How to use Bokeh to elevate your portrait photography

When I was first starting out, the Bokeh effect was a technique I employed a lot so that I could use the environment around me to highlight my subjects. The funny thing is, I didn’t even know what Bokeh was yet.

I got my start in photography through my passion for nature and my love of the environment. I mostly just wanted to spend my time taking pictures of the world. I didn’t have any fancy gear, so I spent a lot of time in post-processing trying to make my images stand out.

In general, you need to be able to offer something to people in order to make a career of your photography, and people generally like having photos of themselves and their loved ones. So that seemed like a good place to start. As a result, the bulk of my current photography work is portrait and fashion photography.

The Bokeh effect really allowed me to combine my passion for the environment with the thing that would bring me clients. When I was in school, there were trees nearby and the way the light filtered through the branches helped create beautiful, dappled Bokeh. I found myself playing with this, changing the colors from green to gold and eventually I had a whole series with golden trees that were so beautiful, and fairly recognizable. It has really played into the evolution of my signature style and helped me set myself apart in the industry.

What is Bokeh?

Derived from a Japanese word meaning haze or blur, Bokeh is essentially an effect that casts certain elements of your photograph — namely, the background, more specifically the spots of light in your background — as blurry or less focused. It’s a shallow depth of field specific to the light in the background in the photo.

Why use Bokeh?

Bokeh helps your subject pop and can draw the eye where it needs to be while also adding a stylistic element to your photo that sets it apart or creates a certain ambiance. It’s a beautiful concept in that it highlights the environment without pulling focus from the subject. So you end up with a beautiful shot of a person in focus with a really subtle light pattern behind that acts like a natural backdrop.

To Bokeh or not to Bokeh? When is the question.

I apply this effect when I am shooting in front of a background that is really beautiful or scenic on its own. In portrait photography, Bokeh is really just an appreciation of the natural environment in a way that adds focus to the subject rather than distracting from it.

The only time I would specifically avoid using this sort of effect is if the trees or the backdrop are really, really scenic on their own and would be better in focus.

How to set up Bokeh in camera

Get a reflector or something that can bounce the light back onto your subject. The last thing you want is to lose the subject in the Bokeh.

Bump up your ISO slightly to let in more light from the background.

Then work with your aperture settings to create a fairly shallow depth of field. To create a Bokeh effect, use a lower number such as ƒ 2.0 or 2.8 (i.e. a wider aperture setting).

Pro tip: You can change the shape of the bokeh using the aperture. It’s more circular the lower your ƒ-stop number is and crisper and more defined with higher ƒ-stops.

Perfecting Bokeh in post-processing

Use either Select Subject mask or the Masking Brush to select the subject. When the subject is highlighted, adjust your settings to make the subject pop or stand out by increasing your highlights, lifting shadows and adding some contrast.

Then use the same brush to paint the circles of light behind them.

Softly enhance the highlights of the selected light areas of the photo.

Add warmth for a warm and sunny feel or reduce it to create a slight cooling effect, depending on the desired outcome.

Lens filters and Bokeh

I find it really helpful to use filters to diffuse the light around the subject and create a very cinematic image. Instead of just sharp Bokeh behind the subject, you have diffused Bokeh. It’s a completely different feeling.

Telling a story with Bokeh

I love the capacity Bokeh has to see what the background can do to add to an image while still letting me focus on its subject. It offers me so much creative freedom and there’s potential to create cinematic images. As a painter, if you pick up a brush, you can’t always explain a particular stroke, and Bokeh is a lot like that. It evokes emotion, it paints a picture. It’s so simple, just lights in circular patterns, but you can manipulate it to get this heavenly feel like something is right behind the person, seeping through the trees highlighting your subject in the best way possible.