Don't let the bokeh end

Mike Harris makes use of the Christmas trimmings and shows you how to capture festive bokeh-filled close-ups

- ​​​​​​​Mike Harris

The Mission

– Turn fairy lights into brilliant discs of bokeh

Time – 30 minutes

Skill level

– Beginner

Kit needed

– Tripod

– Fast lens

– Black card

Fast lenses are often considered expensive premium products, but affordable Nikon DSLR and mirrorless lenses with superwide apertures do exist. APS-C and full-frame users can make use of the Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G (£149/$160) and 50mm f/1.8G (£209/$217) respectively, while Z mirrorless owners can pick up the Samyang MF 85mm f/1.4 for under £300/$400.

If you’re lucky enough to find one of the above under the Christmas tree, or if you just want to pass the time while the turkey roasts, this Christmas-themed project is a fun way to put a fast lens through its paces.

A wide aperture produces a shallower depth of field, so much of the image beyond the point of focus will appear blurry. A narrow aperture produces a larger depth of field, meaning a greater portion of the image will appear sharp. One of the most attractive by-products of a shallow depth of field is the blurring of light sources into large, round discs of bokeh. It is possible to capture bokeh at narrower apertures, but the super-shallow depths of field produced by a fast lens will exaggerate these attractive spherical highlights.