Creative Aperture Throwdown

[Robert Apple]

With all the lights this time of year , it is the perfect season for this and yo can do it with any lens, here are a couple tutorials Light Stalking has shared in the past in the Creative Bokeh Guide.
How to Create a DIY Filter for Custom Bokeh Shapes

How to: Shapes in Bokeh Photography

[Robert Apple]

I anchored the camera and shot this 7 times with different apertures in a lens baby double glass and blended the bokeh together , that light was from some battery operated string lights behind the manger.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Very beautiful Robert 🙂

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Dahlia.

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Dahlia.

[Rob Wood (Admin)]

Epic!

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Rob

[Marty E]

Wow! Magnificent, Robert!

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Marty

[Stefanie Markham]

Thanks for this Robert.

[Robert Apple]

Your welcome Stefanie.

[Tersha]

Lovely start Robert!

Here’s an oldie, I need to get on and do some fresh ones.

[Robert Apple]

Very nice color scheme Diane.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Sweet photo Diane 🙂

[Rob Wood (Admin)]

Stunner @tersha

[Tersha]

Thanks Rob!

[Robert Apple]

Froggy filled Bokeh.

Just cut new apertures tonight, a couple test runs.

[Robert Apple]

And one with a gear design provided by Diane @tersha, made by her partner, which produced a totally unexpected flower effect.

[Ceci Snow]

[Tersha]

`very nice Ceci.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Beautiful warm photo Ceci 🙂

[Ceci Snow]

Thank you.

[Robert Apple]

Nice Bokeh Ceci @imagesbyceci

[Ceci Snow]

Thanks.

[Robert Apple]

Trying out a Rorschach Inkblot design.
Under The Deck.

A touch of ICM

A Inkblot Storm.

[Tersha]

Interesting set Robert.

[Pat Garrett]

This was my attempt at cutting a star in paper and taping it over my lens – I got birds instead!

[Dahlia Ambrose]

The bird bokeh looks cute Pat 🙂

[Stefanie Markham]

This is really cool.  You have inspired me to try this challenge.

[Pat Garrett]

I had a little better luck with a heart

[Tersha]

These are both really good Pat, little birds are sweet and the hearts look perfect!

[Robert Apple]

I like them both Pat

[Pat Garrett]

Thank, Robert and Diane.

[Tersha]

Starry bokeh tree

[Robert Apple]

That’s Inspirational Diane, I’m going to have to try that one.

 

[Tersha]

Thanks Robert. It was a strange metal tree covered completely in small lights. The bokeh were made using a petzval lens.

[Pat Garrett]

That pretty cool.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Wow! This one is really beautiful Diane 🙂

[Anne Hornsby]

Wonderful image, Diane.  I’ll have to read about a petzval lens and the effects others are using.

 

[Robert Apple]

I tried one of my Angel Apertures on my own tree, not near as many lights.

[Tersha]

An angel tree!

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Looks beautiful Robert 🙂

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Dahlia.

[Stefanie Markham]

Love this!

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Stefanie

[Tersha]

Just bokeh

all with Lensbaby creative apertures.

[Robert Apple]

Cool Diane, I’ve used the bird aperture to do some funky wild flower Photography.

[Tersha]

Thanks Robert, you should post your wild flower pics.

[Tersha]

an oldie

petzval lens

[Robert Apple]

I remember this, an oldie, but a goodie

[Robert Apple]

Visiting Story Book Island in South Dakota with a lensbaby composer pro fitted with the classic double glass and a custom Angel Aperture.

Fenced In

[Robert Apple]

The Entrance in Angels

[Robert Apple]

Tilt Shift Pumpkin

[Tersha]

Glass of sunshine

[Robert Apple]

Thats a creative Idea to be sure Diane, I like it.

[Tersha]

Thanks Robert.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

This is a creative shot Diane. Looks beautiful 🙂

[Tersha]

Thanks Dahlia.

[Tersha]

Star bokeh tree

Lensbaby 3G + star aperture

[Robert Apple]

Now that’s funky, the 3G is a cool lens body set up, I have a couple control freaks which was the next version up, I wish they still made it. Good used ones are hard to come by.

[Tersha]

Thanks, We found this online, and Robert bought it for me as a late xmas pressie, it cost £24!

[Robert Apple]

I just acquired a 3G as well , and inserted a Grey Wolf Foot print Aperture in it and shot this Dandelion, and then string lights to illustrate the Pattern.

[Tersha]

Glad that you got the 3G, it’s a good lens. I like both images above, the effect behind the dandelion is cool.

[Tersha]

small squares aperture

moth aperture

[Robert Apple]

They Both look great Diane , and makes me feel a bit warmer, we are in the midst of a fairly serious blizzard, the green and the blooms help off set it.

[Tersha]

Thanks Robert, glad they warmed you.

[Tersha]

Spot the frog

custom aperture plate made by Robert.

[Robert Apple]

Pretty cool use of that one Diane.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Looks very dreamy Diane 🙂

[Tersha]

Leaf bokeh

[Robert Apple]

Love that Background. That’s really cool Diane.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Stunning leaf bokeh Diane. Love the colours too 🙂

[Robert Apple]

I’m going to be adding to this more posts shot with this aperture as I get through the photos, all titled Hauling Azz based on the Aperture used and mounted in a lensbaby 3G, the first photo as an example, the thing about these apertures goes beyond just being able to see the particular design but how it affects the diffused bokeh where a pattern isn’t evident.

that white is a snow drift, the dandelions cant even wait for all that to melt.


the pair tree is threatening to bloom.

[Robert Apple]

A Few more from the Hauling Azz series, the Dogs Just wanted to be involved, particularly Molly Bee.


and Guinness wondering why I’m laying on the Ground and is there a cuddle involved.

[Robert Apple]

the last from the series Hauling Azz

A Cottonwood leaf on the a fore mentioned snow drift

and finally as the snow melted and ran onto the lower deck it provided a nice reflection and some bright spots to illustrate the shape of the bokeh

and being on Concrete a creation a of a photo graphical Hiway

[Tersha]

Great series Robert, I agree about the different effects depending on light. dof etc. They are really interesting to experiment with. Loving the leaf and the concrete creation. Molly Bee is sweet, she looks so curious.

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Diane

[Tersha]

[Robert Apple]

That’s interesting, I like that. Have you tried shooting multiple exposure with the camera fixed and turning the aperture at different angles to get the moth going different directions and doing masked stacking to isolate them, kind of like I did with the manger scene. Which give just gave me the idea of swapping apertures to add multiple bugs

[Tersha]

Sounds interesting, there’s so many ideas to try out. I’ll have to use a tripod to try what you said about different angles.

[Tersha]

not sharp, but I like the dreamy effect

[Robert Apple]

It does suit it well Diane.

[Tersha]

Thanks. 🙂

[Steve Bennett]

Sometimes it’s the simple background Bokeh that sets an image alive.
Personally I find that using a tight Focal Length at distance often gets me a nice gentle Bokeh that allows the subject to pop a little more.
Here’s a couple of examples taken last week whilst walking in the local fields.
Both are taken at F6.3 ISO 100 with my Nikon Z6ii & 24-200mm lens.
The yellow plant is Rape Seed, the white flowers are Hawthorn.
I’m from the UK so you guys may call the plants by different names.
I hope you like the images.

[Steve Bennett]

[Tersha]

Hi Steve, two very nice images, with lovely soft bokeh. The hawthorn is my fav, beautifully sharp details.

[Tersha]

Just playing with dappled light and a custom aperture… ( thanks to Robert)

[Robert Apple]

And you even tossed in an opposing color Scheme,  Looks almost Phsycodelic.

[Tersha]

🙂

[Robert Apple]

Lensbaby macros of Pea Tree Blossoms with the Hauling Azz Aperture.

You can see it in the upper left hand corner curtiousy of a hole in the fence shining light

[Tersha]

These are lovely Robert. I spotted the Hauling AZZ aperture, it makes good bokeh.

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Diane, I have a vintage set of 37mm tiffen macro filters I was adding to the G3, to get closer. Made for a creamy velvet effect in front of that double glass.

[Tersha]

Sounds interesting Robert, and they worked well. You’ve reminded me, I’ve a set of Cokin filters that I haven’t thought about for ages, might good to get hem out.

[Tersha]

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Stunning colours and bokeh. Love the photo Diane 🙂

[Tersha]

Thanks Dahlia!

[Tersha]

Using the same aperture as above, not sure what it’s called (Robert?)

[Robert Apple]

Definitely a cool Bokeh, that is actually the gears aperture ( @tersha )you sent me. I think you said your partner designed it, I tweaked it a little, but not much.

[Tersha]

Yep, I remember now, I like the bokeh lot.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

This looks very festive and magical Diane 🙂

[Tersha]

Thanks Dahlia.

[Tersha]

Another couple with the gears aperture …

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Very beautiful Diane. Love the spring colours 🙂

[Tersha]

Thanks Dahlia.

[Robert Apple]

Nice Diane

[Tersha]

These are taken with a meyer-optik gorlitz domiplan lens fitted with a couple of custom apertures (made by Robert). ( the apertures just fitted snuggly in the rings at the front of the lens.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Lovely bokeh Diane 🙂

[Tersha]

Thanks Dahlia.

[Robert Apple]

What a cool Idea Diane, So I Tried it on a vintage Zukio macro, but it kept coming out after several tries I figured out the ring it was snapping into was directly in front of the lens barrel , which you can’t see when the lens is retracted,  so when I would focus the lens would push it,out. Have to find  a different lens to try it on.

[Tersha]

Cat bokeh

[Robert Apple]

Isn’t that the cutest thing ever, I can see cat people going nuts over that.

[Rob Wood (Admin)]

@tersha is on fire in this thread! lol

[Tersha]

Wow, thanks Rob! 🙂

[Tersha]

Ladybird with sunburst bokeh. (Sunburst aperture )

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Love how the ladybird stands out. Great contrast and beautiful bokeh Diane 🙂

[Robert Apple]

That’s a perfect effect for the subject Diane.

[Tersha]

Sundew flowerbuds, not a great shot, but couldn’t resist the moth bokeh!

Creative bokeh aperture made by Robert Apple.

[Robert Apple]

I like that Diane , that’s cool, didn’t I send you a mantis as well?

[Author]

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