Creating Bokeh

This is a fun little project to try, creating bokeh with some simple items at home.

What is bokeh?

Apparently, bokeh is a word with Japanese origins, defined as “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.” The word comes from the Japanese word boke, which means “haze” or “blur.” (The “h” was introduced to help English speakers pronounce the word correctly [BO – KEH].) – Wikipedia.

But it is fairly easy to create your own cool bokeh effects with some lights. Either Christmas-type fairy lights or the little LEDs on a copper wire are terrific too.

Set the scene

How to capture bokeh?

I set my scene up on a table and pulled away from direct sunlight, but I did use a silver reflector to bounce some indirect light onto my subject. I had my camera set up on a tripod, to free my hands up. Capturing bokeh is fairly easy, especially if it’s a little on the dark side in your shooting area. I used my 50mm macro, but you could use pretty much any lens. I used a wide-open aperture of f/2.8. For total bokeh, you could shoot completely out of focus. Great for light overlays in Photoshop or Luminar Neo.

Or you can just attempt a lightly bokeh. The distance your camera is from the subject, the focal length of your lens and the distance the lights from your subject, will make a big difference. As well as how big or small your lights are, your aperture and how bright or dark your scene is. Experiment and see which effect you like best. A wide-open aperture like f/2.8 will give you better bokeh than a small aperture like f/16.

Get crafty

This can be done with portraits, products or macro shots too. If using the copper wire as I did, try running a length from your subject to the lens, the closer to the lens, the more blurred it will become. Remember, slow down and enjoy the process.

Product shots with bokeh