From Wikipedia: In photography, bokeh (Originally /ˈboʊkɛ/, /ˈboʊkeɪ/ BOH-kay — also sometimes pronounced as /ˈboʊkə/ BOH-kə, Japanese: [boke]) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.”

One of the things that made me want a DSLR camera (versus a point and shoot) is the versatility of lenses and the ability to create beautiful, blurred backgrounds. In short: bokeh. I find that the best way to achieve this is to use the widest aperture possible (my 50mm lens opens to 1.8), and then focus on a small area of detail in the foreground. Christmas is the perfect time of year to play with bokeh because there is an abundance of sparkly lights during the holiday season. When out of focus, lights on a tree or a house look really spectacular. — Kelli

kelli ann wilson

“I like bokeh. It’s nice and smells good. Most of the time.”

(Since it’s my 15th wedding anniversary this week I thought I’d share an excerpt from my vows.)