Bad bokeh is often described as being “crunchy,” overexposed, or featuring a subject that has been caught up in the blur. Additionally, it’s ideal for the subject to be super far from background elements to exaggerate the effect of them being sharp and distinct and everything else being fuzzy.īecause the effect is subjective there is “good” and “bad” bokeh. The closer you move the camera to the subject, the shallower your depth of field and the blurrier your background will be. Another trick is to position the subject close to a fast lens at the widest aperture. Shallow focus techniques, like longer focal lengths and reduced depth of field, are key in increasing the out-of-focus space in a shot and accentuating the bokeh effect. It isn’t about how much blur there is or whether there is a blur, but rather what the blur looks and feels like. Anything outside the depth of field counts.īokeh describes a specific character or quality of out-of-focus blur. So, it’s worth noting: those iconic little colored circles aren’t the only thing that’s bokeh.
And/or (2), recognizable lens aberrations that produce bubbles of colored light or starburst shapes in the out-of-focus regions. (1) A pleasing aesthetic type of blur that is produced in the out-of-focus areas of an image. Generally speaking, when people talk about bokeh, they are referring to one of two things. Bokeh’s modified English spelling was first popularized in the Spring 1997 issue of Photo Techniques magazine, which contained three papers on the topic. And if any anglophones tease you for getting it wrong you have my permission to tell them to suck eggs. Long story long:įirst things first: why is the effect called “bokeh” in the first place? The term originates from the Japanese word ボケ ( boke), which literally translates to “blur” or “haze.” Bokeh is typically pronounced BOH-Kə or BOH-kay. Variations in camera lenses (aberrations, aperture, etc.) govern the aesthetic characteristics of bokeh. It is created when the foreground and/or background of a frame is intentionally blurred around the subject. The bokeh effect describes the intentional exaggeration of out-of-focus elements in a shot. So, if you’re enchanted by that painterly blur - or by those fuzzy soap bubble-like circles of light that pop up every now and then - here’s your first step to understanding how the bokeh effect works: As I’ll mention a bit further down in this article, bokeh’s power largely involves working away in the background, not drawing attention to itself, and bolstering a look and a mood that have an immense impact on the “feel” of a given shot. The bokeh effectīeau Travail, Psycho, Attack the Block, Eyes Wide Shut (top left to right)Įven if you’ve never heard the word “bokeh” before, I can almost guarantee that you’ve already seen it on-screen hundreds if not thousands of times. But being able to dig into the nitty-gritty of an art form you love is pretty special. Generally speaking, the internet was a mistake.
And for most folks, I’d imagine the inquisitive gesture isn’t too dissimilar: you see something neat, you get curious, and you look for answers. There’s something special about learning how the sausage is made. Personally speaking, the only way photographic principles make sense to my smooth non-applied-science brain is to see them on the big screen first and work my way backward. But there’s also a fair degree of optical physics involved - and that can be overwhelming if your wheelhouse lies elsewhere.
art.” Shooting movies is a creative discipline, obviously. I’m pretty sure there’s a circle of confusion joke in there somewhere.Īs I’ve mentioned previously in this column, cinematography exists somewhere in the middle of the proverbial Venn Diagram of “science vs. Between focal ratios and lumen metering, it’s easy to get lost. If your main relationship with movies is as an audience member, the more technical aspects of film cameras might be a bit intimidating. This entry explains how cinematographers achieve the optical byproduct known as the bokeh effect.
BOKEH MOVIE MOVIE
Welcome to How’d They Do That? - a monthly column that unpacks moments of movie magic and celebrates the technical wizards who pulled them off.
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