Bokeh (pronounced b??k?) is a Japanese term that translates to blur in English. Bokeh is used by photographers to describe the quality of the unfocused or blurry parts of a photograph. Every photograph has a depth of field – the area of a photograph that is in focus.
For example, in the image below, the upper half of foreground is sharp and in focus, meaning that it is inside the depth of field. The background, however, is blurry or outside of the depth of field. The reason the leaves in the upper foreground are focused is because I physically positioned myself close to them with my camera set to a wide aperture – resulting in a shallow depth field and an unfocused background. It’s this subsequent softness and shape in the background that is described as Bokeh.
Looking at the image again, you’ll notice that the points of light in the unfocused areas of the photograph are circular in shape. That’s because my lens renders them to appear that way. However, you can change this shape to create your own patterns by making simple filters and attaching them to your lens.
What you need to make custom bokeh
Camera
A large aperture lens (I used a Canon 50mm f/1.8, but the larger the aperture the better the effect)
Lens cap for the above lens
A sheet of black poster board
Scissors
Craft knife
Pen
Compass (optional)
Making the filter
To begin, place the lens cap on the sheet of black poster board and carefully trace around the outside of the cap with a pen. Alternatively, you can measure the diameter of your lens, set a compass to the measurements and trace an outline with the compass instead. Mark out an extra little tab coming off of the outline to help remove the filter later.
Cut around the outline of the lens cap and tab so that you have a circle that fits snugly in front of your lens. Usually, the filter diameter is about 0.5 mm smaller than the lens cap size, so you may have to trim the edges of the circle a little more for a tight fit.
In the very center of the circle, draw the outline of the shape or design you want to use. Keep in mind that to work properly, the shape can’t too be too big or small. Making the shape too small blocks so much light that most of your photos will be underexposed and turn out black. Too large a shape and you won’t be able to see the effect in your photos at all. It’s a little fiddly, but keep the shape to at least 5mm and at most 20mm. As an example, I cut shapes that were about 15-20 mm on the longest side for my f/1.8 lens. It may take some experimentation to get perfect.
Keep the design simple
The simpler the design, the easier it is to cut with the craft knife, which will make for a more defined bokeh shape. I recommend shapes like 5-pointed-stars, triangles, hearts, crosses, or even question marks. Cut the outline of the shape out with the craft knife, tidying up any messy corners carefully or they will show up in your photographs.
Take your filter and press it into the front of your lens so it sits snugly in the ridges.
Using your custom bokeh filter
Set your camera to Aperture Priority or Manual mode. For maximum effect, you want to set the f-stop to be as wide as possible. On my lens, the lowest aperture available is f/1.8 but depending on the lens you use, you might be able to go wider still (f/1.4 or f/1.2). Because the filter blocks a lot of light, you will need to make longer exposures and/or use a higher ISO, so having a tripod will prove handy.
Remember that only unfocused points of light in the photograph will be affected by the filter. If you want a dramatic effect, try going out at night with your camera set to manual focus and see the results at different focal lengths. The most dramatic effect will be seen at the closest focus distance (when you’re close to the subject and the background is far away). Have fun with reflective objects, fairy lights, reflections, and even glitter to create some eye-catching bokeh patterns. My favorite shape is the heart, can you tell?
The outline of a tree is marked out at night by the pretty fairy lights draped on its branches. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to test one of my heart-shaped bokeh filters.
Moving the camera around during exposure with a custom bokeh filter can produce some interesting results
Light filtered through an oak tree transforms into an intriguing array of diamonds.
This bokeh filter transforms car lights into a sprinkle of stars
One-year-olds are the best! They’re adorable, of course. They’re hilarious, and you never know what you’re going to get from them. Toddlers are full of wonder and inquisitiveness about everything. Truly, they’re a dream to photograph. One of my favorite moments to photograph is a one-year-old’s first birthday cake – often called a cake smash session.
I’ve laughed so hard that I’ve cried during many of these sessions. Maybe you are lucky enough to have a one-year-old in your life who could enjoy a cake for your camera sometime soon. It’s not too hard to set up, and you almost always get photos that you’ll want to keep forever. Here are some cake smash photo session tips to help you.
Capture a few frames before it gets messy
Once the cake is put in front of a one-year-old, you’re not going to get one more clean-faced shot. Even after you’re done with the cake, it’s a sure bet that your little subject will be done, and uninterested in posing for one more photo. To be honest, most sessions end with the little one crying because she realizes she’s a mess, or because you took the cake away from him.
So it’s best to catch a few photos before you even let the child see the cake. I love to capture who he is at the moment because this age is just so much fun. Grab a few photos with his favorite toy, or in her bedroom, or taking some wobbly toddler steps.
Yes, it’s going to get messy
Choose your location wisely, because you never know what’s going to happen. Some toddlers are very cautious and don’t want to do much except poke at the cake. Other toddlers like to fling cake and frosting across the room. I’ve found it best to do cake smash sessions outdoors in good weather, and in the kitchen if it’s too cold outside. The kitchen table works great, because it’s easy to maneuver around for different angles, it keeps the child somewhat contained (I have mom or dad standing close by in case she decides to dive off for some reason, although most one-year-olds are very aware that they don’t want to go near the edge.)
The kitchen table works great, because it’s easy to maneuver around for different angles, it keeps the child somewhat contained (have mom or dad standing close by in case she decides to dive off for some reason, although most one-year-olds are very aware that they don’t want to go near the edge).
Put your cute little subject in clothes (or no clothes) that are okay to get ruined or dirty. The parent might want to be prepared to give their toddler a bath right after the session. I’ve seen cake in eyelashes, ears, and every nook and cranny you could think of.
I prefer lighter colored cakes with some bright elements to them. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting may taste the best (if you’re a chocolate lover like I am), but sometimes ends up looking like a bunch of mud on the little one’s face. Usually, the parent chooses whatever cake they’d like, and I make it work.
Make it festive for the birthday boy or girl
Since you are celebrating the little one’s first birthday, it’s fun to have some photos where it’s very obvious that it’s a birthday celebration going on. Balloons, streamers, party hats, banners, flags, and festively wrapped gift boxes can all add a nice touch. However, these fun props can sometimes distract your overwhelmed little one, so you may have to just move them away and out of the frame if they aren’t helping to create a fun cake smash atmosphere.
Remember to keep it fairly simple, because you want the focus to be on the birthday girl or boy, and you may not end up being able to use any of your thoughtful props anyway.
Get close-ups
Dimpled fingers, cute little toes, and hilarious cake smashing action are a must to capture close up. I love to show cake in between the toes, or frosting in the eyelashes. I adore those little chubby hands grabbing the cake and shoving it in his mouth. Get shots of those dainty fingers poking at the cake, tentatively testing it out.
You can tell a much better story of the cake fun if you get some close-ups of everything, along with the shots that take everything in. Get lots of angles; try shooting from above, from her eye level, from below, and from every side (as long as your light and your background are okay from all of the angles).
Encourage smashing if needed
Sometimes you’ll get a little one that is really hesitant to dig in, and much more of a “taster” than a “cake shoveler”. Sometimes she might not even want cake on her hands at all. You will want to try to capture some photos showing that because photos showing her true personality will be much more valuable than something that is completely out of character and set up by you.
However, there are only so many photos you can take with nothing happening. It may help to have mom or dad give the little guy a taste, making him want more. Maybe you might give him a baby spoon to attack the cake with. When all else fails, you might try breaking a piece out of the cake and putting it in her hand. Oftentimes, she just doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do. We don’t usually put an entire cake in front of our children and tell them to make a mess of it.
Be prepared for all of the emotions
Something this new and different can bring out happiness in some kids, and overwhelmed tears in others. Be prepared for those tears, and make sure to capture a few photos before dad or mom comforts him and cleans him up.
It’s okay if every photo isn’t smiling and happy, because, as any parent of a one-year-old can tell you, they are not always smiling and happy. Toddlers often dissolve into tears when things feel overwhelming. Try to keep the session as light and easy as you can, and don’t plan on everything going your way.
Enjoy it all
You only get a first birthday once in your life, and it should definitely be something to celebrate! Enjoy every moment photographing your little one’s first cake tasting (smash) experience. Hopefully she will enjoy it as much as you do. After all, it’s not every day that you get an entire cake to yourself.
Have you ever heard of cake smash sessions? Have you ever photographed one? I’d love to see your photos in the comments.
In this article, I will go over why I switched to using the Wine Country Camera filter holder system from others I’d previously used. As well I’ll cover some of the system’s key features so you can decide if it’s right for you as well.
Since the late 60s and early 70s photographers have been using drop-in (slide-in) filters in front of their lenses. The holders which accept such products are usually used for neutral density filters, polarizers, color filters, and sometimes effect filters.
But there has been a problem with this type of holder, even since its inception. They’re usually poorly made with cheap plastic or mixed aluminum materials. And that’s just the holder’s materials. Other problems are the placement of the polarizers which can cause vignetting, manufacturing errors, and much more.
The Wine Country Camera filter holder and vaults.
Although I inherited a Cokin filter kit from my grandfather, my first self-purchased kit was a Lee Filter Foundation Kit. The product is made of plastic, which makes it light weight. But it also makes it vulnerable to bending and breaking.
Eventually, Formatt Hitech released their newer aluminum filter kit, and I made the switch and used it for a couple of years… until now.
Wine Country Filter Holder Materials
One of the many tactile points of contact on the holder.
Wine Country Camera was born out of the need for quality filter systems and ongoing standards. Every aspect of the filter kit has been deeply considered and well thought-out from the bottom up, or backward to forward.
Instead of plastic or aluminum, premium materials are used, with purpose. For example, instead of a standard dial, a wooden dial is used, so your fingers don’t freeze in cold weather. That can also be said for the wooden grips on the front of the holder. Every part of the holder is tactile so you know when you’re turning, rotating, and pushing. It’s so tactile that you can even maneuver the holder and filters while wearing gloves.
How It’s Unique
By now you likely already recognize that the holder system from Wine Country Camera is unique. But to reiterate why I thought so, I wanted to point out some of the features that are unlike any other holder on the market.
Coin locks
Many locations around the system carry the Wine Country Camera logo, a wine glass. At first, you might think it’s about branding. While that might be true, the more important reasoning is so that you know when items are right side up. For example, the filter vaults have this beautiful coin which is turned to lock or unlock the filter. When the wine glass is upside down, the vault is unlocked. When it’s standing on its stem, the vault is locked.
The coin which locks and unlocks filters from the vaults.
Vaults
Speaking of the vaults, these are a new concept, already mastered. The vaults are made of a polymer, similar to that found in a Glock. They’re extremely strong. No joke – they can’t be bent. The moment I filled one of my vaults with a filter, I dropped it (I got it on video too). To my surprise, there was no damage to the glass filter inside. The vault serves multiple purposes.
The vault seals the space between filters and the holder so that you do not need those annoying foam gaskets.
Makes it extremely easy to insert and remove filters from the holder with or without gloves.
Protects the filters from normal wear and tear and minor dings.
Vaults are available for 100mm square filters as well as graduated filters. Along with the vaults are two red buttons on the holder. The buttons are designed to remove the friction holding the two outer filters in place. That way you can safely move graduated filters up and down with ease, safely.
The red buttons which help adjust how the filters sit in the outer two slots.
Customer service above and beyond
It’s worth noting that due to the high-quality standards of Wine Country Camera, they have identified a flaw of other manufacturers. Although there are so-called standards among filters, they’re not always followed precisely while making the filters. Here is what they said:
Service Advisory: We are noticing that some Lee grads have been produced at a thickness outside of their specification. If you experience difficulty installing your grad, contact us immediately and we will resolve it for you.
As you can see, Wine Company Camera is replacing their filter vaults with new ones, for customers experiencing an issue of their filters not fitting. It’s not their fault, but they’re correcting the issue for their customers. Lots of thumbs up for that customer service decision!
Using the filter holder
The holder allows for three filters to be used at any given time. The reason for this is that the Wine Country Camera filter holder uses an internal polarizer. Because the holder keeps the polarizer in the back, instead of the front like most filter holders, it opens the doors for a third filter.
Typically when a Circular Polarizer is placed in front of the Neutral Density filters, you lose a slot and have a giant 105mm ring to attach a Circular Polarizer (CPL) too. But with the Wine Country Camera system, the polarizer is easily removed with two red clips and turned using the beautiful wooden dial.
The wood dial which turns the internal polarizing filter.
Last, and not least is that because of the extremely low profile of the filter holder, and the polarizer being in the back, there is a reduced the risk of vignetting. The system has been tested as wide as 17mm without any vignetting. That’s a huge jump from the 24mm limit I had with the Formatt Hitech and Lee systems (even with the wide angle adapter rings). I photograph at 20mm quite often and have always experienced vignetting, although minor. Until now.
Is it worth the price?
I’ll be the first to admit when the Wine Country Camera filter holder system was initially announced I was shocked by the price. Especially when compared to systems from other manufacturers. But after getting my hands on it, I understand why.
The amount of pride, thought, and effort that went into every millimeter of the product is the highest possible quality. It’s not cheap plastic. It’s not cheap metal. But for the curious minded, I thought I would include a price comparison on my kit before and after. I will leave out my Neutral Density filters for right now I’m still using my Formatt Hitech Firecrest ones in the Wine Country Camera holder. (I’ll likely switch to WCC once they have their own ND filters)
Wine Country Camera System
Holder with internal polarizer, two vaults, and one Adapter Ring: $449
Two extra 100x100mm square vaults (I have four square filters): $75
As mentioned, the price for the Wine Country Camera system is more. But keeping in mind the advantages of the system, the materials used, and that you have the vault advantage, it’s worth the extra money up front. The $257.08 savings on a different system might save you up front but could cost you in the long term. Maybe on parts falling apart, lower quality materials breaking, light leaks on your photographs, and potentially more.
But I know that not everyone can afford the kit, so it may not be for you. But if you are like me and want the best of the best when it comes to your photography, then you’ll save up and take the plunge when it’s right for you.
Bonus for high megapixel cameras
Something else to keep in mind, for anyone with a high megapixel camera, like a D810, A7RII or a medium format camera – is that many polarizers have an issue with reflections on higher resolution sensors. The one from Wine Country Camera does not have this issue. The polarizer fits inside the holder body, eliminating reflections and allowing geared rotation. Wine Country Camera worked with a high-end optics manufacturer to develop the highest possibly quality polarizer. Their polarizer uses 2.5mm thick Schott optical glass that is fire polished, and free of surface aberrations. Considering their CPL is less expensive (when purchased alone) than the previous one I was using, it’s nice to know my optics are protected.
Keeping it together
Before theWine Country Camera system, I was using the Mindshift Gear Filter Hive to hold everything in one place. The small bag is incredible, can be stored in a backpack, clipped to a belt, or hung from a tripod.
I was happy to find the Wine Country Camera system almost completely fits in the same bag. Everything but the holder itself fits inside. But fortunately, Wine Country Camera provided a very protective case for the holder and its attached polarizer.
Final thoughts
As I mentioned earlier, I was originally a skeptic for the Wine Country Camera system. But I have fallen in love with it. I am so gratefully that this company has now taken steps to improve the lens filter system, as the industry has needed this change for a long time.
I love that every adjustment possible on the holder can be done with the left hand. That way the right hand can be kept on the camera. To me, the price is worth it, the features are worth it, the quality in craftsmanship is worth it. I hope you recognize the same.
Have you taken a look at the Wine Country Camera filter holder yet? What are your thoughts?
It’s a new year and Imagely has released a great new Lightroom gallery plugin to make our lives easier. If you run your own photography website on WordPress, like countless other photographers, then you have probably come across Imagely and NextGEN Gallery.
Imagely provides WordPress themes and hosting, focused specifically on photographers. They have terrific support, and will make your life much easier when it comes to hosting a website. They are a service that I consistently recommend to photographers looking to create new professional websites.
The NextGEN Lightroom Plugin
Even if you already have a theme or WordPress service that you enjoy, like me, Imagely provides a gallery plugin called NextGEN Gallery. This gives you a variety of options to display your photography. After a significant amount of research on the right gallery plugin, NextGEN Gallery won me over. Both the free and paid (NextGEN Pro) versions provide you with a wealth of visual options for your gallery and make the management, proofing, and selling of your work a breeze.
The NextGEN Pro Thumbnail Grid Gallery
But now they have added a new Lightroom plugin, which makes their offering even more enticing. Enter the Imagely NextGEN Lightroom plugin, which syncs your Lightroom catalog directly to your NextGEN Galleries. Suddenly, you can add or remove photographs and alter your albums without leaving Lightroom.
The NextGEN Lightroom plugin allows you to create new galleries or albums directly in the plugin. You can upload images directly to these galleries, edit the filename and file information, which can help with SEO, as well as specify the image size, format, quality, color space, and sharpening. The convenience cannot be overstated. What used to take five steps, exporting the file to your computer, logging into your website, selecting the correct gallery, uploading the new version of the photo, and editing the photo information – now takes only one step.
The plugin gives you a variety of export options.
Installation
The plugin can be downloaded here and is simple (5 minutes) to install. Here is the full documentation to get it up and running, but after installing it all you need to do are four steps.
Step 1:
Under the Library panel, navigate to Publish Services, then Imagely and select “Set Up”.
Step 2:
Add the description for the website you are uploading to and the WordPress settings (your website address, username, and password).
Step 3:
Under FTP Settings, navigate to edit under the preset menu, then enter your FTP or SFTP credentials given to you by your hosting company.
Click the Browse button, navigate to your /wp-content/ folder, and save. Click OK to close the module an then click “Fetch from WordPress” under FTP Settings.
Step 4:
As you would regularly export your images using Lightroom, select the correct settings for the images that you would like to upload to the gallery. This includes color space, size and resolution, sharpening, metadata, and the watermark.
Gallery and Album Creation
Creating galleries and albums through the plugin is a breeze. The first step is to right click on Imagely under Publish Service and select Collection or Collection Set. Collection will create a new NextGen gallery while Collection Set will create a new NextGen album. Collection Sets can hold other Collection Sets and Collections, while Collections can only hold images.
Add images to a Collection and select “Publish” to add the gallery or album and to add the new images into them. Already published photos will be displayed in the “Published Photos” section while new photos will be under the “New Photos to Publish” section. In addition to adding new photos, you can also modify and delete them through the plugin. Clicking publish after you make these changes will sync them with your website.
Conclusion
There is a lot to be said about how advances like this can make our lives easier as photographers. But the ability to see and alter our website galleries directly in Lightroom, where most photographers do most of their work, is an incredible advantage, both in helping us to figure out the correct sequencing of our portfolios as well as to make it as simple and streamlined as possible to edit these galleries.
Have you tried out this plugin? If you have a WP site what’s your workflow? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
