Creative Collective 006: Blurry Bokeh Balls As Abstract Art

Bokeh Abstract – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Retro Gold” recipe

Bokeh is an often discussed aspect of picture quality. A lot of people use the term, but I don’t know how commonly it is understood. Bokeh is a misspelled Japanese word that means fuzziness. In photography, it is used to describe the out-of-focus portion of a photograph. Good bokeh simply means that the quality of the blurry part of an image is pleasant. Obviously what is “good” is subjective, as different people have different tastes. When there are bright points (such as lights) that are out-of-focus in a picture, the camera will render them as blurry orbs, which are sometimes called “bokeh orbs” or “bokeh balls” or “bokeh circles” (depending on who you ask). Sometimes when people discuss “bokeh” they’re specifically talking about these orbs and not the rest of the blurry part of the picture, even though technically all of it is bokeh, and not just the bokeh balls.

In this article we’re going to purposefully create blurry bokeh balls as abstract art. We’re going to do some things in the name of creativity that might seem photographically unusual or even outlandish.

Hold on tight, because things are about to get fuzzy!

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27 comments

  1. Anid patchett · November 23, 2021

    I totally use a bit of blur to create an abstract feel to photographs I love the almost psychedelic feel to the swirl . Often creates a blur of soft colours or a feeling of motion very cool in my opinion .I love some of the vintage lenses for this very reason
    Vintagecameravibes

  2. wwells0401 · November 23, 2021

    These are great, Ritchie. I could see a book of your abstract photos being very interesting, especially with a little story behind each that demystifies what is actually behind the abstraction. The fact that “Bokeh Abstract” is in actuality a seguined mermaid blanket makes it that much more intriguing, to me anyhow. Thanks for the inspiration.

    • Ritchie Roesch · November 23, 2021

      I appreciate your kindness and encouragement! I hope that the article was inspiring to you. A book? Maybe that’s something I should work on….

  3. Khürt Williams · December 29, 2021

    Where can I manage the Fuji X Weekly Creative Collective subscription?

  4. Khürt Williams · December 30, 2021

    I logged out of WordPress on Safari, Cleared the Safari cache. Shut down Safari and then was able to see the Login button on Fuji X Weekly. However, after clicking Login and logging into WordPress, I get the page and Subscribe and Login buttons again. Refresh does nothing.

    https://share.getcloudapp.com/WnuqdY2k

    I then tried using Firefox and got the same result.

    https://share.getcloudapp.com/7KuqvPBj

    • Ritchie Roesch · December 30, 2021

      Do you have Chrome? I’m curious if you have the same issue there.

      • Khürt Williams · December 30, 2021

        I tried on a completely different Mac using Safari and Firefox, but I still have no access.

        I don’t use Google Chrome. I stopped installing Google software several years ago. I can’t use a work computer (Windows) as access to WordPress.com is blocked.

        I’m stumped.

      • Ritchie Roesch · December 30, 2021

        I’ll keep researching. So far the solutions I found (via web searches) were clearing the cache or using a different browser. This is the first I’ve heard of this issue, so I’m really unsure what the solution is, but I’m sure there is a solution.

      • Ritchie Roesch · December 30, 2021

        Try this:
        Log In to WordPress.
        At the Top-Left of your dashboard, click Reader.
        Search: Fuji X Weekly Creative Collective
        Click the article you want to view.
        You should be able to view it.
        Let me know if this does or doesn’t work.

      • Khürt Williams · December 30, 2021

        Oddly, this article does not appear in the list:

        https://share.getcloudapp.com/P8u6g9jp

        And even so, I still can’t access the entire article in WordPress Reader.

        https://share.getcloudapp.com/2NuvxqkO

      • Ritchie Roesch · December 30, 2021

        Did you sign up for the Creative Collective using this same WordPress account? Because this method worked for me on Safari (where I was initially not logged in and not given access). I was sure it was going to work for you, too (but obviously didn’t).

      • Khürt Williams · December 30, 2021

        I only have ONE WordPress account. In the previous screenshots I showed the invoice.

      • Khürt Williams · December 30, 2021

        FYI. The WordPress account is over 15 years old.

      • Khürt Williams · December 30, 2021

        Actually, I just checked. My WordPress.com was created in 2001.

      • Ritchie Roesch · December 31, 2021

        It’s so strange. Over 100 Subscribers, and this is the first reported issue, so I’m not really sure what is going on. Google hasn’t been a big help, either. You were able to get in once, right? But now you can’t. I suppose this is how WordPress rewards you for being long time loyal…. I’ll keep looking for an answer.

      • Khürt Williams · December 31, 2021

        I sent WordPress a note on Twitter. I didn’t find a way to report subscription issues.

      • Khürt Williams · December 31, 2021

        I registered a second time, and this time it works. But for how long.

        https://share.getcloudapp.com/9ZuDPdJk

        https://share.getcloudapp.com/z8uk5O91

        https://share.getcloudapp.com/8LupyoE4

      • Khürt Williams · December 31, 2021

        Ritchie, I give up. I think I just have to cancel the subscriptions and move on.

        https://share.getcloudapp.com/12u054YR

        Happy New Year. Enjoy the $4 donation.

      • Ritchie Roesch · January 1, 2022

        I’m so sorry. I didn’t find a solution. Do you mind emailing me? roeschphotography@yahoo.com
        I hope you have a happy new year!

      • Khürt Williams · January 1, 2022

        I’ll send an email. WordPress support have not been helpful.

      • Khürt Williams · December 30, 2021

        So nothing works.

        https://share.getcloudapp.com/llu6ZNv4

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