6/19/2004
  Q: I am thinking to buy a film scanner, Ive looking on the net and I saw that the Nikon coolscan looks ...
  A: Marco, Sorry for the delay. My e-mail was unavailable to me for several days due to some sort of ...
Newbie - few questions6/14/2004
  Q: I currently getting more and more into digital photography and have just ordered my first SLR ...
  A: Andrew, "do I need to multiply by 1.5 (the conversion factor for that camera) to know the effect I ...
Digital Photo Printing4/27/2004
  Q: Joe, I have an HP 932c inkject printer hooked up to my computer at home. I plan on getting a new ...
  A: If you're happy with the results you've been getting with the printer then stick with it. As a ...
Dark room3/23/2004
  Q: Joe, I need 4 plastic trays that hold up to 16 x 20 prints for my dark room. Do you know where I can ...
  A: Leo, Sorry for the delay in answering this, but I never received the question. It was forwarded to ...
photo3/2/2004
  Q: Followup To Question - hi i have just purchased a canon a60 digital camera. Is has several modes, ...
  A: The things that I've told you about are general rules of photography and camera craft. For anything ...
photo3/2/2004
  Q: i have just purchased a canon a60 digital camera. Is has several modes, such as aperture priority ...
  A: Most likely the -2 to +2 setting has to do with exposure compensation. If the camera is making ...
Digital Vs. Film Cameras12/15/2003
  Q: I'm looking to get a new camera and I'm willing to spend around $1000. I was wondering what your ...
  A: Karen, More than the future of photography I think that digital is the current state of the art. ...
Digital camera & printing12/12/2003
  Q: I have a Sony F505v diital camera (3.3 MP). I have been able to print nice 8x10 photos on my Epson ...
  A: Freddie, 3.3 megapixels is a good size for acceptable 11x14 prints. If you're not too discerning ...

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Joe Appel

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Expertise

I can answer questions related to many areas of photography, but most specifically relating to photojournalism. I can also offer advice on digital photography in general.

Experience

I have been a staff photographer for a major metropolitan newspaper group (over 100,000 circulation) for 12 years. Concurrently, I have maintained a freelance photography business.

Publications
Rolling Stone, USA Today, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Palm Beach Post, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Super Street Bike, Motorcyclist, Sport Rider, Cycle World, Roadracing World, T.W.O. (Two Wheels Only), the ABA Journal.

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