Week 7: Bokeh Photographs (A picture a day)

Taxi and lights

Camera

Spectacles

Scooter

In photography, bokeh is the blur or the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of an image. The term comes from the Japanese word boke, which means “blur” or “haze.” Bokeh occurs for parts of the scene that lie outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions. In simple terms, the goal is for the subject to stand out.

Bokeh is often most visible around small background highlights, such as specular reflections and light sources, which is why it is often associated with such areas. I feel that this type of photography is very interesting, and can make even the simplest objects look spontaneous and beautiful.

Looking at these type of photographs has inspired me to attempt to take these kind of photographs, to see if I can bring out the same feeling as these photographers have. I love how the out of focus background has allowed the main subject to stand out, without isolating itself from the background. These complementary relationship has created photographs that are even more stunning.