DSLR Bokeh Tutorial
It seems that many Flickrites out there are struggling to get good bokeh shots. The good news is that shooting bokeh is one of the easiest photographic techniques to learn. Unfortunately, it is also one of the hardest to master. Here I will attempt to get you started with the basics. You’ll have to do the mastery part on your own :-)
Bokeh (pronounced: “boke-aay” or “boke-uh”- I prefer the latter) is the out of focus or blurry areas of a photograph. Wikipedia has a much more detailed description of the definition of bokeh that’s worth a read. On Flickr I find most people use the term to specifically describe out of focus highlights in a photo. For the purposes of this how-to we’ll focus (pun intended) on out of focus highlight bokeh.
The photo above made the Front Page of Flickr’s Explore last week. I wish I could say that this was a difficult and challenging shot that called upon all of my skills as a photographer. The truth is this was one of the easiest shots I took that night. These small aperture long exposure shots were a lot more difficult to get right:
The secret to shooting bokeh lies in its definition: out of focus highlights. You need three things to shoot bokeh: pin point highlights, a large aperture and a short focal distance. When I say pin point highlights I mean small light sources. Trying to shoot a large area of light like a window or fluorescent light does not typically produce the type of bokeh “balls” that we are looking for here. Small lights like Christmas twinkle lights are an obvious source, but any light source that is far enough away will become infinitely small and can produce bokeh. I find street and car lights in the distance at night make wonderful bokeh.
Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7 SMC
Next, we need a large aperture. For the novice, the aperture is the opening in the lens that controls the amount of light that makes it through the lens and shutter to the film/sensor. The smaller the f number (or f-stop) the larger the opening. This is usually expressed as f/5.6, f/4, f/2.8, f/1.4, etc. Read more about aperture here. Typically the larger the aperture the larger the bokeh. Fast lenses below f/2.8 like my 20 year old manual focus Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7 SMC are ideal for shooting bokeh (and is the lens I use for most of my bokeh shots on Fickr).
That is not to say that one can not get great bokeh using lenses with a smaller maximum aperture like the typical kit lenses sold with most entry level DSLRs. The trick is to make sure you are using the largest aperture possible (smallest f number). To do this I recommend switching your camera into Aperture Priority mode (typically labeled “A” or “Av” on the program mode dial) and dialing in the smallest f number possible. With most kit lenses this will be f/3.5. Here is another Explore bokeh photo of mine shot with my kit lens at f/3.5:
The other reason that you want the largest possible aperture your lens is capable of is to ensure that your bokeh is round and not faceted. You see, most lenses use 5-7 straight aperture blades to create the variable opening in the lens. Bokeh takes on the shape and size of the lens opening so smaller apertures will produce smaller, faceted and generally less pleasing bokeh. There are exceptions to this rule as most high end lenses use curved aperture blades that keep the aperture opening round at all f stops. However, if you’re shooting with a $1,500 Canon L series lens I trust you already know how to shoot bokeh ;-)
Aperture openings on a 6 bladed lens (mouse over for setting):
Bokeh shots at different aperture settings with this lens (mouse over for setting):
The last component to getting good bokeh shots is the focus distance used. I have found that the shorter the focus distance to the foreground subject, the better the background bokeh I will get. The idea is to get as much distance between the subject and the bokeh producing highlights. Also, the closer you are focused to the camera the shorter the depth of field (DOF) will be. This ensures those lights way off in the background will be nice and blurred out.
The focal length of the lens is also a consideration. Depth of field is basically a function of focal length, distance to subject and aperture. At a given aperture and distance longer focal lengths result in shorter DOF. A short DOF is what we need to effectively blur the background highlights to produce bokeh. Getting close to the foreground subject and zooming to the longest setting on your lens will likely put you where you need to be to capture killer bokeh.
Here we have an example of close focus on the foreground subject coupled with a wide open aperture and longer focal length to create bokeh from small lights in the background:
When I took this shot I was at the minimum focus distance for my 50mm 1.7 lens (about 18-20″). The white (gold colored here) twinkle lights were on another Christmas tree approximately 8-10′ behind the light bulb and branch I focused on. The other smaller colored bokeh highlights were from other lights on the same tree that I focused on.
TUTORIAL:
Now that I’ve rambled on ad nauseam about all the intricate details of capturing bokeh, let’s get on to the part where you actually go do it!
For DSLR users (point ‘n shooters will have to wait for another tutorial):
- Set your camera to Aperture Priority mode (A or Av on the program dial).
- Select the smallest possible aperture (f) number for your lens (should be ≤f/4).
- Switch your camera to manual focus and manually adjust the focus to the closest setting.
- Zoom your lens to somewhere around 50mm.
- Find some nice points of light at a distance of 10′ or greater from the camera (your Christmas tree is the perfect subject this time of year).
- Fire away!
If you get a shutter speed that’s too slow (ie: less than 1/30 second), try bumping the ISO up to 400 or more. If you do the Christmas tree thing what you should get is something like this:
Depending on how dark the background is (darker usually = better) you might have to dial in some exposure compensation to get your bokeh to really pop. This image looks like it came out fine without any, but I often have to dial in +2/3 to +1 EV for my 50mm 1.7 on my Pentax K10D.
Next, try putting a subject of some sort in front of the camera at the minimum focus distance (or there about) with the bokeh highlights in the background. It’ll take a little playing around with subject matter and lighting (both foreground and background) but in no time you should be shooting bokeh like a pro! For more examples, be sure to check out my bokehliscious set on Flickr.
Please let me know in comments if this is helpful to you and/or if you have any questions or suggestions. Also, feel free to post links of your bokeh attempts for everyone to enjoy. Thanks for stopping by.
Happy bokeh-ing!
UPDATE: This is my single most popular post on my blog. Please let me know what else you would like for me to share about bokeh!
December 19th, 2008 at 8:42 am
[...] I posted a tutorial on photographing bokeh with a DSLR. Today I am going to attempt to do the same about pocket cameras. Please take a minute to read over [...]
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
[...] of your Christmas tree and other Holiday decor. All those colorful and tiny lights make perfect bokeh fodder. And highly processed detail shots like this are also [...]
December 28th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Thanks for the tutorial! I spent a dull afternoon experimenting with my Canon S3IS and had some success with the manual mode ISO 200, super macro,f/2.7
http://www.flickr.com/photos/body_soul_spirit/3144983347/
January 8th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Awesome tutorial, I will check it out when doing any bokeh-ing! Cheers!
January 25th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
[...] end up being a bit long on an APS-C sensor camera [80mm] but at least you can start exploring the Wonderful World of Bokeh and available light [...]
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:58 am
maybe you intended to write this for less professional photographer, but smallest f value NOT always produce good bokeh. it should depend on the composition. sometimes ‘blurrer’ background proves more distractive, or less ‘artistic’.
otherwise nice article.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:42 am
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuneytoner/3732184406/
August 16th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
can I produce bokeh with my pocket camera??
how??
Please tell me…. i’m crazy aboout this :D
August 16th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
cyber-shooter: You can but the results will be limited. See my pocket camera bokeh tutorial here: http://www.robertsdonovan.com/?p=727
August 30th, 2009 at 4:48 am
[...] Wie wir diese schön runden Bokeh-Kreise hinbekommen, das zeigt unds Roberts [...]
September 12th, 2009 at 3:27 am
Robert, thanks so much for a totally clear, easy to follow, nicely informal but informative tutorial. Very much appreciated. Happily, I have a 50mm 1:1.8 lens, so I’m hoping for some results…
September 12th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial [...]
September 24th, 2009 at 4:50 am
excellent advice
September 30th, 2009 at 6:15 am
[...] check these sites: Bokeh basic definition (Wikipedia) Understanding Boke (Luminous Landscape) DSLR Bokeh Tutorial Pocket Camera Bokeh Tutorial Shaped Bokeh __________________ Linda My Gear OK to re-edit and [...]
October 7th, 2009 at 5:46 am
[...] and how to achieve it: Bokeh basic definition (Wikipedia) Understanding Boke (Luminous Landscape) DSLR Bokeh Tutorial Pocket Camera Bokeh Tutorial Shaped Bokeh Some bokeh captred by my 50mm lens: As always, rules: [...]
October 8th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Thanks. Now I know what bokeh is. I will practice this tutorial ASAP.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Excellent tutorial! I have written down my notes and I look forward to practicing your tips. I look forward to reading more or your tutorials.
Thank You!
Cheryl
October 8th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Excellent, can’t wait to try this out. Thanks for taking the time to share this!
October 9th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Excellent step by step detailing. Thanks.
October 21st, 2009 at 6:02 pm
[...] [...]
November 6th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Hey, Thanks for the awesome tutorial! I’ve been trying my hand at every photographic style I can find as part of my learning curve. This should be really helpful for tonights 365!
November 10th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
bokeh photography is similar to tachisme, an art that I don’t know how to enjoy, haha
December 5th, 2009 at 2:00 am
Hi,
I just bought my Olympus E 520 few days ago and im struggling w/ it. WHenever I zoom the lens, f number will increase so i cant create bokeh effect….plz help T______T”.
THanks
December 5th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Sally,
The 14-42mm Olympus kit lens has a variable aperture depending on the zoom setting (f/3.5 @ 14mm and f/5.6 @ 42mm). You can still get good bokeh though. Be sure to set the camera to Aperture Priority mode. Zoom to 42mm and set the aperture to f/5.6. Get up as close as you can to a test subject with some lights in the distant background (10 feet or more away). Focus on the close subject then recompose slightly so that the subject is to one side of the frame and the lights are visible in the background and take a picture. You should get nice bokeh balls in the background.
You can also try switching to manual focus and simply set the focus to the closest setting and then point the camera at some lights that are 5 feet + away (that’s how I took the main shot above).
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Cheers!
December 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
closest setting you mean f 5.6 42mm?
btw, if i wanna buy one more lens for the olympus, wat should i buy to get good bokeh?
thanks :)
December 5th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Sally,
By “closest setting” I mean the minimum focus distance at f/5.6 @ 42mm (closest to the front of the lens). The best 4/3rds mount lens for bokeh is probably the Panasonic 25mm f/1.4: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/484209-REG/Panasonic_L_X025_25mm_f_1_4_Leica_D.html
The Sigma 24 f/1.8 is about 1/2 the price of the Panasonic lens but quite a bit larger: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/463451-USA/Sigma_432107_24mm_f_1_8_EX_Aspherical.html
The Olympus 25mm f/2.8 lens is the cheapest alternative but at “only” f/2.8 it won’t produce as good of bokeh as the other two (though it is a definite improvement over the kit lens and quite compact): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/549015-REG/Olympus_261059_25mm_f_2_8_ED_Zuiko.html
Cheers!
December 5th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Great tutorial. Just the information I was looking for. Thanks for posting it.
December 5th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Your site is a great resource, thank you for all your detail. I am waiting for my first DSLR the Pentax K200D, it should be here Friday. I used to love film photography, but the processing became to expensive to really have fun. With pictures like yours, I am inspired and will be visiting your site frequently.
December 5th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Hey,
thank you so much. You should put up more tutorial. there are some pictures out there, let’s say this one ( even thou its not a good example) http://www.flickr.com/photos/richxti/4150516295/. i wanna take picture of the street and the light make a whole line like that. how can i do it? is it bokeh too?
and you should make a tutor how to adjust the WB too >”<. i have trouble w/ the A and G of WB T______T".
Thanks :)
December 6th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial « robertsdonovan.com The Bokeh could be our first assingment. Or we could use the ones that are posted on the photography forum. I posted a link to a tutorial on Bokeh __________________ Ollie Chachi Hallie Harlie & Me CircleKRanchYorkies.com] [...]
December 6th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Hi Robert again,
I’m just curious how I’m able to know what kit lens are compatible w/ my olympus e 520.
THanks~~~
U’ve been so helpful :)
December 11th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
[...] challenge. Capturing the best looking bokeh isn’t just about capturing lights out of focus. Here’s a decent tutorial, to lend you a hand. If you’re into DIY projects, then give this one a try too! [...]
December 29th, 2009 at 8:45 am
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial [...]
December 30th, 2009 at 1:38 am
hello!!
I have found this SUPER helpful! I am yet to try it, and my DSLR is only just out of the box, but as soon as it gets dark, the fairylights will go on, and I am going to get playing with this!!!
Thank you so much!
Renee x
January 5th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
The tutorial is really clear and crisp, i’ll try it right away. thanks
January 19th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
[...] renders out-of-focus points of light. The bokeh effect is created naturally through the lens of a camera, or it can be recreated digitally in a Graphic Design Software such as Photoshop. If you want to [...]
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:03 am
Hey
i tried soo many times
but i didnt take bokeh
=((((
dont know wt to do
January 28th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
take nikon D40 from its bag then tadaaaa.. i did it after tried so many times.. thank you :)
March 4th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
[...] it, another one will be in the shop to be repaired. I’m having trouble getting down the Bokeh concept, but I want to learn to do it with different shapes. I also have 2 photos that have been [...]
March 13th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial [...]
April 5th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial [...]
April 8th, 2010 at 7:53 am
[...] nidpor – western snapper – tawny jam smile! photography thru design « Fantastic abstract world of Luigi Benedetti Bokeh tutorials April 8, 2010 http://www.robertsdonovan.com/?p=702 [...]
April 28th, 2010 at 7:58 am
loved ths tutorial…thnx a lot
May 11th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Great tutorial!!! Thanks very much.
July 13th, 2010 at 9:03 am
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial – Roberts Donovan sets out in simple steps the techniques of bokeh photography with digital SLR cameras. This informative lesson acknowledges that bokeh skills are very simple to pick up, and equally as difficult to master. [...]
July 13th, 2010 at 9:59 am
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial – Roberts Donovan sets out in simple steps the techniques of bokeh photography with digital SLR cameras. This informative lesson acknowledges that bokeh skills are very simple to pick up, and equally as difficult to master. [...]
July 13th, 2010 at 10:49 am
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial – Roberts Donovan sets out in simple steps the techniques of bokeh photography with digital SLR cameras. This informative lesson acknowledges that bokeh skills are very simple to pick up, and equally as difficult to master. [...]
July 14th, 2010 at 5:22 am
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial – Roberts Donovan sets out in simple steps the techniques of bokeh photography with digital SLR cameras. This informative lesson acknowledges that bokeh skills are very simple to pick up, and equally as difficult to master. [...]
July 14th, 2010 at 10:05 am
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial – revivalist Donovan sets discover in ultimate steps the techniques of bokeh picturing with digital SLR cameras. This consultative warning acknowledges that bokeh skills are rattling ultimate to garner up, and equally as arduous to master. [...]
July 14th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial – Roberts Donovan sets out in simple steps the techniques of bokeh photography with digital SLR cameras. This informative lesson acknowledges that bokeh skills are very simple to pick up, and equally as difficult to master. [...]
August 2nd, 2010 at 6:49 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial – Roberts Donovan sets out in simple steps the techniques of bokeh photography with digital SLR cameras. This informative lesson acknowledges that bokeh skills are very simple to pick up, and equally as difficult to master. [...]
August 6th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial – Roberts Donovan sets out in simple steps the techniques of bokeh photography with digital SLR cameras. This informative lesson acknowledges that bokeh skills are very simple to pick up, and equally as difficult to master. [...]
August 13th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
[...] on quietly on its own averaging about 300-500 views a day. My most popular posts by far are my DSLR Bokeh Tutorial and Shooting Manual Lenses on Pentax DSLRs tutorial. It is interesting how popular my DSLR Bokeh [...]
August 15th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
This really helped, I am a young photographer and I loved some of my friends portraits that had brokeh in the background and i had to learn how to do it! Thank you!
Here is a shot i got about a week after I learned this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomas-trail/4894466651/in/photostream/
August 16th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
hi can i produce nice portrait shot with background bokeh using my lumix lx3? thanks.
August 20th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Sure. See this post.
September 4th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
this really helped me thank you so much, i seen these cool dot pictures and had no clue what they were but wanted to do them and i had no clue what anything ment on my dslr, :)
September 17th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
[...] http://www.robertsdonovan.com/?p=702 [...]
November 2nd, 2010 at 7:53 pm
[...] been playing around with this technique. There are really good instructions available here. I think I managed to get the hang of it by the end of last night, but it’s not so easy (easy [...]
November 3rd, 2010 at 4:53 pm
[...] Photoshop bokeh tutorial DSLR Bokeh tutorial [...]
November 5th, 2010 at 7:08 am
[...] this holiday photography class and I cannot wait! Another fun holiday photography bit – this fantastic Holiday Bokeh Tutorial by Robert [...]
November 11th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
hey there thanks for your very helpful tutorial :)
this is my first time trying bokeh so yeah i’m a novice
anyway i tried out everything and its cool but it’s so hard to get the object on focus sharp althought everything at the back is blur.and is the lighting on the object supposed to be dark?
many thanks
November 29th, 2010 at 10:07 am
very good tutorial, thank you very much
December 3rd, 2010 at 11:08 am
Thanks for the wonderful tutorial. I’m going to try this soon.
December 13th, 2010 at 4:30 am
Thanks for your sharing, I also use Pentax A 50f1.7 for bokeh too. I am pleased to share with everyone hereafter:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/surisuka/sets/72157625588699706/
December 13th, 2010 at 4:51 am
Daylight with Pentax-A 50f1.7 SMC
[img]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5083/5214271218_a9b6335427_z.jpg[/img]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/surisuka/5214271218/in/set-72157625588699706/
December 14th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Finally, someone who took a rather difficult concept to not only explain, but made it practical for all to enjoy; thank you.
December 16th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial [...]
December 27th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
[...] Finally – a DSLR Bokeh Tutorial that helped me in understanding WTF bokeh really is. Check it out at Robertsdonovan.com. [...]
January 1st, 2011 at 10:16 pm
I loved this! Thank you for the tutorial!!! I do not have a christmas tree, but I used the same settings for street lights.
January 20th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
[...] i tried my hand at a new technique! Bokeh is  is the out of focus or blurry areas of a photograph. I think i need to tweek this technique [...]
January 28th, 2011 at 1:39 am
I don’t like being pedantic, but there are indeed correct pronunciations of the word “bokeh.”
“Boke-uh” is not one of them.
It is pronounced more like the word “bouquet,” but the first syllable is more like “bow” from “rainbow.”
January 28th, 2011 at 6:07 am
[...] Roberts Donovan will walk you through the basic rules of the technique, as well as the “secret” to it all—out of focus highlights. [...]
January 29th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
[...] Writer: http://www.robertsdonovan.com/ [...]
February 2nd, 2011 at 4:17 am
Got here by way of the Gizmodo challenge page. Excellent explanation of bokeh and how to achieve it. I couldn’t have explained it to someone else how to do it even though I know how to do it. Will have to share this with friends.
February 18th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
[...] You can learn more about photo effect here [...]
February 25th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Thanks so much for this, definitely going to try it!
March 30th, 2011 at 2:50 am
This was quite helpful. I tried the shooting bokeh last night, will try shooting it with an object in the foreground soon :)
Thanks!
March 30th, 2011 at 8:44 am
[...] do you achieve bokeh? Here are some links that may help – a DSLR bokeh tutorial, a pocket camera bokeh tutorial and a shaped bokeh tutorial. I haven’t yet tried the last two [...]
May 17th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
[...] camera and a lens with a large aperture. I’m definitely no photography expert, so refer to this good article for info about lenses and settings for taking shots with bokeh. I used my Canon Digital Rebel XSi [...]
June 29th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
[...] For any photographers out there who are keen to give this technique a shot (excuse the pun), here is a detailed tutorial. [...]
August 7th, 2011 at 4:03 am
Great blog! Exactly what I’ve been looking for, I hope to try this out tonight, thank you :)
August 25th, 2011 at 2:14 am
wonderful tutorial… i was searching the same for bokeh…
August 27th, 2011 at 8:54 am
I read this a few years ago, and again today. Thank you!! I need the simple words to “get it”.
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:30 am
[...] Donovan’s DSLR bokeh tutorial is wonderfully thorough, with lengthy explanations of all the technical components regarding lenses [...]
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Excellent blog here! Additionally your site a lot up very fast! What host are you the usage of? Can I get your associate hyperlink in your host? I want my web site loaded up as fast as yours lol
November 28th, 2011 at 7:40 am
Thank you for your precious tutorial…I’ll try it soon!
December 12th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
[...] http://www.designzzz.com/bokeh-photography-howto-capture-tips-shoot/ and another more in depth: http://www.robertsdonovan.com/?p=702. Bokeh techniques blur lights with the popular circular blur such as in the above link, but [...]
December 13th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
I have a 72mm lense. I can capture bokeh but I cannot get a clear image of an object with the bokeh in the background. tips?
December 14th, 2011 at 9:52 am
Can you do bokeh on iPhone? Please answer I’m trying to do one of my Xmas tree but it isn’t working. Any tips? Thanks so much! :)
December 14th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Hi. I keep running into the same problem. I believe my settings aren’t right. I have a nikon d5100 18-55mm lens will that work? My problem is when I get the bokeh focused when I go to snap it refocuses my camera
December 17th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Thanks very much for this. Have now successfully taken my first bokeh shots of Christmas lights! :)
December 19th, 2011 at 6:32 am
it is so helpful, tnx.
December 28th, 2011 at 4:33 am
this is very helpful and thank you so much.
January 1st, 2012 at 7:27 pm
[...] DIY tags didn’t work out how I had hoped, so I ended up trying something different. I used a bokeh photo of Christmas lights I snapped last week as a background and whipped up matching labels by adding [...]
February 1st, 2012 at 7:01 pm
[...] lente com uma abertura grande. Definitivamente não sou nenhuma especialista em fotografia, nesse artigo contem algumas informações sobre as lentes e configurações para tirar fotos com o efeito [...]
February 16th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
Deidra, try switching to manual focus mode.
February 16th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I have tried it with my iPhone 4S but the results are pretty poor. Use the same technique described in my Pocket Camera Bokeh Tutorial if you want to give it a try yourself.
February 16th, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Sara, try getting the bokeh to look like you want then moving the camera back and forth until you get the subject in the foreground in focus.
February 25th, 2012 at 12:53 am
Thanks for the amazing tutorial! I was looking for this kind of tutorial for ages.. I tried as soon as I read the instructions. I am not sure how to play with the lighting though, have a look at these 2 shots and give me a feedback. I tried playing with the ISOs but my subject turned out darker at times and I also got grainy pictures ( you can see them if you look harder ). Im still going to practice.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77274723@N05/6927633335/
February 25th, 2012 at 12:54 am
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77274723@N05/6781513618/
Forgot to attach the other one sorry!
February 28th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
thank you very much for your detail wonderful tutorial.I hope to try this out ASAP…:)
April 11th, 2012 at 3:57 am
I will be trying it today :)
Lets see what happens.
Thanks for all your efforts and explanation for a novice like me.
April 11th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
SOOOOOOOOOOPER!
Thanks a lot for this tutorial.
April 25th, 2012 at 7:05 pm
This is an excellent tutorial! I just learned recently what the term ‘bokeh’ is and today I followed your easy-to-use tutorial and made some really nice bokeh shots! Thanks so much for this!
May 15th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Appreciate the tutorial. I’m reading up on whatever I can to get better shots. A friend of mine, Shane Black, is doing wonderful things with his shots and I’m just learning and looking around to gain as much experience as possible. I’d love any advice on close (face shot) up photographs that give immaculate detail and grit.
May 15th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
Thanks for the tutorial! I got the Bokeh kit from PhotoJojo and was beating my head against the wall and getting really disappointed that it wasn’t working. Turns out I just needed to switch to manual focus, which I found in your lovely piece here. I’m looking forward to improving upon the kit and really opening up the possibilities of this technique.
July 6th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
I´m getting a film SLR camera with a 50mm lens today, hopefully it’s gonna be useful for making bokeh. I’ve also made bokeh with my point-and-shoot camera (a Samsung WB150F). What I do with this one is zooming and setting the focus to the closest distance and it does produce bokeh. Anyway I’ve also tried with my mom’s Sony Cybershot -It’s only 5x optical zoom- but it won’t produce any nice bokeh. :/
July 11th, 2012 at 4:38 pm
[...] DSLR bokeh tutorial [...]
July 11th, 2012 at 8:28 pm
[...] DSLR Bokeh Tutorial « robertsdonovan.comDec 11, 2008 … Here is another Explore bokeh photo of mine shot with my kit lens at f/3.5: …. Brilliant Bokeh Photography And How To @ Designussion: … July 12th, 2012 | [...]
July 13th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Just wanted to add my thanks for this clear, and detailed and easy to follow tut… This is why I love the net :)
July 15th, 2012 at 9:14 am
@ Carlos, point-and-shoot cameras just don’t have large enough sensors and apertures to produce truly pleasing bokeh. You’ll get much better results from your DSLR and 50mm lens. Thanks for the note!
July 19th, 2012 at 4:17 pm
[...] sit somewhere in the middle ground for most images. For a little more “How To” visit Rob Donovan’s website for a hands on style tutorial using a DSLR. I cite this reference as it gives us a good comparative [...]
September 10th, 2012 at 6:35 am
Any requirements for the type of DSLR being used? Can any DSLR-like camera be used?
September 10th, 2012 at 7:27 am
Any DSLR can be used but a “DSLR-like” camera may not deliver very good results. See my pocket camera bokeh tutorial for non-DSLR cameras.
September 26th, 2012 at 6:09 am
[...] Click here for an in-depth tutorial on this beautiful technique. Share this:MoreLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. Tags: blur, bokeh, flickr, Jacynthe Blaire, Marquisa, photography, SurfaceSpotting, Sylvain Latouche [...]
October 21st, 2012 at 10:44 am
[...] is Bokeh Day. If you don’t know how to get bokeh, here are a couple links for creating a DIY bokeh, and a more general bokeh how [...]
October 22nd, 2012 at 2:13 pm
[...] effect. Only, I’ve never actually taken them on purpose. Thank goodness Tracey linked to Roberts Donovan blog post on shooting bokeh or I would still be spending hours messing with the dials on my camera. [...]
December 5th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
[...] have understood some basic concepts, check out this useful site for bokeh Garou is lazy and thus : DSLR Bokeh Tutorial Taking good shots You get the basics of how the camera works. You get the info on toggling [...]
December 22nd, 2012 at 5:39 am
i tried ti setting my camera but i cant find how to set to aperture priority mode (A or Av) i am using nikon D90.
Plese help me to figure it out.
Thanks
December 26th, 2012 at 1:51 am
I’m doing all these things and I’m really interested in bokeh and have been trying and playing around with it but I’m just not getting it. The smallest f-stop on my camera (Canon EOS 1100D) is 5.6 and I’m wondering if that’s the problem. Because I’ve adjusted everything else, but all the tutorials I’ve read through use a larger aperture than that. Do you have any advice on what I can do to make it work?? Because I’ve tried just about everything I can think of….
January 20th, 2013 at 10:52 am
Sally, if you are using the kit zoom lens that came with your camera (18-55mm) then f/5.6 is the smallest f-stop your lens is capable of at 55mm. If you zoom out to 18mm you will be able to select f/3.5. However, achieving good bokeh at 18mm is next to impossible. You should still be able to achieve a modest bokeh effect at 55mm and f/5.6 if you focus on a subject up close and have point source lights in the far background. My general recommendation to anyone looking to master the bokeh effect is to purchase a “fast fifty” lens. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens (AKA: “nifty fifty” and “plastic fantastic”) is cheap ($100) and produces a wonderful bokeh effect on your camera. Plus it makes an excellent low light and portrait lens. Hope this helps!
January 20th, 2013 at 10:57 am
Sari, just set the mode dial on the top left side of your D90 to the “A” position. You will then need to use the front control dial (I believe) to manually select the desired aperture setting. You might also want to search for an online user guide for your D90 to help you become more familiar with its controls and operation. Cheers!
January 31st, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Thank you for posting this. Very clear and helpful.
I’ve posted my first attempt at bokeh on Flickr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddmuir/8432685521/. Not great art, but I’m pleased with how it’s turned out. :-)
February 9th, 2013 at 8:25 am
I have just sent off for a Better Bokeh kit – cant wait to try it out, but unsure even now how it will work. I am looking forward to the results
February 18th, 2013 at 2:36 am
With all due respect, perhaps it may be less confusing to your readers if you refer to your apertures as “the smallest number aperture” rather than “the smallest aperture.” Reason being, the smallest number aperture your le.s uses is actually the widest aperture. The largest number aperture on your lens is the smallest opening your lens has. Agreed?
Thanks for the nice article.
Terri Aigner
February 18th, 2013 at 5:37 pm
I’m really impressed with the way you broke it all down. Now I have more understanding about bokeh. Would like to be in touch more often personally.I’m a photographer from Nigeria :) BB pin:2755E905
February 18th, 2013 at 5:53 pm
I’m trying it out on my canon 7d with the nifty fifty :)
February 18th, 2013 at 8:29 pm
I think that’s what I said ;-)
“Select the smallest possible aperture (f) number for your lens (should be ≤f/4).”
Thanks, anyway!
April 26th, 2013 at 3:39 am
I have been doing photography for about 5 years and this post really speaks to me, thank you.