THROWDOWN: Bokeh

[Richard Wood]

I just bought a new fast 50 mm lens so I could experiment with Bokeh…. Here are my first attempts. I’d love to see some of yours.

[Richard Wood]

[E. Jacqui Chan]

Just bought my first prime lens, a 50mm F1.8. Here are some of mine.

[Cara Kelly]

Here’s some from early in the summer.

[Michael Lloyd]

A Dragonfly

[Cara Kelly]

Wow

[Kimberly]

Here’s one I took trying out my new camera and kit lens this week.

[Anonymous]

Love bokeh…Weeds on a vacant lot behind my Mom’s house from 5d m3 with the 24-105 f4 @70mm

[brenda di bari]

Gabriella at Nobu NYC by brenda di bari on Light Stalking

[Mike]

Hooked by Mike on Light Stalking

[Karen]

What is the difference between bokeh and background blur? I thought blur is just the result of DOF and bokeh had to do more with use of a light source plus DOF, as in this image…

[Mikell Herrick]

That’s a really lovely photo, Karen. 🙂

I’ve read a lot about bokeh …trying to figure out what it was exactly too…and it seems that it’s pretty broad…and really refers to whatever is out of focus in the image beyond the depth of field. Sometimes it’s good; sometimes not so good…so it’s not always something pleasing.

Here’s what Wikipedia says: “In photography, bokeh…is the blur or the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of an image. Bokeh has been defined as “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light”. However, differences in lens aberrations and aperture shape cause some lens designs to blur the image in a way that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce blurring that is unpleasant or distracting—”good” and “bad” bokeh, respectively. Bokeh occurs for parts of the scene that lie outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions.

Bokeh is often most visible around small background highlights, such as specular reflections and light sources, which is why it is often associated with such areas. However, bokeh is not limited to highlights; blur occurs in all out-of-focus regions of the image.

[Mikell Herrick]

I love my telephoto lens for getting a nice bokeh effect:

From Manitoulin Island 2013

From Manitoulin Island 2013

[Karen]

Thanks for the complement and definition, @mikell! These are lovely, too. I like the second especially for the softness, and how that color purple pops!

[Tersha]

lovely photo and bokeh, Karen…

[Tersha]

I agree with Karen, both lovely, purple one especially…

[Tersha]

I took this in the spring….

[Karen]

Thanks, @tersha. I was on my back on the front porch before I even had my coffee. Now that’s a labor of love! LOL

[Santosh]

few of mine

[Catalin Ciubotaru]

Infinite chain
http://myphotographywithjoy.com/

[Mikell Herrick]

@frogfish …these are exceptional photos. I love the delicate dragonfly and the tiny frog on the leaf in particular. Well done. 🙂

[Susan]

@frogfish, great photos what lens do you use to get so close and clear?

I’m not entirely sure what Bokeh is, do these qualify?
Edited to add: Just found mikells explanation of bokeh, now it makes more sense!

[Tersha]

Hi, @susan, the top one has bokeh, can’t see any in the second.I like the first shot, it makes me think of a summers day.

Here’s one I took today…..the dew on the grass worked well, I think……

[Karen]

Very nice Diane! @tersha!

[Karen]

This honeysuckle has been blooming off and on since April. I would call this a bokeh/blur combo. 🙂

[Susan]

Thanks @tersha, I keep hearing the term Bokeh, but have never really understood what it meant.

[Tom Shope]

Beautiful bokeh! Well done!!!

[Tom Shope]

[Cara Kelly]

These are great examples. I really like the rabbit.

[Karen]

Thank you, @jaxwired!

[Karen]

Love these shots, @jaxwired, especially the rabbit!

[Tom Shope]

Thanks. That was taken in my back yard. There’s undeveloped land behind my house and the rabbits come and visit periodically during the warm weather. That was taken with a 60mm lens so he let me get surprisingly close. : )

[Bioshok71]

[Bob Fazio]

[Mikell Herrick]

The fall colours made a beautiful bokeh background for this portrait of my kitten…so I just called this one:

KITTY WITH BOKEH

Kitty with Bokeh
by
Mikell Herrick

[Karen]

Awww…..Beautiful Bokeh, @mikell! But the kitty wins!!

[sam johnson]

[Adrienne Siebert]

I am still confused about bokeh. I still take it to be the OOF background of a photo. I have seen comments on other’s photos about the “bokehs” when there are those circles of light, but don’t think that is correct either.
I really don’t know but will put up a couple photos with visibly blurred backrounds.

If someone knows that one of these has no bokeh at all, please inform me so I will not be posting those types of photos in bokeh threads. lol

[Sean P. Schneider]

Simple Daisy by Sean P. Schneider on Light Stalking

Here is one of my better efforts on the topic.

[Sean P. Schneider]

@bugadrienne love the spider pics

[Adrienne Siebert]

@mdhs1675
Thank you so much. 😀
I have plenty more from where that came from. Haha!

[Shane]

I have no idea what kind of flowers any of these are. There is a bike trail that I live by. if anyone is a horticulturist, feel free to let me know what they are.

[Adrienne Siebert]

Pretty flowers and people. 🙂
I am envious of the flowers, those species don’t do well where I live. 🙁

Just a guess:

#2 Black eyed susan
#4?
#5 Echinacea
#6 Dandelion

[Shane]

thank you, I have no idea. I’m a transplant here. I’m originally from Biloxi. But, don’t let that fool you. If it’s not pine, poison oak, or poison ivy, I most likely wouldn’t be able to identify it there either.

[Adrienne Siebert]

I am in S. Florida but spent a few months time in the appalachian mountains. Those species can be found there. I just love knowing what’s around me. lol
I had to go to the library and get books on the flora and fauna as there is no high speed internet or cellphone signal in that area that I stayed. I actually loved it anyway. lol

BTW, may I ask your location?

[Shane]

I am transplanted just outside Pittsburgh PA.. Also, I live walking distance from a community college and a bike trail. Between the college and people who “adopt” part of the bike trail, they keep it pretty well maintained. So, they have caretakers for all those flowers.

I have family in South Flarda (on purpose) from Atlanta to Miami actually…

[Mindy Haines]

Taken in a store in Gettysburg PA. I just loved these little guys.

Canon 60D
f/6.3
1/20
400

A Wise Collection 2 by Mindy Haines on Light Stalking

[Tobie]

CTS_9514.jpg by Tobie on Light Stalking

DSC_0839.jpg by Tobie on Light Stalking

CTS_7633.jpg by Tobie on Light Stalking

[Adrienne Siebert]

[Stewart]

[Tersha]

made me laugh…and the bokeh are good, too!

[Adrienne Siebert]

[Adrienne Siebert]

[sam johnson]

[Adrienne Siebert]

@drsamj:
So pretty! What flowers are they?

This one probably has too much space, but plenty bokeh. lol

[David Chesterfield]

[Geoff Neville]

Hope you lot like this lot!

[Lisa Wilton]

This is my first post. Hi all! This is a photo of my son:

Untitled by Lisa Wilton on 500px

[Geoff Neville]

Cool dude.

[Lisa Wilton]

Thanks! 😀 By the way – I love all three of your shots @silverbells… These are so much sharper than what I seem to be able to produce at the moment… Lovely stuff.

[The Falx]

untitled-191.JPG by Duncan Stewart on Light Stalking

[Karen]

Some really sweet bokeh here! Welcome, @mishmao14. Cute kid!
I spotted this guy the other day. I was glad he stuck around in time for me to grab my camera and do a lens change!

[Kobie Mercury-Clarke]

[Richard Wood]

RIMG_0155.JPG by Richard Wood on Light Stalking

One does not need a fast lens to achieve Bokeh. Bokeh can also be achieved using a fairly slow telephoto lens (with small aperture). This handheld photo was taken out my car window using a Canon Power Shot SX50 HS which has a 50X ultrazoom lens and thankfully excellent image stabilization. (I am disabled and unable to walk very far). The camera settings were:

Focal Length: 215-mm (1200-mm equivalent)
Aperture: F/6.5
Shutter: 1/60
Iso: 80

[Karen]

Sorry to hear you are unable to walk very far, @camerasinger. 🙁 That’s a sweet cherry blossom. I love my old Canon PowerShot S1 1S. It gave me the confidence to pursue photography on a deeper level. I hope you can always be close enough to find interesting things to photograph.

This was the other morning.

[Stewart]

BBBB bokeh…

[Geoff Neville]

@karamen & @mikell check out this link for a reasonable explanation of bokeh, dof etc. I have a tenuous grasp on it but couldn’t explain it!!

[Geoff Neville]

@karamen @mikell Sorry, this link!! http://www.mattgranger.com/tutorials/item/171-bokeh-depth-of-field-and-sensor-size

[Matt Hartigan]

Lights and Patterns by Matt Hartigan on Light Stalking

[Karen]

Thanks for the link, @silverbells! I will give it a look when I get a chance.

[Geoff Neville]

@karamen This one I shot today on a walk through the park.

A bit different again.

[David Chesterfield]

One I caught yesterday in the garden

[Robbie]

image.jpg by Robbie on Light Stalking

Kinda late but I’m new here and to Photography

[Tersha]

@lunac73, all the threads are always open…..

[Robbie]

Ahh ok thank you for letting me know @tersha

[James Keck]

New to the forums, been following the blog via Facebook for a year or so now. Love it! Anywho, here are a few of my favorite bokeh shots!

[Geoff Neville]

@jamfke nice bokeh.

[Karen]

Really nice, bokeh, @jamfke! And welcome to the forums!

I was up earlier than expected this morning, but was able to capture this weed by the pond.

[Janet Bentley]

Yellow-Headed-Blackbird.jpg by Janet Bentley on Light Stalking

[Janet Bentley]

So many excellent photos in this throwdown. I thought I’d throw this one into the mix. When shooting birds (or any wildlife capable of blending into its environment) the use of the softened background is essential to eliminate distraction from the subject.

[Tersha]

cool shot, @jbent, I’ve never seen a blackbird like that before, ours are black…… where did you shoot this?

[Michael Lloyd]

@tersha

Somewhere around here (iBird is your friend):

[Janet Bentley]

I shot him in Idaho. There is a marshy area in the Camas Prairie area of Idaho State where hundreds of the yellow-headed black birds come in spring to mate and summer. We also have all black blackbirds as well as Red wing, Tri color and these Yellow-headed. I live in Washington, but I have a sibling in Idaho. One of the joys of visiting her is going to the Camas Prairie to watch for birds. It’s very cool.

[Tersha]

@jbent, Camais Prairie sounds like a great place to go.

@michael-lloyd, thanks, I hadn’t thought of an app…..I’ll give it a go.

[Geoff Neville]

Hasn’t this throwdown been going for a long time!!


A bit of foreground bokeh on this second shot.

[Janet Bentley]

Maybe this Bokeh throwdown has been going on for a long time, but since I just joined this community they are all new to me. 🙂

[Geoff Neville]

@jbent I hope you are enjoying them.

[Karen]

welcome, @jbent….sweet “blackbird”! @silverbells, thats is a very cool image..I am trying not to think of what is happening here, and just trying to enjoy the photo. 😉

[Geoff Neville]

@karamen A bit of digesting perhaps or just waiting for something or someone to drop by.

[Janet Bentley]

I want to love this because the bokeh is beautifully accomplished, but this spidey stuff is too freaky.

[Geoff Neville]

@jbent Spideys aren’t really freaky, they are everywhere and we would not survive very well without them and lots and lots of other crawling little critters.

[Adrienne Siebert]

Some spidey friend bokehs. Just to freak people out. Hehe.

[Tersha]

cool shots, @bugadrienne, you have some interesting spiders over there…..and the bokeh are good, too…

@silverbells, I like your shots, too….. what sort of spider hides in a leaf?

[Adrienne Siebert]

Thanks!@tersha

I just looked this up real quick. @silverbells

Are you in Australia? It could be Phonognatha graeffei.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonognatha_graeffei

So cool! We do not get them here in USA that I know of.

[Geoff Neville]

@bugadrienne Your spot on. Or Leaf curling spider as it’s more commonly known. Very common in our part of the world. @tersha

[Tersha]

thanks, @bugadrienne, and @silverbells, pretty sure we don’t get them over here! (uK)

[Author]

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