Tutorial: Different Shape Bokeh – Cleveland Family Photographer

I wanted to share this quick and easy tutorial on how to achieve this cool effect with bokeh of different shapes.

As a family photographer in Cleveland, I get a lot of time to spare during the winter months. And to make at-home pictures more festive, I thought it would be a lot of fun to experiment with the different shapes of the bokeh.

With the Valentines day coming up, you can totally get this special look for your family, couples’ or maybe even your favorite pet portraits with the heart-shaped bokeh, for example!

First, you will need to make a “special” aperture for you lens. Do not let it scare you, it simply means you need to cut out a desired shape from a circular piece of cardboard. The diameter of the circle should be the same as your lens.

With a shape as simple as a heart, you can do it by hand with the scissors or a razor blade. I have a Cricut cutting machine, so I could go a little bit fancier with a snowflake, star or a Christmas tree shape. If you have a Cricut feel free to use these designs HERE, just make sure to adjust the diameter of the circle to match your lens.

The rest is easy. Just place the circle in front of your camera lens. I just kind of wedged in the cardboard piece, but you can also use a piece of tape to tape it to the outside of the lens (make sure the tape does not touch the glass).

And then just have fun with it. Having a lot of isolated lights (such as string lights) in the background will produce the fun shaped bokeh. It will work great with kids’ portraits, or maybe even your pet portrait?

I love experimenting with family photos. If you are looking for a family photographer near Cleveland who’s up to some creative ideas like this one, HIT ME UP!