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About Joe Appel
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
I can answer questions related to many areas of photography, but most specifically relating to photojournalism. I can also offer advice on using digital and 35mm cameras, Adobe Photoshop, and digital photography in general. Once upon a time I was pretty good in a darkroom too.

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.

Organizations belong to
National Press Photographers Association


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.

   

You are here:  Experts > Arts/Humanities > Visual Arts > Photography

Questions Answered By Expert  Joe Appel 
In Category  Photography

SubjectDate Asked

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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