World Bird Wednesday LXXXIII

It's All a Blur

When folks talk lovingly about the aesthetics of photography one of the qualities they will gush about is bokeh. The word bokeh is derived from a Japanese expression meaning blurry, foggy, or even moronic.
    In photographic terms it describes the creamy, out of focus background setting off a detailed foreground subject.
    There are a few ways to achieve this uncluttered look. One is to have a naturally distant background. These oriole captures were taken on a river bank, the far side woods 150 feet away. Even at f8 the birds are set off much the same way a diamond ring is displayed on black velvet. Nothing competes with the bird for our eyes attention in these compositions. While this makes for a great guide book photo the look is rather two dimensional and lacks tension.
    In my mind the trick is to leave enough detail in the blur to suggest an emotion other than blah!   

Another super creamy bokeh... and I like the out of focus leaves counter balancing the oriole.

Derive happiness in oneself from a good days work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.

Henri Matisse

    Another way to create good bokeh is by using a narrow depth of focus, dropping your f stop to it's lowest number especially on a longer lens, something 50mm or more. The narrow layer of focus in this composition is rock solid on the eye of the grackle, everything else is a blur. My 400mm lens is set at 5.6 and the trees of the river bank start about 15 feet beyond the bird. The bokeh crackles like lightening and has something of that elusive third dimension.
Bokehlicious!

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