The last post in this series gave you visual examples of making bokeh. What was the key concept?

The more out-of-focus the target, the larger and dimmer the bokeh.

Bokeh behind bread

Now here’s the thing: focus on the background is relative.  Let’s say you’re photographing something that’s in front of a Christmas tree.  By focusing on the object, the tree becomes a background of bokeh. A perfect example: the monkey bread to the right.

So here’s the thing: if the bread is closer to the tree than it is to the camera, the smaller and brighter the bokeh.  Closer to the camera and it’s larger and dimmer.

This is also effected by the overall distances: for this shot, I was maybe two feet from the bread and three feet from the tree.  Larger bokeh.  Step back two feet, and the bokeh grows smaller. Increase the distances with the same ratio (say, 4 feet from the bread, six feet from the tree): bokeh grows larger still (it’s further out of focus). Tighten your f-stop from f/1.4 to f/2 and the bokeh shrinks again.

Getting the feel?  It’s kinda like a dance. Mentally, I tend to associate it with hyperfocal distance, but instead of maximizing sharpness, it’s maximizing the bokeh.