25 Beautiful Examples of Bokeh Photography


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A photograph can communicate the visual detail of a scene in a way difficult to capture in words. After all, they don’t say for anything that a picture is worth a thousand words.

The Japanese are an incredible people with a rich culture and beautiful art. They have a unique approach to everything from poetry to photography. Bokeh is a style of Japanese photography that allows the world to fade away while bringing one specific subject into perfect clarity down to the last detail.

More specifically, bokeh photography is defined as a photography effect achieved by shooting a subject with a fast lens set to the widest aperture. You’ll then wind up with a soft, out-of-focus background that’s slightly blurred and produces an aesthetically pleasing effect. The faster the aperture, the better your bokeh will turn out, so ideally, your camera lens should have an f/2, f/1.8, or f/1.4 aperture.

The size and the shape of the bokeh are determined by the shape of the blades that make up the aperture of the lens. If your lens has more circular-shaped blades, the resulting bokeh effect will be rounder and softer. Contrary to that, a lens with more hexagonal blades will result in hexagonal bokeh.

This gallery has a curated collection of bokeh photography that truly captures the beautiful details of life, great and small. Use them to get familiar with the bokeh style photography or inspiration for your next photoshoot.

Showcase of Stunning Bokeh Photography

Polaroid Photos Bokeh by Joanna Malinowska

Polaroid Photos lights bokeh photography inspiration

Microcosmos by Benjamin Balázs

Microcosmos lights bokeh photography inspiration

Motor Speedway Lights by Derek Thomson

Motor Speedway lights bokeh photography inspiration

Bokeh Plants in Bottled Water by Nietjuh

Plants in Bottled Water lights bokeh photography inspiration

Rainy Street in Evening by Todd Diemer

Rainy Street in Evening lights bokeh photography inspiration

Out of Focus Tram in Bokeh by Burak K

Out of Focus Tram lights bokeh photography inspiration

Bokeh Daisy Flowers by jrydertr

Daisy Flowers lights bokeh photography inspiration

The Essense of Cool by Dustin Diaz

The Essense of Cool lights bokeh photography inspiration

Flowers in Bloom Bokeh

Flowers in Bloom lights bokeh photography inspiration

Santa Candle Decoration Bokeh by Ylanite Koppens

Santa Candle Decoration lights bokeh photography inspiration

Fungi in Forest by Krzysztof Niewolny

Fungi in Forest lights bokeh photography inspiration

White String Light Bokeh by Kei Scampa

White String Light lights bokeh photography inspiration

Send a Little Love My Way by Sibel

Send a Little Love My Way lights bokeh photography inspiration

Woman Holding Fireflies by Matheus Bertelli

Woman Holding Fireflies lights bokeh photography inspiration

Bokeh Bubble by John Spade

Bubble lights bokeh photography inspiration

Close-Up Photo of Mushrooms by Visually Us

Close-Up Photo of Mushrooms lights bokeh photography inspiration

Cuddly Bear & Bokeh Lights by Akshar Dave

Cuddly Bear lights bokeh photography inspiration

Vintage Globe Bokeh by Artem Bali

Vintage Globe lights bokeh photography inspiration

Traffic at Night by JJ Ying

Traffic at Night lights bokeh photography inspiration

Professional Headphones Bokeh Background by Alphacolor

Professional Headphones lights bokeh photography inspiration

Man Playing Guitar by Austin Neill

Man Playing Guitar lights bokeh photography inspiration

Multicolored Bokeh Christmas Tree Lights by Tim Mossholder

Multicolored Christmas Tree lights bokeh photography inspiration

White Summer Dream by Honeycorn

White Summer Dream lights bokeh photography inspiration

City Skyline Bokeh by Lon Christensen

City Skyline lights bokeh photography inspiration

Photographer at Night Bokeh by Ryan Pendleton

Photographer at Night lights bokeh photography inspiration

Deep-Fried Scorpion Bokeh by Yubo Mojao

Deep-Fried Scorpion lights bokeh photography inspiration

What is Bokeh Photography?

Bokeh photography is about the visual appeal of the blur in the parts of an image that are not in sharp focus. This technique is used to draw attention to the subject by creating a soft, pleasing background.

Bokeh is achieved by using a shallow depth of field, typically with a fast lens at a wide aperture. The shape and quality of the bokeh depend on the lens design and aperture shape. Photographers use bokeh to add depth and a sense of atmosphere to their images.



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