Bokeh

Good evening,

Today we are going to get into bokeh. I probably should have done this one before the shaped bokeh one.

Bokeh is a dramatic sci-fi movie that did not get good reviews (sorry it popped up while searching for the actual definition). Bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke which has multiple meanings such as stupid, unaware, or clueless. It can also mean funny man in a double act comedy. As for photography though it is used in regards to the out of focus area in a photograph. It shows up as bokeh with an "H" to show that it is pronounced bok-ay. 

It is a lens trait and not the camera. Some lenses produce a nice smooth looking blurred area others not so much. The effect can be seen in movies too, just keep an eye out during dramatic scenes with a limited area of focus. The lights in the background will be a blur but have a shape, octagon, heptagon, hexagon, pentagon, and every once in a while a circle. In a movie it is not as noticeable because of the moving images. Pictures though can be studied and savored so more focus can be placed on it.

Below is a series of pictures of a wind spinner with yellow flowers in the background. Going through them we can see that they come into focus but also loose that nice round blurry shape.

Lenses and aperture are the creator of bokeh. Wide aperture (f1.8 or less) lenses are more common to have good bokeh. However it depend on the aperture blades too, the number and whether they are curved or not. 

Here is my 50mm f1.7 Minolta lens aperture. It is open about 1/3 or maybe 1/2 of the way. I am using it to show the blades and how bokeh changes through the range. 7 blade which appear to have a curve.

Here we have lenses wide open and back lit with a white translucent cap on them. First is a a Minolta 50mm at f1.7 notice how it looks like a perfect circle. Next is a 70-210 (Beercan) at f4 it still looks round there are a couple of dark spots around the edges which I believe are the corners of the aperture obscuring the light it still has good bokeh. Last is the 75-300 at f5.6 and the 9 aperture blade edges are obvious depending on the subject this could have a visible effect, for most things it would probably be fine. These photos of the aperture were a little rushed, just wanted to get this out today.

So grab a large aperture lens then go out and shoot.

~Scott

Situational Packing

Good morning,

Sorry it has been so long, work and holiday stuff has been taking  a toll. Today we are going to talk about packing gear. Most photographers have more gear than can easily be packed into something that is portable like a backpack. Take the example below.

This is digital cameras a57 on top and a77 on the bottom, then lenses and flashes. This is just the basics not counting chargers, batteries, filters, etc. For size reference each square is 6 inches.

Now most of us probably don't want to have a rolling suitcase in tow or have the ability to have an assistant carry our gear. Most people opt for a backpack or an over the shoulder bag for storage.

Here is my trusty camera bag with a storage area on top. With kids as travel companions it is quite handy. Even with the flap open is doesn't cover the same amount of 6x6 tiles that my gear does.

Situational packing is key for this situation. We can't always bring every piece of gear that we have. First off we can knock out one long zoom, not great lighting anticipated take the faster 70-210 f4, or do we need a little extra zoom the 75-300mm f4.5-5.6 is better. Is macro photography the goal, take the 50mm f2.8 macro if not then the 50mm f1.7. Just those 2 drop it to 6 from 8. Now comes the trickier part. Are wide landscapes or getting the whole room in the frame the goal? If so take the 11-18mm instead of the 35-70mm. If not then we can switch those. If we are taking the 35-70 then the ultra wide and 50mm can be left at home unless you need the 50 for macro. Keeping one lens with a wide aperture is a good rule, in this case it is either one of the 50mm lenses or the 28mm f2.8. The 35-70 covers the 50mm range so the 28mm would be in the bag, if the 11-18 is going then so is a 50mm. Through our image processing software we can see which lenses we use the most to help decide what to pack. Just what has been covered with the lenses cuts them by half.

Not everyone has more than one camera body. So this might not pertain to everyone. If we do though then this is a choice to be made as well. If the situation requires a quick lens change or missing the shot (wedding, sporting event, children playing, etc) then bring two if not then one should suffice. If the environment is not a place we want to change a lens (windy, sandy, dusty, etc) then bring two with the lenses attached that will most likely be used. Most times one camera is fine.

Now to the flashes. If you need them bring them if you don't then don't. If people indoors or in shaded areas are the subject being them though. There are so many times that a fast lens doesn't suffice in those situations.

I will be adding a picture soon of typical packing for different situations.