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  2. Patrick Nagle



    Making a Bokeh Filter

    Hello fellow shooters, Pat Nagle here with another DIY photo project. If you’re a beginner or a professional, everyone has heard of bokeh. It is something that can easily be achieved and if you have read my blog on our website, you have seen just how easy it is. Now I will be taking that bokeh technique to a whole new level. Here I will teach you how to create your very own customized bokeh filters. With these, you can create whatever type of shaped bokeh your heart desires. For this DIY to be useful, you'll need to already have on hand some specific equipment. Most notably a DSLR fitted with an appropriate lens for producing the bokeh effect. For this tutorial I am shooting with my Tamron 85mm f/1.8 VC USD. The fast aperture allows for a nice smooth background.
  3. First a few materials needed to check off the list:

    • A few sheets of black construction paper or poster board

    • Box Cutter

    • Scissors

    • Tape

    • Velcro

    OK now that we have all of our materials, we can get started!

    Step 1: Draw a circular template wide enough to fit over the front of your lens. You can do this by laying the lens face down and tracing around it with a pen or marker.

    Step 2: Use a ruler or straight edge to find the center of the template by drawing a cross hair. Make marks 3/8" from the center of the template. Then connect the marks to create a 3/4" circle. Next, cut out the template and the 3/4" hole in the middle.

    Step 3: Now we need to make the lens filter. Cut out a strip about 2 inches wide and guestimate the length needed to wrap around the lens. I overestimated on purpose and then cut it down from there.

    Step 4: Take the front part of your lens filter and wrap the rectangular strip around it. Attach the two parts together with some tape for a secure fit. Add two velcro strips on top and bottom of the center hole.

    Step 5: Now it’s time to make some custom shapes. With the remaining paper, cut out some more circles to be smaller than the lens filter. I used the mount side of my 85mm which worked out perfectly.

    Step 6: Now find that center point and cut out whatever shape you want your bokeh to take. Just try to keep the total width within about a 1/2". After that shape is cut, just attach opposing velcro strips to the top and bottom of the filter and attach to the lens filter you just made.

    And it’s that simple. Now you can make all the different shapes you want and attach them to your template. It makes for a very fun and easy way to get that much more creative with your photography. Now get out there and go shoot, but just remember to have fun with it! Happy shooting everyone!