Bokeh

When I first started out in photography, I thought one of the objectives was to get everything in focus and sharp. Then, I learned of a term called “bokeh”. Basically, bokeh is an artistic rendering of an image where part of the picture is blurred. It allows you to focus on the subject. When I learned how to do this, I immediately fell in love with the resulting pictures.

This photo of a rose bud was, recently, taken on the grounds of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse. I decided to use a wide aperture (f/1.8) on my camera to take this image. I wanted, as much as possible, to focus JUST on the rose buds. I wanted the leaves to fade away and for the resulting image to have a dream-like quality to it. I wanted the image to be soft.
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For me, this image works this way. It is the opposite of what I do, most of the time, with my landscape images. For them, I 

​usually want as much in focus and sharp as possible. Thus, I use a higher aperture for landscapes. It’s a creative choice.

​Tell me, in the comments, what you think of “bokeh.” Does this image work for you? Do you like the blurry look around the rosebuds, or would you have liked to have seen everything in focus?

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