How to make bokeh shapes.

It’s no secret that I love bokeh play. No, this isn’t some kind of freaky sex fetish.  It’s a Photogranerd thing!

Bokeh – Most photographers know this term, but if you don’t, bokeh basically refers to the shape (and oft admired beauty) of the out-of-focus areas of a photograph. This isn’t in reference to camera shake or motion blur, but rather the OOF areas that occur due to depth of focus determined by settings on your camera.  In a nutshell, you want a very wide aperture (small f-stop number – f/1.4 or f/1.8 are the most dreamy) to achieve the most lovely bokeh. Then adjust focus so that the lights are out of focus.

One of the most fun (to me) types of bokeh, and the most often referred to, are those you can create by manipulating points of light.

With a DSLR, just go into manual mode (or aperture priority) and make sure you have the lowest f-stop # aperture setting your lens will allow, and adjust focus to create the bokeh.  I used a Canon Digital Rebel XT with 50mm 1.8 lens for this lovely shot.

On a point-and-shoot, use your manual settings to do the same, or you can put your camera in portrait mode (profile shaped icon) to approximate this, if you can’t adjust settings manually. This is because portrait mode generally uses a shallow depth of field/low number f-stop to make the subject “pop” with the background out-of-focus. Remember, the lights have to be out of focus to achieve bokeh.

I’ve also cheated like this with my point-and-shoot:

Remember, practicing (a lot) with your camera of choice is the key to good results. Never. Give. Up.

I captured this shot with my Canon Powershot G9, using maximum aperture (lowest number, widest opening), and focused on the ornament up close, throwing the lights in the background into lovely bokeh shapes.

Once you’ve played with light bokeh, an even more fun thing to do is to force them into specific shapes!

If you’d like to do the same, you’ll need:

CAREFULLY trace a circle around your lens on your black paper.  Cut out your circle.

Next, you want to draw and then cut a small shape (about 1/2 inch, or 15-20mm) from the middle of your circle. If your shape is too big, you get poor results. Popular shapes include hearts, stars, and crosses. You can get creative here, and that is part of the fun.

Be very careful with your shape – clean lines, no tears, clearly shaped and cut.  This is easier to do with x-acto knives or shape punchers than with scissors.

Cut a strip of black paper to wrap around the lens, about 1 inch wide, like a cuff. Tape that shut on the lens, and tape your circle carefully to that, so it sits in front of your lens. This must be flush, no light leaks!

Another method is putting your paper circle inside a lens filter ring. This eliminates need for tape. Experiment to see what works best for you!

PLAY WITH THE LOVELY BOKEH. SMILE. REPEAT.

Blogher 10 Photography ROYO: How to Take Great Pictures, Whether You Have a DSLR or Point-and-Shoot

One of the things I was hugely excited about this year at the conference was being on a panel of photographers presenting a ROYO (“Room of Your Own” Session) about how to take great photos. Rachel and Mishelle are both amazing artists in their trade and I was so honored to be there with them. Beside the fact that they are both huge inspirations to me, I absolutely adore both of these women on a very personal level too. What a gift to connect with them for this event!

photo courtesy of Mishelle

We worked hard for weeks to get our presentation just right, hoping we could fit the best information into the time and medium allotted. I’ll leave it to you all to decide if we were truly successful, but I have to tell you that it felt right and I got a sense that it went very well. (Squee.)

Here you will find the slideshow we used during our presentation, as well as the audio from the actual session right below it. You can listen and go along with the presentation. You’re only missing seeing us sit behind a desk full of wires and cameras and laptops, with microphones pinned to our bewbie areas. (Also, if anyone tries to pass on a rumor that I picked my nose during the presentation, that is a lie. I repeat, a filthy lie.)

I hope you enjoy! And if you have any questions, feel free to hit me up.

photo courtesy of Mishelle

Yup, you can take frackin’ awesome water shots.

Often, when I post water shots on Sundays, I get asked how I take those photos, what kind of camera I use, etc.

The first thing you need to know is that I have no clue how to use a DSLR. As far as digital cameras are concerned, I’ve never used anything other than a Point & Shoot. My new P&S camera (Canon Powershot G9) is very nice and I love it very much, but I took nice water shots even with the “old” camera – a Kodak Easyshare DX7630 (6MP, 3x Digital Zoom). Which is to say, you don’t have to have a fancy camera to get shots like this.

The following shots were all taken with the “old” camera:

I cannot stress to you how much practice and repetition play a part in learning how to get a good shot with your camera. I never take just a few water shots and come up with a fabulous one. It’s more like, I shoot 100 captures and then pull the maybe 5 I really like, and then clean them up so they shine.

With water shots good focus and lighting are key. Use your macro setting – if you don’t know how to do that, check your manual. It’s not just a feature on expensive cameras – most digital cameras will have a macro setting, even “cheap” ones.

If the setup you’re using isn’t working for you – try something new! Change the speed of the water drip, the background, the lighting, distance… see what happens as you change things and you will learn what you like, what works for you and your camera. If you get frustrated, burned out… turn the camera off, wait 5-15 minutes and try again so you’re refreshed.

I guarantee that you can great photos of water without a fancy camera. You just have to be patient and willing to try again and again. Remember The Little Train Who Could?

I’ve been writing water shot tutorials over at Photo Bliss, so make sure you check them out for details.

Here are links to ones I’ve already posted:

Water Photography Series – Falling Drops

Making Water Droplets Magical

Water Splash Photos, Easy

And I’m planning on doing more as I get fun ideas (already have a few in mind).

Feel free to ask me any specific questions you have, any time. I’m happy to help if I can!