In this mini tutorial I'm going to show you how I create that dreamy warm or gloomy bokeh you often see in my images.

I hope you like it and please ask me anything!

STEP ONE: FINDING A GOOD BACKGROUND

I have these shrubs in my backyard where I usually shoot on cloudy days.

It's not very dense so it has nice openings between the branches and leaves.

STEP 2: PLACING THE SUBJECT

In this case I held my subject about 10 feet away from the shrubs.

Focusing on my subject with a wide aperture you can see how the bokeh is beginning to take shape.

Position your subject minding where the bokeh will fall in the frame,

letting it either surround or overlap with your subject.

STEP 3: LOOK FOR THE SUN

On a sunny day I love shooting on my front yard where the sun sets behind this bushes creating some magical bokeh

When the light is strong I position my subject a bit farther from the trees, about 12 ft.
I compose my shot positioning my subject in regards to where I want the bokeh to be on my frame.

Play around until you're happy with what you see through the viewfinder!

STEP 4: CREATIVE SHOOTING

Play with freelensing or other lenses for creative effects. Here I used my 50mm lens for freelensing which created this beautiful flare!

Thank you!