Bokeh

Bokeh: Another Linwood blank stare…

The other day, Saturday or Wednesday, I was standing in line to be seated at a local restaurant when an attractive young lady (brunette) stepped out of line and moseyed over to an odd color photograph on the wall. Then a balding middle-aged gentleman, with a thick ring of hair around his ears, and a waxed handle-bar mustache, wearing torn jeans and white sneakers, and a flannel shirt, and suspenders, and so on, stepped out of line and stood beside the young lady. “Nice Bokeh!” he said.

I waited for the young lady to draw a fist and slug him, or at least hit him with the small purse she was carrying. “Thanks, I took it myself! May I buy you lunch?”

I was floored, but figured it might be a good time to learn something new for this year. It especially hit home when I remembered that term being used at one of our photo meetings during one of our “free-for-all” sessions. (Thus, a blank stare event)

Two days ago, Monday or Thursday, I had lost my “round-to-it" and opened my November Popular Pornography to the centerfold (Whoops! That bruise beside my head came with a voice that said it was “Popular Photography”). On page 40, lo-and-behold, there was the term Bokeh again.

Okay, this may be the one new thing I learn this year, but here is the definition, in case I need to look it up again.

“BOKEH: A Japanese word that roughly translates as “blur” or “haze,” Bokeh refers, photographically, to defocused areas of an image either in front of or behind a sharp subject. It’s a phenomenon associated with the lenses and is primarily influenced by the size, shape, and smoothness of the opening defined by the aperture blades of the lens. Lenses are said to produce “fine” or “course” bokeh, the former being more desirable then the latter. Fine bokeh is characterized by smooth, circular shapes in the defocused highlights created by specula reflection s off shiny objects or directly from light sources. Course bokeh is identified by oval highlights or by highlights shaped as pentagons or octagons, a direct reflection of the number of blades making up a given diaphragm. The word is pronounced “boh-keh,” with one long and one short vowel and equally stressed syllables.”

Now I have to learn what “vowel” means. Also, now I have an idea what the Topaz Lens Effects that I purchased, was talking about.