The word bokeh originates from the Japanese word boke ボケ and broadly translates as blur. In photography, the word is used to describe the aesthetically pleasing effects that can be achieved. In this article, I will cover the camera equipment that you need for capturing bokeh, as well as some tips on the techniques to use.
Equipment Needed
The good news is that you don’t need the latest / greatest DSLR. You do though need a DSLR or equivalent mirrorless to get consistent results, as they enable control over the camera settings, and have superior performance at lower light settings. Basically, Camera-wise, if you have a relatively modern DSLR from the last 5-8 years, then you don’t need to run out and buy any new kit, you can experiment with the camera you have.
As far as lenses go, the faster your glass, the better chance you have of capturing bokeh, and also getting quality results. However, generally speaking, the faster your glass (i.e. the lower the f-stop of the lens) then the higher the price tag. There is a general theme on the web that infers you need to have fast/expensive lenses in order to get results with bokeh. In reality, as long as you have a lens of f4 or below, then you can capture the effect nicely.
I captured the feature image using a Canon EF 100-400 USM lens. But, you don’t need something as expensive or bulky as this, a decent 50mm will do.
Camera Settings
Set your camera to the lowest f-stop that your lens will allow. The easiest way to achieve this is to shoot in Aperture Priority mode, whereby you select the aperture (f-stop) you want to shoot at and allow the camera to do the rest. The idea here is that the lower the f-stop, the shallower your depth of field will be. i.e. the effect we are trying to achieve is that the shallow depth of field; naturally results in the elements in-front of and beyond the in-focus area to be blurred.
I also tend to shoot with the lowest ISO setting I can get for the ambient conditions. Whilst this won’t affect whether or not you capture bokeh, it will keep noise in your final image to a minimum, which in turn will improve the quality of the overall effect.
Techniques for Capturing Bokeh
Technique 1) To take advantage of our shallow depth of field, we want the background to be as far away as possible from the foreground subject to maximize our chance of capturing bokeh. This will naturally create blur, as the background will be out of the focal range of the lens.
Technique 2) Another trick to use, especially if you are photographing portraits with a telephoto lens, is to create space between you and the subject, as well as creating space between the subject and the background. This is also useful if you are working with a lens with a higher baseline f-stop.
In both cases, when you are framing your subject, try to include highlights in the background, as I did in my shot above. These highlights (if out of focus) will turn into glowing orbs of light and can be quite pleasing.
Summary
1) Set your camera to Aperture Priority mode.
2) Set your camera to the lowest native f-stop that your lens will allow.
3) Keep your ISO as low as the light conditions will allow.
4) Create space between the subject and the background. Particularly for portraits, as well as creating an air gap between the subject and the background, do the same between the camera and the subject.
5) Try to include highlights from the sun or artificial light in your background.
6) Photograph backgrounds with highlights in them deliberately out of focus.
