Bokeh; an old technique that is making new waves in the design world. For those of you that are new to this subject, Bokeh (correctly pronounced as “bo” as in boat and “ke” as in kettle, with equal stress on either syllable) is a term that is derived from the Japanese word boke, which means “blur” or “haze”. 

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What is Bokeh?

It is an effect originally used by photographers that blurs part of the out-of-focus image and is usually viewed around the light sources behind the focal point. The shapes of the high-lights are determined by the aperture in the lens, normally making them round or other geometric shapes. In photography, this method helps to focus on the object while at the same time making the background visually appealing. This effect is not limited to photography; designers are using this idea to generate the same concept by using Photoshop and other designing programs. Bokeh is becoming ever more popular in the design world, especially in the Web Design field. 

Using this technique in Photography:

As a prevalent career/hobby, photography has taken creativity to extreme levels and an array of imaginative ideas and images have been invented with the Bokeh effect being one of the most recognised. 

How to do Bokeh Photography:

You will need: A camera with adjustable exposure and aperture

Step 1: Slightly un-focus your lens so that the image is now softly blurred. Your background should be significantly blurry but try to keep your focus object recognisable. The image background will    be significantly blurred, but try keeping the foreground image, your subject, recognizable.

Step 2: Set your exposure time in accordance with the amount of light present.

Step 3: Adjust your aperture (this is the diameter of the camera’s lens opening and is normally controlled by an iris with its purpose being to control the collection of light) to a lower f-stop number such as f1.4, f1.8 or f2.8 so that the aperture is larger, this will help ensure that the picture is kept in soft focus.

Step 4: Set the shutter speed to faster than 1/50 seconds, any slower and the background lights usually start getting hazy instead of rendering small shapes. 

Step 5: Look into your viewfinder and ensure that the background is lit with spots (a consistently lit background creates just a regular blur) of either sunlight or artificial light. 

Step 6: Click away!

Useful tips:

• If it is too dark, increase the ISO level instead of the f-stop number.
• Glowing lights like street lamps and traffic lights work best. 
• If you are using a zoom lens, extend it to the longest focal length.
• The closer you are to the focal-point the, better and the further away you are from the background, the better.
• If you are not using a subject and want to create the bokeh effect with the night lights, manually focus your camera.

Fun idea:  Create original and uniquely shaped Bokeh effects 

You will need a camera with a large aperture lens and a few sheets of black cardboard.

1. Use the cardboard to cut and shape a fake hood that will snugly fit on the lens.
2. In the middle of the filter cut out your selected shape – scrapbooking shape punchers work best.
3. Set your camera to its lowest aperture value (completely open) and start snapping!

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Bokeh and Graphic Designing

Photography has been very inspirational in the design world. Designers are constantly searching for original and innovative ideas to create eye-catching designs, which is the exact criterion that Bokeh offers. It is popularly used for website design, photo editing and advertising displays. Due to the abilities of Photoshop, you can create and experiment with a number of designs and creative effects.

Using this effect for website purposes

Bokeh is implemented in website design quite often, as it offers a stylish background or header pattern. It provides a mysterious and enchanting feel to your design if used correctly and normally leaves viewers optically satisfied.

There are so many ways that you can play around with this effect and it can be used in various forms of branding, art and design. You can do the effect the traditional way by manipulating your camera’s lens, or you can get arts in Photoshop, either away, it’s a creative process and if done correctly, the results are amazing. Enjoy trying something new!

Much love - @sweetpea

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