Bokeh, in photography, is the blurry or out of focus parts, or rather the aesthetic quality of the blur, in your shot. There are ways to create these effects digitally with Photoshop or even an App for iPhone. But if you have a DSLR, you can use this tutorial by Chris Perez (Source: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/make-your-own-bokeh-effects-filter-for-your-dslr-168271) to create a cheaper, homemade filter, which he works best with a 50mm lens with a low f-stop.
What you will need:
- Black construction paper or cardstock
- Electrical tape
- Velcro
- X-Acto knife
- Scissors
You will be creating two pieces for this type of filter so that you can have interchangeable filter shapes.
First step is to create the section that goes over the lens.
- Cut out a circle a bit larger than the front of your lens
- Find the center of your circle and cut a small circle, about ¾” diameter
- Cut out a 2-inch strip of paper to wrap around the circumference of the circle to create a sort of lens cap
- Put a bit of Velcro on the front of the lens cap
Second, create the interchangeable filters
- Cut a smaller circle and cut small shapes in the center of these circles as well, making sure the shape is smaller than the circle you cut in the original cap
- The shapes that are cut out of these circles will be the ones that show up in your shot
- Add a bit of the opposite side of Velcro to these circles
Now you can cover your camera lens with the makeshift lens cap and add different filter shapes to the front for different effects. There you have it! Your own little experimental fun with bokeh!