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Bokeh, share your images...
  • BabesBabes +1 -1 (+1 / -0 )
    Posts: 213
    Basically, bokeh is the quality of out-of-focus or “blurry” parts of the image rendered by a camera lens – it is NOT the blur itself or the amount of blur in the foreground or the background of a subject. The blur that you are so used to seeing in photography that separates a subject from the background is the result of shallow depth of field and is generally simply called “background blur”. The quality and feel of the background/foreground blur and reflected points of light, however, is what photographers call Bokeh. (from http://mansurovs.com)
    I have always been fascinated by photos with the bokeh effect. But have never tried on purpose to achieve good results. My bokeh photos were always by pure luck.
    Do you shoot any photos with bokeh on your mind? Or are you just like me, when you go through your photos you say: Oh, there is bokeh!!! :-)
    Im sharing an image from a couple of days ago. The spaces between the flowers and shrubs allowed the sun to shine through...giving me bokeh!
    Share your images and your insight...:-)
    Bokeh

    Loves: xulsolar

  • miss_amiss_a +1 -1
    Posts: 88
    nice :)
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    like this?
    image

    image
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    i was hoping we would be able to create such effect with our s95 for portrait shots...
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    Bokeh lookls like little blurred lights.....here is a website with some examples. And you can do this with the s95, I think.
    http://www.advancedphotography.net/bokeh-effect-30-awesome-examples-showcasing-bokeh-effect/
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    Hey Carmen,
    tried this some time ago while i was driving, but am not sure how to achieve those awesome bokeh from that site using our s95...

    image
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    That is bokeh though, in the photo. I use Aperture mode...manual focus. One of the things to do, is get that subject you taking the photo of, as far away as possible from the background where the sources for bokeh (sun, lamps) are. Highest aperture setting....is what everyone recommends. I am going to try today to get some photos with bokeh.
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    If you look in the Macro thread (bugs) here on the board, you will see a photo from Vand..with loads of bokeh!
  • mtologlumtologlu +1 -1
    Posts: 81
    adam_lss01 said: i was hoping we would be able to create such effect with our s95 for portrait shots...


    :(( I was doing the same ! But unfortunately we should forget it. I invite you to participate to the discussion here:
    RomanD said: Permalink

  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    daisy...or not...
    Basically, I noticed that the more dramatic light you have in the background e.g bright sunlight, deep shadows, the more bokeh is visible
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    f/2, 1/320th of a second ISO 80
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    @mtologlu, lets just see how far we can push this cam! :)
    weekend's finally here, time to whip out the cam and start some shooting! :)
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    I am heading to the lake now. Its a holiday here in Germany and the weather is fantastic. Maybe I can come back with a bokeh photo.
  • mtologlumtologlu +1 -1
    Posts: 81
    Good luck Babes. How's photo contest going??
  • dewiedewie +1 -1
    Posts: 2
    Yes, it's that time of the year already. I shot this in AV mode.

    First S'more of the summer.
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    @dewie almost cream cheese bokeh!!! Your background needs to be further away next time
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    Here are some more examples
  • VandVand +1 -1 (+1 / -0 )
    Posts: 305
    bokeh black flower

    Loves: anish

  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    bokeh dadilion
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    bokeh feather
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    the black flower : F/2.8, 1/100th sec, ISO 160
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    the yellow flower: F/2, 1/250th sec, ISO 80
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    the feather: F/2 160th sec ISO 80
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    I dont have any examples of cream cheese bokeh which is quite hard to get as the background has to be pretty much 20-30 meters away
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    the black flower above,(so I'm told) is a pansy...the camera was on color selection mode...so the I took a photo of it in color came out blue so I changed it in photoshop:
    pansy bokeh
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    @Vand, you are the master of Bokeh!! Great photos!
    Well, I am back from the lake, burnt to a crisp. Timmy the company dog is worn out, knocked out cold on my sofa. I am not sure if this photo will qualify as bokeh...its the reflection of the sun sparkling on the surface of the water. (I know, I know, its cheating, lol)
    @mtologlu, the photo contest is over. Voting going on now. I didnt make it into the top ten. Which is fine...it was plenty of fun just entering. You can see the photos here:
    http://forums.watchuseek.com/f109/watchuseek-photography-contest-may-2011-a-533028.html
    And here, now my 'bokeh'....
    The lake......
    The lake......
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    @Babes Very nice!!!it's refraction of the sunlight on the water what was the f-stop f/8? Too bad you didn't make it to the top ten...the only person I saw that could hold a candle to your photo was the watch with the flashlight reflecting off it..I'm surprised that no one used a sundial or some other ancient time measuring device...
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    @Vand, I think its because everyone wanted to show off the watch they have.....;-) Its a men thing...lol. There is a thread also, for the ten whom were chosen to be finalist. The person whom is leading the poll right now, ugh...! The photo up under his, was posted before his. He clearly got his idea from that one. I think I didnt make it to the top ten because the watch in my photo didnt have the hands on it, so there wasnt time. Which to me, time was in the wrinkled hands of the watch maker. But thats my view...(which can be twisted at times, hahah)
    Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1250)
    Aperture f/8.0
    Focal Length 6 mm
    ISO Speed 160
    This was the setting on my camera for the lake photos.
  • mtologlumtologlu +1 -1
    Posts: 81
    Vand said: I'm surprised that no one used a sundial or some other ancient time measuring device...

    There is one trial but composition is very bad:
    http://forums.watchuseek.com/attachments/f109/428882d1304076237-closed-watchuseek-photography-contest-may-2011-dsc01652.jpg
    This is really good work:
    http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss337/igorycha/_RYK6961.jpg
    @Babes Your photo is in top 3 for me.
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    we should have our own competition here, no need any prizes as we'd be doing it for fun, mods can put the winners in our own hall of fame! :)
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    @mtologlu......the one photo you say is really good work......thats the one where the style was copied. If you look at the photo from 'Dean', he used his hand as a shadow making it look as it it was holding the watch.
    So the guy with the shadow of himself, or someone else, with the watch on the wrist....I am not pleased with, cause he didnt come up with anything creative himself.

    Adam, if we do a competition here, I want a prize.......lol.
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    @Babes apparently I got the same effect as your yacht picture:
    chained water
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    and here is another bokeh picture:
    bokeh white flower2
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    Vand is leaving us all in the dust with the bokeh! Whewhh! Well done!
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    @Babes like I said f2-2,8, dramatic background
  • LILIAKULILIAKU +1 -1
    Posts: 318
    @babes, If you use F8 you get those stars from the light sources it's not bokeh, (try shooting long exposures of light poles at night, with small F numbers you get round lights and with big F numbers you get star lights) you need to have a shallow DOF and highlights in the background create a nice bokeh like in vand photos...

  • monsterallanmonsterallan +1 -1
    Posts: 64
    King & the duck
    Check the duck from Vienna
  • miss_amiss_a +1 -1
    Posts: 88
    IMG_5452
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    trial bokeh while dining with wifey :)

    image
  • BabesBabes +1 -1
    Posts: 213
    Woohoooo, you did it! @adam
  • GlennGlenn +1 -1
    Posts: 27
    Here's a frame of video from a music video I shot on Thursday. There's a little bit of bokeh. I had the Lensmate adapter on with an ND4 filter (silver ring you can see on the camera in the reflection) to reduce the light, which I'm certain helped achieve the look. Also, I was zoomed in all the way.

    image
  • lynchknotlynchknot +1 -1
    Posts: 87
    Apparently, now there's a way....

    "See a variety of Bokeh’s capabilities used in combination to focus attention or change the mood of a scene. Results can be dramatic or so subtle that no one will know you enhanced the photo. You no longer need expensive specialized optics to achieve these looks." http://www.alienskin.com/bokeh/examples.aspx

    Origin of bokeh (from wikipedia)

    "The term comes from the Japanese word boke (暈け or ボケ), which means "blur" or "haze", or boke-aji (ボケ味), the "blur quality". The Japanese term boke is also used in the sense of a mental haze or senility.[8] The term bokashi (暈かし) is related, meaning intentional blurring or gradation.

    The English spelling bokeh was popularized in 1997 in Photo Techniques magazine, when Mike Johnston, the editor at the time, commissioned three papers on the topic for the March/April 1997 issue; he altered the spelling to suggest the correct pronunciation to English speakers, saying "it is properly pronounced with bo as in bone and ke as in Kenneth, with equal stress on either syllable".[3] The spellings bokeh and boke have both been in use at least since 1996, when Merklinger had suggested "or Bokeh if you prefer."[9] The term bokeh has appeared in photography books at least since 1998.[4] It is sometimes pronounced /ˈboʊkə/ (boke-uh)"
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    @Babes,
    thanks, the lights were from the ceiling, and hence not really effective bokeh... weekends are normally booked for the mrs to the malls, let me see if we have time for some outdoors later :P
  • VandVand +1 -1
    Posts: 305
    @adam_lss01 Very nice! you got the bokeh perfectly!!!
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    Thanks Vand, let me see if i get a chance to take some nature bokeh pics :)
  • nurulaminnurulamin +1 -1
    Posts: 1
  • johanalexanderjohanalexander +1 -1
    Posts: 2
    I dont know if this image fits in here really, but I think it turned out to be really sweet. I used the tilt shift effect against the sunlight. I wanted to make the cows to look miniaturized, but what happened was something else.
    s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_llvq65KCqo1qidmpco1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1307597581&Signature=OtqB%2BOwkwxL580IpryspEnESIO0%3D
  • adam_lss01adam_lss01 +1 -1
    Posts: 509
    Hi Johanalexander, while i like the lens flare, i think the cows look bluish... :P
  • jda180s95jda180s95 +1 -1
    Posts: 162
    And I've just learned a new word for a style of picture discovered once I bought my S95

    Grey's Court day out
  • ldoforcnoldoforcno +1 -1
    Posts: 44
    Here's a couple... Bear with me as I'm still trying to master the Bokeh thing.

    coconuts

    conchs
  • ldoforcnoldoforcno +1 -1
    Posts: 44
    And one more (but not the best example of Bokeh)...

    pig
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