  Photon operators with the proper $J^{PC}$ quantum numbers are constructed,
including one made of elementary plaquettes. In compact U(1) lattice gauge
theory, these explicit photon operators are shown to permit direct confirmation
of the massive and massless states on each side of the phase transition. In the
abelian Higgs model, these explicit photon operators avoid some excited state
contamination seen with the traditional composite operator, and allow more
detailed future studies of the Higgs mechanism.
