Custom Bokeh Masks
bunny bokeh by ansik
Have you ever seen those pictures on flickr or elsewhere where the background is flooded with heart or star shaped bokeh (blur)? Ever wondered how it’s done?
Well it’s quite simple really, all you do is create a bokeh mask, which is basically a shaped template placed at the end of your lens. I was going to write an in-depth tutorial but when searching about on the net I came across this video by talented photog Michael Warf which sums it all up very nicely in around 4mins. I contacted Michael and he was happy for me to share it with you here so hit the continue reading link to see the action.
You can really let your imagination run wild with this technique so give it a go and have some fun. We’d love to see what you come up with so make sure you post a link to your results in the comments section below.
Special thanks to Michael Warf for the video, Please take the time to visit his website and blog to learn more about his work.
7 Comments to Custom Bokeh Masks
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Fascinating stuff. Might just have to give this a go now
I love doing this – I always have a stash in my camera bag ready for that perfect ‘bokeh-in-a-shape’ moment!
This little trick is great fun, and can add alot of flavor to your shots. I was even able to make a candle flame into the Canon logo .. you can see it here
Hmm, link didn’t work .. I’ll add it to the the group pool on Flickr.
these are some of my experiments.
here is one i did using a star as the shape =)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/3115895968_1c1a85afc7.jpg
gr8 tutorial …..
Hey, thanks for the feature. Glad your readers are getting a chance to experiment with this bokeh technique! Check out my blog for a new tutorial for Nikon users – how to tether and shoot straight into Lightroom 2.
Have a great day!
M.