Bokeh or "Fuzzy" photography

[Keith]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh



"Bokeh (from the Japanese boke ぼけ, "blur") is a photographic term referring to distorted out-of-focus areas in an image produced by a camera lens.[1] Different lens bokeh produces different aesthetic qualities in out-of-focus backgrounds, which are often used to reduce distractions and emphasize the primary subject."

[Quinn]

wow! what a beautiful photographic style! I love it! Thanks for sharing!

[April]

Now here is a link that peaks my interest. That is one of the biggest reasons I wanted a better camera.

[Alyson]

I love that technique. I can sometimes get pictures to have a fuzzy background look, but only when using my parent's camera. I can't wait until I can get my own digital SLR.

[digiferfer]

I agree Alyson, can't wait to be able to get a SLR. I see so many great photos and sometimes have a hard time scrapping mine because they aren't that amazing :)

[jessie]

To get good bokeh in a non-SLR camera, get your F stop to go to the lowest point your camera will allow. You should be able to put your point and shoot into some manual modes... "Av" mode controls the aperture (F stop) while automatically adjusting for the shutter speed. See if you can change that number to a low one (most point and shoot cameras won't go below f/4 or so) and see if you can't get some cool results. Get in close to your subject (about 3 feet away) and see if you can't get that background to blur.

[digiferfer]

Thanks Jessie, my camera goes to a F3.2, so I'll have to try and take some pics, thanks for the tip.

[April]

I can go down to 1.8 but I'm wondering how to get this effect when standing further away than three feet. Sometimes I can do it and sometimes not.

[jessie]

You can still get the effect standing further away... especially with a 1.8. Just be extra sure your subject is in focus, and everything around them should blur. I just recommended the 3 feet with the point and shoot camera because you usually can't get the F-stop so low.

[Alyson]

Wonderful tip! I'll have to pull my camera out and check to see what I can do. I know I have some manual modes, so I can probably do some fun things. I really need to take a digital photography class.

[michelle_e]

I love this effect too! And how easy it is to do with DSLR's and their lenses. Thanks for the tips!