Bokeh – Friday Freebie
Recently I visited the historic city of Winchester which was decked out with wonderful Christmas lights. Not surprisingly I couldn’t resist grabbing a few shots, especially around the pretty little Christmas market.
But I didn’t just stick to the usual type of photos, I also shot some bokeh images that might come in handy as backgrounds or textures for other photos. You can download them here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Mmmm3K1utNMkRIWHhUUnFlMW8/view?usp=sharing
The shooting technique is simple enough. I used a wide open f/2.8 aperture and manually focused to 20cm. I then pointed my camera at the Christmas lights and zoomed in or out to adjust the size of the bokeh circles.
I’ve shared three of my favourite bokeh patterns in this Friday Freebie, I hope you find them useful.
If you create a photo using the Friday Freebie then let me (and everyone else) know by leaving the link in the comments below.
Usage rules
The image is copyright Gavin Hoey 2015. Use is limited to any personal but non-commercial purposes. Please share the Friday Freebie by linking back to this page. Do not redistribute the original image without my permission.
Download instructions
1. Click on the correct download link below (no sign up is needed)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Mmmm3K1utNMkRIWHhUUnFlMW8/view?usp=sharing
Thanks Gavin.
My Christmas tree bokeh was a bit tame so I’ve used yours until I get time for more practice!
https://slate.adobe.com/cp/psNFC/
(no Slate story yet – something else I haven’t had time for….Christmas, bah humbug!)
What causes the pin holes in the bokeh? I have shot my own bokeh from christmas lights the last few years and many have tiny holes in them. Someone suggested sensor dust but I don’t see that sensor dust in other photos?? Thanks!
Hi Gavin, Wow, I’ve just done something similar at Pensthorpe, Fakenham, Norfolk with sunlight on a pond. Now I have a name for the technique, thanks.