Photography Articles
by Joelle Steele
Below are some of my previously-published articles about portrait photography, antique photography, analyzing photographs, digital photo restoration, how to photograph art and landscapes, and preparing photos for production. But first, a quick background on me and photography.
Since the age of 9, I have rarely left the house without a camera or two, and over the years, I quickly embraced digital photography and photo editing software. While living in the Los Angeles area in the 1980s, I was the owner of Hollywood Hot Shots, specializing in “portraits of the stars of tomorrow.” I also photographed projects for the portfolios of landscapers and interior designers. I studied the history of photography and have written many articles about photography in general. You can read and submit your questions about photography to my advice column.
Portrait Photography
Prepare to Have Your Picture Taken: Think you don’t photograph well? Think again. These tips will help you get the best image possible.
Types of Photographic Portraits: Pick the style of portrait that best depicts you and your personality.
Antique Photography
A Brief History of Photography: Brief but comprehensive history, starting with the camera obscura up to the digital camera era.
Antique Photographs & How They Were Made: The many photographic processes defined, from Daguerreotypes to 20th century film.
Collecting Antique Photographs: Anyone can collect old photos, even on a tight budget.
Ambrotypes, Daguerreotypes and Tintypes: Which Is Which and How Can You Tell?: Some tips on how to tell these three non-paper photographs apart.
Types of Non-Paper Photos: Identifying types of non-paper photographs.
Types of Paper Photos: Identifying types of paper photographs.
Preserving Antique Photos: How to handle, store, and display your old photographs.
Origins of Hand-Tinting Photographs: How did they do it in the old days? The same way people still do it today!
Dating and Placing a Photograph: How to determine dates and places in photographs.
Analyzing Photographs
Photographic Phenomena: Explaining the Unexplained in Photographs: Answers to questions about orbs, mists, vortices, trails, and other “stuff” that appears in some photographs.
Kirlian Photography: A Brief Look at Electro-Photography: A short history and explanation of the process.
Photo Forensics: Can You Tell If A Photo Is Retouched? This article looks at whether or not you can tell if a photo has been altered, edited, enhanced, retouched, manipulated, or “photoshopped” with the intent to defraud.
Digital Photo Restoration
How to Digitally Restore Your Antique Photographs: Scanning vs. digital cameras, the scanning process, editing or restoring, color, contrast, enlargement, tools, saving, and sepia tints.
Digitally Restoring Photographic Panoramas: These ultra-long photographs require some special steps in the restoration process.
How to Photograph …
Photographing Your Portfolio: One Picture is Worth A Thousand Words: Some basic tips on how to create and photograph your presentation portfolio or online portfolio to best illustrate your projects or products.
How to Photograph Art: For artists and collectors, and for photographers shooting an artist’s works, this article should help you do it yourself and keep accurate digital images.
Preparing Photos for Production
Create, Select, and Edit Photos for Advertising: Tips on how to shoot photos, select the right ones, edit them, and use them in ads and Web pages.
Select and Prepare Images for Publication: What the eye sees and the brain interprets, selecting images, best and other options in electronic format.
Scanners and Scanning: A brief look at the ins and outs of scanners and the photographic scanning process.
