Creating with Bokeh

 

Bokeh referred to as the 'out of focus' points of light in images, for the most part, is seen as secondary to the main subject within a photograph. Yet it often creates some unique visual and design effects. What then, if Bokeh took centre stage and became the subject of the photograph?

 

 

 

Taking this concept even further, could Bokeh stand alone and contribute to the more abstract, graphic elements of an image?

 

 

Not all the points of light that create Bokeh are stationary. The slightest movement can cause the light to dance and flow creating a very different, and fascinating visual effect.

 

 

Bokeh has now become the principle element within the photographs composition and design.

Time Travel

The concept was to show both the upright and fallen Domino tiles in a single capture, without the use of motion blur to connect them.

This became a dance about time: the length of time it took a given number of Domino tiles (in this case six tiles) to fall from upright to flat, how long the shutter remained open to capture the whole event, and how much time after the shutter opened, before the tiles were set in motion.

The black & white colours and the rectangular shape of the Dominos became the design elements for the finished photograph.

After many failed and sometimes hilarious attempts, the following method proved successful.

A Nikon D300 with a 105mm f2.8 lens was mounted on a tripod. Shooting in RAW format, the exposure was set at 2.0 sec,  f/22,  ISO 200. Natural light came from a single window.

The aperture was stopped down to just before the point of diffraction for the 105mm lens. And the ISO was set low to provide the optimal shutter speed for capturing all of the ‘action’, without overexposing the image. A split second of open shutter was required before the tiles were triggered to collapse and after they came to rest, thus capturing both ends of the event with reasonable focus. 

Post capture editing was minimal. The limited colour palette was converted to B&W in Lightroom, the contrast was adjusted to hide the reflected light that bounced off the background cloths, and final cropping created the finished composition.

Creating with zoom lenses

Using slow shutter speeds and zooming a lens during the capture process, is another tool with which to explore your creatively.

 

Depending on the length of the capture, it might be necessary to use a ND Filter to achieve correct exposure. Experimenting with the different times that the shutter remains open, and when to activate/deactivate the zoom motion, provides a tremendous variety to the finished results.

Simple changes in White Balance can add to the finished image's impact:

Waterscapes

On a recent photo field trip to Englishman River and Little Qualicum Falls on Vancouver Island BC, I had the opportunity to use a Variable ND filter for the first time. This was necessary to record visually, the incredible energy of the rivers in full spate, and illustrate their significance in the general landscape.
In order to 'understand' the fast moving water, I needed to use a variety of slow shutter speeds to capture the different shapes and textures in the turbulent currents.

By stopping down the aperture to almost the point of diffraction at f22, and lowering the ISO to 100, I was able to slow the shutter speeds down, giving the flowing water that classical 'velvety' appearance, without overexposing the image. But this underscored the tremendous majesty I felt from the river.
By using a Variable ND filter with a range between 2-8 stops, I was able to achieve slower shutter speeds, retain accurate color cast, and deepen the dynamic range as seen with the following images:

 

 

 

"In photography and optics, a neutral density filter or ND filter is a filter that reduces or modifies the intensity of all wavelengths or colors of light equally, giving no changes in hue of color rendition. It can be a colorless (clear) or grey filter. "