Emphasizing the subject by using “bokeh”

By Rex Dolby

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Van Wert Area Photography Club will take place on Thursday, February 9, 7 p.m. at 114 S. Race St.   Members will have to decide on the five categories for the county fair photo exhibit, approve the changes in the Treasurer’s report, accept the Secretary’s report, and formulate plans for the future.  The meeting will provide a good opportunity for members who have not paid their dues for 2017 to do so. Annual dues are $25 plus $5 per each additional family member up to a max of $40.

The reader may or may not, be familiar with the term, “bokeh” as it relates to photography.  The term is of Japanese origin, meaning “blur” or “haze”, and appeared in U.S. photography books around 1998.  In practice, it is the photographer’s intentional selection of the camera lens and its setting so that the area outside the depth of field will be pleasantly out of focus while the subject remains in sharp focus.

The greater the telephoto power of the lens, the less its depth of field.  Purchasing such a lens with 11-15 blades (either straight or curved) in its aperture diaphragm will produce  lights that are more circular shaped in the background, while fewer blades will  make them appear as  a polygonal shape.

More expensive cameras may have settings to produce bokeh, and depending on the features in your photo editing program, you may find that the Gaussian Blur, Lens Blur or Radial Blur may provide just the effect that you want to isolate the subject.