DIYPhotography.net

When I first made the Bokeh Masters Kit HDSLRs were very scarce. I never even thought about using it for video. Boy, I was missing out big time!

This is why I was very pleasantly surprised to get this sweet, sweet mail from Ryan Belenzon, directing me to a clip produced for Relax To Paris:

"I shot the following music video with the Bokeh Master Kit.  Thanks for making such a helpful product!"

If you are reading this via RSS, you may wanna click here for the video

I particularly love 1:13, and 1:29. Heck I love the entire clip. Click to continue ›

DIYP has covered shaped bokeh from any possible angle, this is why I was surprised to see that we actually never did a tutorial on converting a lens cap into a bokeh holder. To rectify this, Nadine Spires shares how to easily make a holder like this.

The idea came from Pompo, where the author used a lens cap to make a rectangular Bokeh shape.

I wanted something that was easy to set up and didn’t interfere with the zoom mechanism of my lens, the natural choice was a lens cap. Click to continue ›

Just in case you did not notice, DIYP has a slight obsession with shaped bokeh. While we covered almost any "regular" aspect of this technique, I am pleased to learn that there are always new applications for some good old shaped bokeh.

This one made by Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher (Supernormals) is a short movie that uses type bokeh. i.e. shaped bokeh with words. The movie, some tips on type bokeh and a short BTS after the jump Click to continue ›

Here are some happy news for the Bokeh inclined photographers out there. The Bokeh Masters Kit is now available for purchase at online stores: B&H and Photojojo.

I will still be selling the kits via the Bokeh Masters Kit site, however, if you are living in the US, you'll probably get better shipping terms from one of those folks. (Yes, Another shot of making the holidays deadline :)

If you are wondering what the heck a Bokeh Masters Kit is, check out the Phoblographer thorough 3 parts review here, it has every single details about the kit, and some nifty sample images and videos.

Actually, the video after the jump is taken from that review. It is kinda interesting, because when I started to develop the BMK, HDDSLRs were not that common yet. So it gives me a nice buzz to see the kit used in ways I did not envision. Click to continue ›

I know what you're thinking. Starbucks was made so you can slowly sip your hot Lattes and cappuccino while your army of photo assistants are setting up your clever array of strobes, monolights, "kino-flo"s and LED panels.

Actually, this is all an elaborate pre-show so when they come shouting that "the sky is falling" and "how the heck are you going to find the white balance for this mix of lights" you can smile and put down your Latte.

Then you take the plastic cup of, place it on the lens and show how you cleverly created an instant Expodisc out of thin air. Ha! White Balance nailed.

Steve Bennett's Starbucks Coffee Cup Emergency Expodisc, with how to instructions. (Surprisingly, the other instant Expodisc is also coffee related. I wonder if there is a great scheme here). Click to continue ›

Just saw this great example by Kim Long of Shaped Bokeh effect done on a Christmas tree. See the before and after right after the jump.

With the upcoming holidays I thought this a great time to sharpen up your shaped Bokeh skills with the free tutorials posted here and here. Click to continue ›

The post below shows a simple way to capture video while taking still pictures. Sure, there is some added weight and yea, video will not get a dedicated person and will just "follow along", yet, this is a neat way to achieve video with just one person shooting, This is also a great instructional tool for yourself to see how you interact with your model, what things work and what makes them shrink.

There are two versions for this mod - a dueler which mounts a DSLR with a video camera and a 9Shooter that also has sound attached. From now on it is all Elliot McGucken. Click to continue ›

OK, so this is not a tutorial, more of a technique spotted. I love the shaped bokeh thing, and it appears that the makers of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World love it too. And they do once and for all prove that geeks + video + heart shaped bokeh is a match never to be broken.

Just check out the street lights in the background around 1:25.

If you like it, you can learn how to make a filter that does this effect here, and here or buy a ready made kit. Thanks for the tip in the flickr threads, Andrew.
Click to continue ›

Tilt Shift Lenses are cool. They are those lenses that allow you to take those miniature looking photographs.

I dare you to get a real one; Both Nikon and Canon models are so pricey that you have to give a kidney to afford them. (OK, maybe just a pinky). But we have some good news. Bhautik Joshi (the inventor of the weirdly named plunger cam) and John Swierzbin (who is a DIY lens master) came up with an extensive tutorial about building your own tilt shift lenses. Click to continue ›

Photographer Steven Monteau, the guy behind the Battlefield Pinhole camera, decided to take a stab at the Shaped Bokeh thing.

As everything with Steven, it is a combination of Art, science and Magic. Steven explored the effect of using different apertures on the final shaped bokeh effect, and did this in quite a unique way. Click to continue ›