BOKEH

Use manual focus and Depth of Field to create ‘Bokeh’ a Japanese word describing the quality of soft, unfocused light circles. Apply this concept to soften the background in portraits, or create a light, ephemeral scene.

KEY

TAKE-AWAYS

Aperture, proximity to subject, zoom level and different variations on execution

Learn

In class demonstration

This task will be demonstrated in class. The following tips will help you be successful in this task.

get close to your subject
turn off autofocus, allowing you to defocus your background
the further you are from your lights the softer the circles
open your aperture as much as possible (f/2.8, f/3.5?)
search for locations with interesting/appropriate light (street lights, headlights, decorative lights, etc.)

MEDIA

There are a lot of ways to apply this effect, which you will see below. Here are some tutorials walking you through the settings, techniques and considerations.

Bokeh setup

Bokeh, in the trees

APPLICATION

and variations

For such a simple technique, there's actually quite a lot you can achieve by varying your lights, subjects and composition. After viewing the tutorials above, search online and see what else has been created using this technique.

Example 1: by having a subject in focus in the foreground and placing small lights deep in the background, a narrow depth of field creates bokeh and creative placement of the subjects creates an interesting composition.

Example 2: by creating a cutout you can customize the shape of your bokeh and make a unique composition using the light as an element within your photo.

Image credit: Vanessa Sokic, class of 2015

Example 3: You can use this technique to create beautiful portraits. Just be sure not to silhouette your main subject. Find some source of light (a warm lamp, a street light, ambient light) to make sure your subject is bright enough to see clearly.

Example 4: Finally, you can vary your light source to change the effect. Instead of using decorative lights, try using dappled light coming through dense trees.

UPLOAD AND

SUBMIT

C/T

#1

For this completion task, you will need to take photos in 6 different locations using different light sources and variations of the technique shown in class and in the videos.

Photo 1: Take a photo that uses bokeh as part of the composition.

Photo 2: Take a photo that uses sunlight and dense trees to create the bokeh effect.

Photo 3: Take a photo at night that uses street lights, or other small lights (Christmas lights?) to create the effect.

Photo 4: Take a portrait photo with the bokeh effect used in some way.

Photo 5-6: Take 2 more bokeh photos of your choice.

Your submission:

upload images to Flickr and organize into an albums named 'Bokeh: submission' and 'Bokeh: body of work'
submit the links to both albums in Brightspace and the Flickr discussion

C/T

#2

For this completion task, read the article:
https://www.creativelive.com/photography-guides/creating-bokeh-backgrounds

Answer the following questions

Find an image online with bokeh, and add it to your Google Doc. Define bokeh.
What camera mode (P/A/S/M) should you be using to create a bokeh image?
The article refers to a fast lens. What does that mean?
Which setting will create better (softer) bokeh (f/3.5 or f/28)?
What are some examples of the types of lights that can be used to create the effect?
How can you achieve this at home? Plan out the steps involved.
Take a series of 10 photos that demonstrate bokeh.
- 5 should be experimenting with different light sources to create the effect (city street lights/skyline, fairy lights, Christmas lights, etc)
- 5 should be portraits (you can use the same person in all 5)

upload your images to Flickr and organize them into an album named 'Bokeh'
submit the links to this album in Brightspace and the Flickr discussion