Shutter Sisters

sunday school: ’tis the season to make bokeh

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For photographers like me, if there’s one thing we drool over during the holiday season, it’s the seemingly infinite sources of itty bitty points of light EVERYWHERE, from one’s own home, to the neighbor’s bejeweled trees, to the local mall. And itty bitty points of light mean one thing to us, do they not?  BOKEH BUBBLES.*  That’s right, folks.  If the festive side of Christmas annoys you or stresses you out, look on the bright side–there are endless opportunities for blowing bokeh bubbles into your images.

If you’ve ever wondered how to capture the kind of magical bokeh characterized by dreamy floating balls of colored light, this is the perfect time to experiment and learn by trial-and-error.  Just keep in mind these few basics, and you’ll be an expert bokeh bubble blower in no time!

  • Shaped bokeh is created by the blurring of highlights, such as small points of light or reflections of light.  This is why sunlight poking through summer tree leaves makes for pretty bokeh.
  • The shape of the bokeh is determined by the shape of your lens’s aperture.  If you like your bokeh nice and round, try shooting wide open with a fast prime lens like the popular 50mm f/1.8.  If you want to get a hexagon shaped bokeh, try a narrower aperture such as f/4.5.
  • The key is to position your lens with your subjects in the foreground with the points of light (such as Christmas tree lights) in the background so that when you focus on your main subjects, the lights behind them will blur into magical bubbles of bokeh.
  • You can experiment with the size of your bokeh by changing the depth of field or focal length of your lens or by modifying the distance between your lens and the subjects and the distance between the subjects and the points of light behind them. 

I’ve seen some great bokeh bubbles that make use of the abundant little lights of the holiday season.  If you have images of such bokeh that you’d like to share, we’d love to see them.  And if you have any tips on capturing the magic of bokeh, please do share those as well!

*By bokeh bubbles, I am referring to the shaped bokeh of blurred highlights, as opposed to creamy bokeh, which is just smooth blur.

Comments

  2. I bet those toes would love to be warming against a nice fire. I love the photograph and effect.

    Happy Christmas and I hope you have a wonderful 2010.

    Si

  5. I’m new to shutter sisters and to the dslr I got from santa yesterday. I very much look forward to learning from you all!
    Merry Christmas- off to try bokeh!

  18. I’m glad I found your blog. Looking forward to more. I’m thinking of turning my blog into a photoblog… I need a change. You’ll provide some inspiration.

  27. My favorite part of the holidays!!! I have taken so many shots of my tree this month I am sure my blog readers are getting sick of it. But I can’t pass up the opportunity for so much beautiful bokeh!

    http://bellarose-photography.com/?p=307
    http://bellarose-photography.com/?p=320
    http://bellarose-photography.com/?p=348
    http://bellarose-photography.com/?p=376
    http://bellarose-photography.com/?p=386
    http://bellarose-photography.com/?p=398
    http://bellarose-photography.com/?p=402

  29. Longtime lurker coming out of the woodwork to say that I absolutely LOVE this picture. It is gorgeous!!! The colors particularly are so clear and seasonally tonal 🙂 Lovely, lovely!

  31. Happened to google and come upon this blog and i must say that the photography i found here was a more than pleasant surprise! It was like finding a flower in a desert- i love your images, esp this one you took of bokehs, they all have a very beautiful and magical feel about them, and i love your color balance taste 🙂

    Will be coming back to be blessed more! 😉

  32. Great! Not only did I learn all about bokeh, but I saw some AMAZING photos and discovered Bella Rose Photography’s photoblog…win/win/win.

  33. I am a bokeh addict, I admit it. I found myself fascinated with this sequin in the midday sun because of all the lovely bokeh it created:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/booyacakel/4194485312/

    I love Christmas lights, love looking at them, love the bokeh, but HATE photographing them. This year I took a bunch of bokeh only shots, which I typically don’t like, but it’s just how the lights feel to me:

    http://notsosmallthings.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-walk-and-minor-nod-to-wtf.html