From 1998-2005 he was a staff photographer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Joles also has worked for the Hobbs News-Sun in New Mexico and the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. Among the many awards he has received was a second-place honor in the Pictures of the Year International competition in 2005. He also was named Wisconsin News Photographer of the Year in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004 and was Minnesota Photographer of the Year in 2006.