June Voting Thread - Bokeh

[AB22 Easy Tiger]

Vote for as many as you like and you have 7 days to vote.

Voting Guide (which you can ignore of course)
Photographs should be judged on how well they meet the current challenge topic.
Photography equipment used should not be a criterion for rating a photo.
Evaluate the photo in various aspects, set a consistent norm and give your vote accordingly
If you don't vote for a picture, please try to provide constructive criticism how the shot could be improved.

If any of you can't see one or more of the pictures drop me a PM listing what you can't see and I'll stick them on Flickr or something similar.


Good luck everyone.

 

[TiredEyes]

tom tom macute - really nice shot but for me the bokeh is uninteresting.

taipesafc - this isn't good bokeh, it's just a shot with some incidental out of focus background.

icarebecauseyoudo - a really nice simple shot, I like it - VOTE

Elliot - I really like this one, beautiful glass, interesting bokeh, the tea lights were a great idea and got you the vote - VOTE

MaDMaCKeM - this isn't good bokeh, it's just a shot with some incidental out of focus background.

Ghost of EH7 - poor and lazy, ornament off the mantelpiece shot on the kitchen table, ha'way man !

peachbum - really like this shot, very nice but I hate the silly border again - it's too big, too bold, unnecessary and distracting but I'll ignore it for now - VOTE

The Great Soprendo - nice effect gained but missed the point of the theme for me (also thread title says entries only, I don't want to see a paragraph about whatever it is your waffling on about)

clyde - this isn't good bokeh, it's just a shot with some incidental out of focus background.

MunkyHeed - very powerful image for me personally - My daughter was born premature at 26 weeks, weighing just 1lb 5oz, she's now 4yrs old and perfect - they're remarkably resilient, hope everything is ok, good luck.

phil - love the bokeh, the subject is a bit meh (you picked this flower and your hand that's holding it is just out of shot isn't it ?) but the bokeh is really interesting. - VOTE

Amnorrageordie - a nice pretty shot but totally missed the theme imo.

not spavin - nice and simple, perhaps too simple.


I usually only vote for three but couldn't split two entries so four VOTEs this month.

 

[clyde]

you forgot

TiredEyes this isn't good bokeh, it's just a shot with some incidental out of focus background.

 

[TiredEyes]

you forgot

TiredEyes this isn't good bokeh, it's just a shot with some incidental out of focus background.

Logon or register to see this image

 

[The Great Soprendo]

[The Great Soprendo - nice effect gained but missed the point of the theme for me (also thread title says entries only, I don't want to see a paragraph about whatever it is your waffling on about)

You may not want to see it mate but it was discussed a couple of months ago and largely agreed that a bit of commentary on our own entries would be useful in helping us all understand what each other is doing/attempting. Presumably the best place for that is next to the picture, surely. As for missing the point of the theme, I will have to disagree, even though I don't think my shot is anything special. The Wikipedia definition describes bokeh as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

 

[TiredEyes]

Actual full wiki sentence you quoted -

In photography, bokeh (play /ˈboʊkə/ boh-kə,[1] Japanese: [boke]) is the blur,[2][3] or the aesthetic quality of the blur,[4][5][6] in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

It's my opinion/understanding that good bokeh comes from the parts of the image that are out of focus/blurred and the way that the camera captures that blur and it's patterns that make it interesting - your entire image is out of focus, nothing there is in focus, so fails the theme, in my opinion.

 

[phil]

[

phil - love the bokeh, the subject is a bit meh (you picked this flower and your hand that's holding it is just out of shot isn't it ?) but the bokeh is really interesting. - VOTE

.

Take your point about it looking staged but really was on my knees in the flowerbed. What is not shown were the bricks, bits of wood, barbeque tray etc holding everything else out of the way - and probs overdid it. Actually felt a bit stupid afterwards as i could have got the pink petunia flower (shown in discussion thread) and positioned it in that location for something more striking.

 

[The Great Soprendo]

Actual full wiki sentence you quoted -



It's my opinion/understanding that good bokeh comes from the parts of the image that are out of focus/blurred and the way that the camera captures that blur and it's patterns that make it interesting - your entire image is out of focus, nothing there is in focus, so fails the theme, in my opinion.

I don't understand your point, especially the bit I've bolded. Everything about my shot is about the way the camera captures out of focus areas and the patterns that make it interesting (or not interesting, if you don't like it, which is fair enough) - actually hopefully some of it is to do with me, not just the camera, but I won't argue that point. Nowhere does it say that bokeh has to be just part of the shot, just that bokeh is in the parts that are out of focus: in my case, all parts.

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel particularly defensive about my photo, I just don't understand your explanation as to why you think it's missed the point of the theme.

 

[TiredEyes]

I don't understand your point, especially the bit I've bolded. Everything about my shot is about the way the camera captures out of focus areas and the patterns that make it interesting (or not interesting, if you don't like it, which is fair enough) - actually hopefully some of it is to do with me, not just the camera, but I won't argue that point. Nowhere does it say that bokeh has to be just part of the shot, (yes it does) just that bokeh is in the parts that are out of focus: in my case, all parts.

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel particularly defensive about my photo, I just don't understand your explanation as to why you think it's missed the point of the theme.

Look at all the other shots this month, focus and out-of-focus within the same shot, all of them*, read the wiki explanation above, focus and out-of-focus in the same shot, I think you're wrong in your above assumption.

*except Amnorrageordie

 

[The Great Soprendo]

Look at all the other shots this month, focus and out-of-focus within the same shot, all of them*, read the wiki explanation above, focus and out-of-focus in the same shot, I think you're wrong in your above assumption.

*except Amnorrageordie

I don't see any reason to think that it is necessary to have areas of the shot in focus to demonstrate bokeh. Just because everyone else's photo this month does, and that the typical use of bokeh is to contrast with areas that are in focus, it doesn't mean that it has to be so.

And all the Wiki description you point to talks about is out-of-focus areas, doesn't mention anything about in-focus areas. Interestingly, further down that page on Wiki there is an example not dissimilar in style to mine:

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[TiredEyes]

Jesus H. Christ !!

The picture you show has accompanying text -

An example of the bokeh produced by the Canon 85mm prime f/1.8 lens. The polygonal shapes are due to the 8-bladed aperture diaphragm being slightly closed. At its full aperture (f/1.8) these shapes would be smooth and not polygonal.

- it's a close up, an attempt at showing the shape from that particular lens, no ??

Anyway, enough, it's my opinion and I don't want to drag this on forever coz I know you "don't feel particularly defensive about my photo"

 

[The Great Soprendo]

Jesus H. Christ !!

The picture you show has accompanying text -



- it's a close up, an attempt at showing the shape from that particular lens, no ??

Anyway, enough, it's my opinion and I don't want to drag this on forever coz I know you "don't feel particularly defensive about my photo"

I agree, let's leave it at that. It's pretty obvious how this discussion has turned out.

 

[MaDMaCKeM]

I voted for phils - its the one that stood out the most for me. Very subjective theme. Reading around about "Good Bokeh" its all about what you like, I got the shot of my poppy the way I wanted it to look, good bokeh is not about throwing everything into an unrecognisable blur although it works well in some shots. I wanted people to know the poppys location.
There are also limitations with different lenses, some good some bad.
One mans bokeh is another mans incidental out of focus.

MaDMaCKeM[/B] - this isn't good bokeh, it's just a shot with some incidental out of focus background.

peachbum - really like this shot, very nice but I hate the silly border again - it's too big, too bold, unnecessary and distracting but I'll ignore it for now - VOTE

As for the border, how do you present your prints? in a frame with a mount or just blu tacked to a wall? If we were in a club competition presenting prints I would have at least a mount around my print. The right mount and frame can make a good photo even better, Thats all that is happening here digital print with a digital mount. Presentation counts.

 

[TiredEyes]

As for the border, how do you present your prints? in a frame with a mount or just blu tacked to a wall? If we were in a club competition presenting prints I would have at least a mount around my print. The right mount and frame can make a good photo even better, Thats all that is happening here digital print with a digital mount. Presentation counts.

That's just it, this isn't a print, it's in 2D on a PC screen.

An ornate frame round a nice painting/photo in my house that's in line with the room decorum, yes, it works great, but on an internet forum thread, viewed on a PC screen, no, unnecessary post production and very distracting.

 

[MaDMaCKeM]

That's just it, this isn't a print, it's in 2D on a PC screen.

An ornate frame round a nice painting/photo in my house that's in line with the room decorum, yes, it works great, but on an internet forum thread, viewed on a PC screen, no, unnecessary post production and very distracting.

Still goes down as presentation, and it separates the image from dull forum backgrounds, these borders arent acting as a frame as such, but as a mount.

 

[not spavin]

Icarebecauseyoudo and Munkyheed got my vote.

Both beautiful interpretations of the theme. Hope all is well with the star of the photo, Munkyheed.

 

[The Great Soprendo]

I'm going to keep to just one vote this time, because for me there's one that stands above the others, tomtommacute:

1. the bokeh is creamy and smooth, and provides a complementary background to the main subject - it has the desired effect of focusing the eye on the subject, and yet you can tell it's made up of foliage, which puts the subject in context without distracting from it. A classic execution. I know that bokeh is almost inevitable with the narrow DOF you get with macro work, but it can still easily go wrong with a distracting background.

2. I also think it's a smashing photo and having attempted bits and pieces of macrophotography myself (but never to this standard) I am seriously impressed with the result.

Well done.

If I get the chance I'll try to critique the rest at some point.

 

[tom tom macute]

Just the one vote this month, purely on emotional grounds, the photo by Munkyheed, hope the little'n is doing OK.

The rest were mostly all good examples and hard to split.

Thought mine was OK but maybe WC Fields got it right when he said....

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up. No use being a damned fool about it."

 

[lucky knickers]

only one vote for me this month, and that is monkeyheed.
as soon as i seen it, it grabbed me and that is why it gets my vote.
hope the bairn is doing well

lots of very good photographs though this month, and i am a bit gutted i didn't get a chance to enter. although i think it's a bit beyond my technical capabilities to be honest. well done everyone

 

[tom tom macute]

I'm going to keep to just one vote this time, because for me there's one that stands above the others, tomtommacute:

1. the bokeh is creamy and smooth, and provides a complementary background to the main subject - it has the desired effect of focusing the eye on the subject, and yet you can tell it's made up of foliage, which puts the subject in context without distracting from it. A classic execution. I know that bokeh is almost inevitable with the narrow DOF you get with macro work, but it can still easily go wrong with a distracting background.

2. I also think it's a smashing photo and having attempted bits and pieces of macrophotography myself (but never to this standard) I am seriously impressed with the result.

Well done.



If I get the chance I'll try to critique the rest at some point.

Thanks for the vote and the nice comments.
It was a very dull evening when I shot it and I was a bit disapointed with the end result as it seems a bit flat and lacking vibrance.
After many attempts to get it right the WC Fields quote sums it up.