What the Heck is Bokeh? Rick Denney takes the time to explain, and in plain english. Why should you care about bokeh? You probably don’t, unless you’re a still photographer or happen to own a camcorder with interchangable lenses or 35mm lens adapter system.

There is much written on the net about this elusive subject, and I won’t attempt to provide the etymology of the word (is it Japanese or not?) to compete with it. Suffice to say that different lens designs have an effect on the appearance of the out-of-focus areas in photographs.

Some photographic styles commonly use selective focus to bring the viewer’s attention to the subject. That means the subject is focused but the non-subject areas are not. If those unfocused areas are busy and distracting, the objective of bringing attention to the subject is lost. That’s why portrait photographers in particular care about bokeh.

Don’t miss the wrapup at the end of the article.

UPDATE: Alert reader Bruce Allen suggested another excellent article on the subject. Thanks Bruce! -MJ