bokeh
Pleasing lens blur
Bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of a photograph, especially the way a lens renders points of light.
Photographers prize creamy, smooth bokeh over harsh or busy backgrounds.
The term comes from Japanese and entered English through photography forums in the late 1990s: The 85mm lens produces beautiful bokeh in portraits.
Lack of sharpness
- dreamyVague and pleasantly distracted
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- creamySmooth and rich
- smoothWithout roughness or difficulty
swirly · busy · harsh · pleasing · painterly · soft · circular · hexagonal
Adjustable optical inlet
- f-stopLens opening ratio
- lensLight-focusing curved glass
- focusConcentrated attention point
- defocusRemove optical clarity
out-of-focus · diaphragm · optics · wide-open · shallow · separation · background · foreground
Equidistant curves from centers
- discsFlat circular objects
- orbsRound glowing shapes
- hexagonsSix-sided closed figures
- octagonsEight-angled plane figures
bubbles · spheres · highlights · catchlights · streetlights · sunspots · dappled · specular
Light-focusing curved glass
- primeReadying for action
- telephotoMagnifying camera lens
- mirrorlessHaving no reflective glass
- full-frameStandard sensor dimension
State of being apart
- subjectMatter under discussion
- backgroundOne's formative experiences
- isolationComplete separation from others
- headshotShoulders-up photograph
environmental · catchlights · eyes · skin · hair · backlit · 70-200mm
blur
Lack of sharpness
smooth · swirly · busy · harsh · pleasing · painterly · soft · circular · hexagonal · octagonal
aperture
Adjustable optical inlet
defocus · out-of-focus · diaphragm · optics · wide-open · shallow · separation · background · foreground · highlights
circles
Equidistant curves from centers
octagons · bubbles · spheres · highlights · catchlights · streetlights · sunspots · dappled · specular · heptagons
lens
Light-focusing curved glass
- primeReadying for action
- telephotoMagnifying camera lens
- mirrorlessHaving no reflective glass
full-frame · sensor · adapter · Helios · Canon · Nikon · Sony · Zeiss
separation
State of being apart
- subjectMatter under discussion
- backgroundOne's formative experiences
- isolationComplete separation from others
headshot · environmental · catchlights · eyes · skin · hair · backlit · 70-200mm
- photographycamera, photo, flash, lens, shooting
- Asian loanwordsanime, sushi, karate, ninja, tsunami
- phone photographycamera phone, smartphone camera, selfie, photo, front camera
- photo effectsblur, sharpen, brightness, contrast, saturation
- photo termssharp, blurry, JPEG, bright, dark
- visual effectsCGI, animation, green screen, bloom, motion capture
bokehsharpness
Keenness of edge, mind, or image
sharp focus · in focus · clarity · definition · acuity