3/14/2023 0 Comments Bokeh lights![]() You can alter the shapes of the Christmas lights with Bokeh kits or you can use black card and a pair of scissors to change the shapes that appear. The closer the subject to the camera, the closer the focus distance is, and the more the camera and lens will throw the background out of focus (see the example below). ![]() Keep the model or subject closer to the camera and adjust your framing depending on where you want the lights and the subject to be lined up / arranged. You need to use your lens at its widest aperture to focus on the subject or model and keep the Christmas lights as far away as possible for increased blur / bokeh effect in the lights. We used a white card to manually set the white balance, with the model holding the card in front of her face where the strongest lighting was. ![]() You may need to be careful with white balance settings, so shooting in RAW will help if you have any problems or you could use a grey card and manually set white balance based on the model's lighting. Occasionally the lights in the background (if bright) can confuse the camera and cause it to under-expose the subject, so it's important to try and get the foreground lighting nicely balanced. Make sure you position the model light towards your subject at an angle, so as to not throw any light from this front light onto the background area. We didn't use the studio flash for this, instead we just used the prop lighting, but any lighting should be suitable, and incandescent lighting will give the subject a warm feel. To keep the black background as dark as possible, switch off your room lights and use a smaller, portable light to ensure your subject is correctly illuminated. Your Christmas lights need to be placed on or against a dark background and you need to position your subject or model as far away from the background as possible, while still keeping the lights in the background. The brighter the lens you're using the more impressive the effect should be, making a lens and the larger the sensor the greater the effect will be too. If you use a mirrorless or Digital SLR it should be easier to achieve the effect. It can take a little experimentation but as you don't need much kit or props, it's a technique everyone can have a go at and it's a lot of fun!Īny camera where you can control the aperture will be fine for this technique, however a camera with a bright aperture, say a f/1.4 - f/2.0 compact camera would be ideal. You just need to get the lighting right on your subject.īokeh Christmas light shots are popular and rightly so as this technique can help you create some really beautiful indoor portraits. As we're heading towards the time when we climb up into the loft to drag out the Christmas decorations and lights, we thought we'd show you how you can add interest to portraits with the help of a few Christmas lights. This technique can also be used outdoors at night with street lights or cafe lights etc.
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