Creating shaped Bokeh!

Cool, right?!  

This is a photo I took of one of my small Christmas trees in our 

family room! 

I've come across several blogs, especially now during the holiday season, that feature shaped bokeh. I'm always up for learning new things and finding ways to play around and experiment with my camera. The possibilities are endless and

 I just HAD to give it a shot. It was really pretty easy and so much fun. I've included a little tutorial below so you too can give it a whirl! Go ahead and add a little extra pizazz to your holiday photos!!  :D ha ha

The first thing I did was to create a few different shapes. My husband bought me a Cricket last year for Christmas and I LOVE it!! I've found so many uses for it throughout the year

and now, another!  I picked a few favorite shapes, set my size to 3/4" and cut. But not to worry ... if you don't own a cricket, you can still make shaped bokeh. Just use a shaped paper punch or trace a shape onto paper and use an X-Acto knife to cut it out. 

Next, I measured the circumference of my lens (I used my 

50-mm) and cut a strip of black paper to that length. (The 

black paper prevents light from seeping in.) I then taped it into a circle that I could fit over my lens. 

After this, I  cut a circle top to fit over it. In the center I cut out a square which is where I taped on my shaped cut-outs. It is far from perfect, but I was still able to achieve the desired effects. 

I used my 50-mm lens set to f/1.8. This allows the maximum amount of light into the camera, allowing for a shallow depth of field. Simply stated, you can focus in close, but the background will be out-of-focus.

Start snapping away! Don't be afraid to try different shapes. The more out of focus you make it, the larger the size shapes. 

And here is my pup, always a willing model.

Go on, give it a try!! You know you want to!  ha ha

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas! 

We're having a wonderful time with family and friends. I'm also enjoying these precious days off from school. It means a little less running and craziness for us which is certainly welcome!