CMPG Hands-On Meeting
"Bokeh"
When:
21 Oct 2026, 6:30 to 9:00 PM
Where:
The Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant, 9100 Fathers Legacy, Ellicott City, MD 21042 Learning Center, Terrace Level. Click HERE for map.
Introduction:
The October Hands-On Group activity will discuss and experiment with bokeh. Specifically, we’ll look at forming the big blurry spots out of Christmas Lights. Aperture is a primary composition tool. We’ll discuss the theory and practice of taming bokeh for our purpose. This is an activity for all skill levels.
Overview:
“Great photographs certainly can be technically sharp; conversely, there is
nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept!” – Ansel Adams*
This will be a hands-on activity. We’ll create a few test images and have a little fun. We’ll produce the Hallmark Christmas light effect. That beautiful background of blurred lights. We’ll explore how aperture, focal length, background distance and object distance affect the result.
And after covering the basics, we’ll introduce a few fun special effects.
We’ll end by discussing how to apply these principles more generally to blurring backgrounds. And since we’re covering aperture effects, we’ll touch on the subject of diffraction. As always, bring your patience and cooperation. This should be a good information exchange.
Sharing Images:
Submit up to 5 images from this challenge, using the following format.
CMPG-2026-HandsOn-OCT21-LastName-FirstName-01.jpg
What to bring:
- Camera
- Your favorite portrait lens (kit lens will work fine)
What to prepare:
Questions.
Reference:
*1978 (1963 Copyright of first edition), Polaroid Land Photography by Ansel Adams with the collaboration of Robert Baker, Revised Edition, Part 2: Visualization and Craft, Chapter 8: Image Management, Quote Page 84, New York Graphic Society, Boston, Massachusetts. (https://quoteinvestigator.com/2023/07/08/sharp-fuzzy/)
