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How to Get Good Bokeh With a 135mm Lens

Bokeh is more than just background blur in a photograph. It is the relationship and transition from the point of focus to the blurred area in the background. When evaluating bokeh, you look at the smoothness of the edges in the bokeh. Also, take into consideration whether the color palettes of the subject and bokeh correlate. Using a 135 mm lens for bokeh shots is ideal, as the short depth of field these lenses are capable of can help in making your bokeh shots look good. However, you cannot depend entirely on a 135 mm lens; a great deal of producing great bokeh is composing a good image.

Things You'll Need

Camera
135 mm lens
Tripod
Bokeh filter (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Set your camera to aperture priority mode by rotating its settings dial to "AP." Using aperture priority mode is similar to using an automatic mode with the exception that you manually set the aperture. The camera will choose the proper shutter speed.
- 2
  Rotate the aperture ring on your lens to its lowest setting. Most 135mm lenses will only drop to f3.5, though some more expensive models may drop to f1.4 or lower.
- 3
  Match the subject to its background. Make sure that the colors of the subject transition smoothly into the blurred background. If the subject does not coordinate with the background, find a new background. Use subjects and backgrounds that would naturally appear together. For example, use a bird as your subject with the clouds and sky as your background. Also, the more distance present between the subject and its background, the better the bokeh effect it will produce.
- 4
  Frame your subject in the viewfinder of your camera. Rotate the focus ring on your lens until the subject is in focus. For good bokeh, make sure that only the subject is in focus. For example, if your subject is a woman standing in the middle of a tree-lined road, only the woman should be in focus. The trees and the road will be blurred, thus creating a bokeh effect.
- 5
  
  Bokeh filters can be fun when shooting lights.
  
  Secure your bokeh filters to the end of your 135 mm lens if you are going to be use them. Filters are not required for taking photos with good bokeh on a 135 mm lens; however, they can be fun to experiment with.
- 6
  Press the shutter release button on your camera to take your photograph. For longer shutter speeds, mount your camera to a tripod to minimize camera shake.

Photography