Popular Photography Method - Bokeh

Bokeh is one of the most popular photography technique and pronounced as BOH- Kay. Bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke which means blur. It is a powerful technique but easy to do.

Bokeh refers specifically to the blurred quality of specific points of light which differentiate this technique from other techniques. When you shoot your subject than the method used to get the effect of a soft out-of-focus background. This method is known as Bokeh. If the photographer used this technique than there is an aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus blur in a photograph.

Fast lens and widest aperture is used to create Bokeh. Lens used to determine the shape and size of the visible Bokeh. One of the reason due to which Bokeh is affected, the shape of the diaphragm blades or aperture of the lens.

If the shape of the blades is circular than round out-of-focus highlights. If the shape is hexagonal than this shape will reflect in the highlights.

Photographers who are master in motion blur and shallow depth of field than they will find many to create a good Bokeh. This technique is helpful in portrait photography.

If you are a beginner and recently learned about the Bokeh concept than Haythem Lafhaj is here to clear your concept known as Bokeh.

Two types of Bokeh are:

Geometric Bokeh

Geometric shapes depend on the type of lens you used and actually it creates out-of-focus highlights that take on a geometric shape. The most common shapes are circular, hexagons, heptagons and octagons. This is responsible for an impressive edge to your images.

Creamy Bokeh

This type of Bokeh achieved by creating a smooth out-of-focus look.

How to create Bokeh in your images

Fast lens and wider aperture used to achieve Bokeh in an image and at least an aperture of f/2.8 is advisable. Fast prime lenses for visible Bokeh used by most of the photographers. If you don’t have a fast lens than by increasing the distance between background and subject, you can create Bokeh in your images.  

Visible Bokeh will be enhanced, If you increase the distance between the subject and the background. Further, the background, more the shallow depth of field and more will be the out-of-focus. Due to which more will be the visible bokeh when highlights hitting the background.

Bokeh is more pleasing to the eyes when backlight, side light used by photographers. It can add softness to your photographs. One of the nice examples of Bokeh is Portraits. The most popular subjects for Bokeh photography is Flowers, Leaves, and Grass.

I hope you like this article by the creative photographer - Haythem Lafhaj. This helps you to increase your photographic versatility and creativity.

Also read: Difference between digital zoom and optical zoom




Guest User