What is Bokeh Photography?
Bokeh photography is easily identified by the out of focus spheres, circles and orbs of light appearing in the background or foreground of an image.
It refers to the blurry, out of focus parts of an image created by using a fast lens and shooting with a very wide aperture.
Bokeh come in different shapes, sizes and degrees of blurriness. You can also use filters to create different bokeh shapes.
The word bokeh originates from the Japanese word boke. It means blur or haze. “Bokeh” is frequently mispronounced even among seasoned photographers.
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How is bokeh pronounced?
It can actually be a little confusing. Is it Bokeh? Bookay? Bohkuh? Bokuh?
Well this video from Photo Gear News is about to clear things up!
So, there you have it! You now can pronounce bokeh correctly! Ok, now that we’ve figured that out, how do you achieve bokeh?
What Creates Bokeh?
There are three components that will help you can create those lovely little bokeh light orbs and circles in your images.
- Focal Length – A lens with a longer focal length will give you a shallower depth of field and more bokeh.
- Aperture – Aperture settings affect the depth of field. Set your aperture around f1.4, f1.8 or f2.8. This will give you the shallow depth of field for creating bokeh effects.
- Distance – The closer you are to your subject, the more apparent the bokeh will become. Be sure to leave space between your subject and the background. The more distance you create, the more it increases the bokeh.
Recommended Lenses for Bokeh Photography
Bokeh can be created with any lens. However, a prime lens
Camera Settings
- Shoot in Aperture Priority Mode or manually change your aperture to for f1.4, f1.8 or f2.8 the best results.
- Your Shutter Speed should be faster than 1/50 second. Slower shutter speeds will just blur your entire background.
What About Light?
In order to create Bokeh, you need a light source. It needs to be backlighting or located behind your subject.
Where to find light sources:
- Street Lights
- Traffic Lights
- Window Light
- Light Strands
- Neon Lights
- Candles
- Reflective Elements
- Filtered Sunlight
Using Bokeh Filters
If you feel like getting more creative try using a bokeh filter. Filters allow you to change the shape of your bokeh to a variety of different shapes.
DIY Bokeh Filters
If you are a DIY type, you can make your own custom bokeh template.
To create your own template you’ll need:
- Compass
- Lens cap
- A piece of black construction paper
- Pencil or a marker
- X-Acto knife or small scissors
- Shape puncher
- Electrical tape
- Rubber band
Step 1:
Set your lens cap on the black construction paper and trace around it. Now use the compass to draw a second circle around the first approximately 4 cm wider.
Step 2:
Cut out your circle. At regular intervals, make cuts from the edge of the circle towards the inner circle to form little flaps.
Step 3:
Find the center of your circle. Draw your design and cut it out with your X-Acto knife or use your shape punch. Your design should be about 2 cm. Don’t make it too large.
Step 4:
Once your shape is cut out, place the black paper over your lens and secure the flaps around the side of the lens with a rubber band. Use the electrical tape if you want it to hold more.
Step 5:
Try out your creation! The light will come out in the shape you designed when you shoot.
Now get out and start shooting and try out the bokeh photography tips.
Need more photography tips? You can find them here.
If you are looking for more bokeh inspiration, check out our Bokeh Photography – Weekly Photography Challenge.
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