Aperture

Thoughts on Teaching Photography

by Tom Wiggins
June 30, 2023March 2, 2025

I’ve been teaching digital photography for over 10 years. Here are my thoughts on what I have learned. I have met many individuals who were overwhelmed by the depth of their digital camera’s menus. They had no idea where to start. In the beginning my lessons were taught in a… Read More »

Depth of Field

by Tom Wiggins
May 2, 2023April 21, 2025

What is Depth of Field (DoF) and how is it controlled? First, Aperture or f Stop – is the size of the opening in the lens that allows light to hit the camera’s sensor. f stop is expressed as a fraction as in f/3.5 which lets in a larger amount… Read More »

Understanding Your Camera’s ISO Performance

by Tom Wiggins
March 7, 2023April 14, 2025

Understanding the ISO performance limits of your camera will help you achieve the best quality images possible. As you use higher ISO values the images become less sharp (noisy/grainy). This blog post will provide you with an approach to choosing the maximum ISO acceptable for your camera. In December 2020,… Read More »

Digital Camera Lens Basics and Blurring the Background

by Tom Wiggins
March 7, 2023April 15, 2025

For the past eight years, I’ve taught a class titled : Introduction to Digital Photography. The emphasis being on understanding camera controls and how they effect the photo. The goal of the class is for the student to understand how to get the best possible photo in the camera. I… Read More »

Camera Check List

by Tom Wiggins
December 28, 2022April 3, 2025

How many times have you picked up your camera, taken a photo and viewed it on the LCD, and then said, “OOPS#*?”. If you’re anything like most amateur photographers, it happens more times than you would like to remember or admit. The following checklist will help you to prepare your… Read More »

How to Make a Photo Better #3

by Tom Wiggins
October 19, 2019April 21, 2025

My wife and I enjoy going to museums, but almost museums don’t allow flash photography. This article is about adjusting your camera to the best possible photo with available light. Recently on a trip to the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC the above sculpture was on exhibition. We had been… Read More »

High-Dynamic-Range Photography

by Tom Wiggins
February 2, 2019March 30, 2025

What is High-dynamic-range (HDR) photography? HDR is a photography technique where you use Exposure Bracketing (EB) and then combine the photos using special software to obtain a single photo. Why would you do this? Think about photos where you had extreme lighting conditions: a photo with bright sunlight and dark… Read More »

Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO The Mystery Decoded

by Tom Wiggins
August 8, 2017March 30, 2025

Recently, it become apparent that some students have trouble understanding the relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO and how they effect exposure for a given photograph. First let’s define each: Aperture or f Stop – is the size of the opening in the lens that allows light to hit… Read More »

AE Bracketing

by Tom Wiggins
January 7, 2017March 30, 2025

In a previous blog on Histograms, I included photos where I had used Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB). So why and when would you use AEB? I see a couple of times when it really makes sense: 1) when you are not sure what is the best exposure set-up under changing light conditions,… Read More »