Have you ever noticed that something about an image you’ve shot doesn’t ‘feel quite right’ but you can’t put your finger on it? It could be bad bokeh.
Bokeh is a word that is derived from the Japanese term for ‘blur’ or ‘haze’ and it refers to the portions of an image that are blurred in the background. It doesn’t refer to the blurred background itself, but rather, the particular circular light pattern created in the blur.
This concept can be somewhat subjective in that we are talking about a distinction of good blur versus bad blur. Good blur is a pleasing pattern and something that enhances the overall image whereas bad blur is distracting and takes away from the image’s impact. While the ‘bokeh ball pattern’ is often found around any point of light in an image, the overall affect will be created in all areas of background that are not in sharp focus.
Today’s technology has greatly improved bokeh when shooting but if you’d like to experiment further, try shooting in aperture priority mode and let in as much light as possible. Having small light sources in the background, such as streetlights or a car’s headlights are another way to experiment with bokeh patterns.
0 comments:
Post a Comment