How to capture Bokeh and look goofy while doing it....

First off here is the definition of Bokeh.

 Bokeh, according to the great online reference that is Wikipedia, is  "the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

  Huh....that definition  seems so bland in comparison to the actual event when viewed in a portrait. Here is a living breathing example of it

Wowzers!  

(Hope you don't mind me tooting my own horn here)  

Here's how to capture it....

Capturing a shot that has great bokeh is not as hard as it appears.  In my humble and NON professional opinion, capturing these shots is all about angles and lighting.  The angles of where your lighting source is coming from, the object you are photographing, and then the camera.  I have always had the best luck by putting my subject between the camera and the light source.  Typically you can see the tiny bubbles of light through your viewfinder when you go to snap your photo.  So get down and get low.  Try different angles you haven't tried before.  You might surprise yourself.

Now the looking goofy part.......

Can you believe that I got this baby less than five feet from my front door?  Yesterday morning as I was taking out our dog Daisy Mae when I noticed the grass was all dewy.  Mostly because at the time I was wearing my pj's and flip flops and was highly annoyed my feet were getting wet.  But I digress....I almost let this magical moment pass me by.  Like I said I was annoyed about my wet feet, but being the photo hound I am, I muscled my way through it.  So back out I went pjs, flip flops, and camera in hand and promptly got down on my belly and got to snapping.  It is times like these that I wish I had a macro lens.  That way I wouldn't have to belly crawl while in my front yard trying to get my focus just right, while all my neighbors watch wondering...

 "just what in tar-nation that crazy lady is up to now." 

Took me about five minutes of belly crawling but man was it ever worth it. This has to be the best shot I have ever captured with so much bokeh.  And I was so close to not getting it. Never be afraid of looking foolish when in the pursuit of your passions.  It only hinders the wonder that is you.  If you hide it...how then can you and others around you appreciate the miracle of life that is uniquely you!  So get out there and belly crawl if you have to.  Sing loud and proud even if you are a bit off key.  Because there is no one else on the face of this planet that is exactly like you!  So go on and get out there......discover what you may have been missing.

Teresa

Beautiful Butterflies!

Last fall I was witness to one of natures wonders.  The Great Monarch Migration!

Last September I had finished getting my kids onto the bus and was sitting down to enjoy my morning cup of joe when I noticed my Elm trees looked a bit odd.  It appeared that they were losing there leaves.  But they were not falling the right way.  So I walked out my back door and wandered over to have a look.  About halfway there I realized just what I was witnessing.

 I slowly turned not wanting to disturb them and scrambled back to the house to grab my camera.  I was so excited I had never experienced anything like this outside of enclosed butterfly garden at the Minnesota State Zoo. They were everywhere!  I must have had over 300 of these guys and gals resting and refreshing themselves in my trees and grass.  At one time I had them in my hair and all over my arms and legs.  For over an hour I was in a wonderland.  To soon they had warmed up and were on to the next lag of their trip.  And within a minute my yard was totally devoid of butterflies. 

WOOOOOOOW!  It took my breath away!
 Every year these beautiful creatures make a 2500 mile migration.  Taking the same path to the same exact trees down in Mexico.

The miracle of this journey is that it takes 14 generations to make the trip!  How in the world do they know the exact way to go?  It confounds me and makes me smile all at the same time.


For more info on these natural miracles go check out these sites

http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/



http://www.monarchbutterflyusa.com/Migration.htm

Master Monarch

Butterfly leaves