The Mission
– Turn fairy lights into brilliant discs of bokeh
Time – 30 minutes
Skill level
– Beginner
Kit needed
– Tripod
– Fast lens
– Black card
Fast lenses are often considered expensive premium products, but affordable Nikon DSLR and mirrorless lenses with superwide apertures do exist. APS-C and full-frame users can make use of the Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G (£149/$160) and 50mm f/1.8G (£209/$217) respectively, while Z mirrorless owners can pick up the Samyang MF 85mm f/1.4 for under £300/$400.
If you’re lucky enough to find one of the above under the Christmas tree, or if you just want to pass the time while the turkey roasts, this Christmas-themed project is a fun way to put a fast lens through its paces.
A wide aperture produces a shallower depth of field, so much of the image beyond the point of focus will appear blurry. A narrow aperture produces a larger depth of field, meaning a greater portion of the image will appear sharp. One of the most attractive by-products of a shallow depth of field is the blurring of light sources into large, round discs of bokeh. It is possible to capture bokeh at narrower apertures, but the super-shallow depths of field produced by a fast lens will exaggerate these attractive spherical highlights.
This story is from the January 2021 edition of N-Photo: the Nikon magazine.
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This story is from the January 2021 edition of N-Photo: the Nikon magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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