Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/06/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Adam Bridge wrote: > > I admit that I'm having an interesting time grokking this concept of bokeh > to the fullest. Perhaps I'm just too much of a neophyte. > > Anyway....I have this image which I took on the 4th of July here in Davis, > CA while walking back from the bike races. Without a doubt it's the most > pleasing image in B&W I've ever made. > > It was taken with an M6-TTL, a Summicron 1:2/50 (the kind that can do a bit > of macro if you have the goggles for it, which I don't), on Agfa APX 100 > film. The day had a high thin overcast which I think is why I like this > photo so much. Shot wide-open at F2 standing as close to the subject as > possible. > > I scanned the negative with a Nikon Colorscan 4000 at 4000 px/in monochrome. > > <http://www.splitsecondfilms.com/images/Leica/lanterns-72-web.jpg> > > So, is this "good bokeh", or am I missing the point? > There's no such thing as good or bad bokeh. The question is do you like it? It looks pretty good to me. Most people's idea of good bokeh is a smooth, gaussian look to the highlights, but you won't get that with many 50s in a complex background and it's sort of a nothing look anyway (some pictures I've seen of the 135/3.4 look pretty smooth). If you've got a lot of blur in the picture it seems a good idea to try and construct something with it rather than hope people won't notice it. The look you've got here is very typical for a Leica 50 (it's got the coma), highlights and out-of-focus lines have a delicate bright edge to them (so called ni-sen bokeh), look at the top left. If you fuss up the background with some straight lines (and bokeh is all about the background and learning the difference this makes) you can have a nice finger-painted look. Or you can try to echo the leaves with oval, coma-ed highlights (get them all around the subject and the coma will give a swirl effect). Don't bother thinking about this if you've got a major head of state sliding down the bannisters towards you, just take the picture! - -- Stephen Holloway http://www.deetpturtle.com/steve/photos