Have you ever seen a bokeh effect in a photo? Bokeh refers to any lights in the out of focus area of your images.

A great thing about bokeh effects is that depending on the lenses that you use, you can achieve different shapes coming from the light surrounding your subject. Different lenses naturally give different outcomes depending on the shape of the blades inside the lens.

You can also use a fun little trick to create your own bokeh shapes, which we will cover in this article.

Outdoors Using Natural Lighting

You can really take advantage of getting beautiful natural bokeh when shooting outdoors. The key is to shoot with a wide aperture. You want your subject to be sharp and in focus, with blurry and out of focus lights in the background. Look for things to include in your background such as trees with specks of light peering through, street lights, car lights, lights from buildings, or any other background lighting.

I always try to shoot at 2.8 or faster to get my background as blurry as possible. When going for bokeh, I check my surroundings and place my subjects a good distance from the light source. Get as close to your subject as you can to have them and whatever else you want to be sharp in focus. The goal is to keep the bokeh light source blurred.

The same theory applies when shooting at night. Look for background lighting that you can use to create interesting bokeh effects. The first image below shows hot air balloons that were shot at a low aperture to keep the balloons in the foreground in focus, while the balloons further back were used as the bokeh light source. Shooting with a wide aperture (say between f/1.4 and f/2.8 with a normal focal length) and using this technique really gives a beautiful background that is appealing to the viewer.

This next image was also shot at night using the street and city lights as the Bokeh light source. You can experiment with many different ways to create bokeh just by paying more attention to your surroundings, whether it be day or night.

Indoor Shots Using Natural and Your Own Lighting

You can find all sorts of opportunities to create bokeh effects indoors. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Christmas lights and decorative string lights. String lights can also be held by your subject to create dramatic in and out of focus lighting.
• The glimmer of light reflecting off of walls or ceilings.
• Unique shaped light fixtures, or background lamps.
• The light that shines through clear objects, such as glass.

Just remember to keep your subject or object you are shooting a good distance from the light source to get great background blur for the best bokeh possible.

Create Your Own Bokeh Shapes

As I mentioned earlier, different lenses give different bokeh shapes. Some give off circular shapes, some give off more of an octagon shape, depending on the shape of the blades in the lens. A fun and easy way to play with different bokeh effects requires getting a little crafty!

All you have to do is take a blank piece of black paper and create a “lens cover”. Cut out a circle big enough to cover the front of the lens entirely. Make sure you leave enough to fold over the edges and secure. You can either use tape or a large rubber band. Just make sure it covers all of the glass part of the lens so that no extra light can get in.



Cut out a shape about a ½ to ¾ inches in size in the center of the circle. You can use scissors or a craft knife to cut out stars, hearts, circles, etc. The more defined the shape is, the better results you will get. Using a craft knife works best. Try to avoid any raggedy edges because they will show in your bokeh. You can trace shapes or draw them free-hand, whichever is easy for you.

Once you have your shape cut out and the paper securely attached to the end of your lens, you are ready to start experimenting! You can also find a tutorial on how to create your own shapes on DIY Photography.

You may have to use a higher ISO because you are allowing very little light in your lens. Find and play with different sources of lighting and have fun with it! You can also create multiple lens covers with different shapes. Stars, hearts, and even words are all great lens cover options!

It is always a good thing to add beautiful details to your photographs so that your viewers can really appreciate and enjoy your photography. Using bokeh effects can take that blurred out background from blah to beautiful!