Week 3 of a 52-week photography challenge
It’s already week 4 of my 52-week photography challenge, and I’m already way behind on my weekly deadline for week 3. But, as they say, better late than never. In this post, I’ll dive deeply into the art of bokeh in black-and-white photography and its creative process.
First, let’s take a step back to week 3’s brief: Black and white, Bokeh. My initial idea was to get a model into the studio and shoot some black and white with Christmas lights in the background to demonstrate an ethereal bokeh effect. For those who may not be familiar, bokeh refers to the out-of-focus light in a photo and how different cameras and lenses can produce different shapes. From a creative portrait perspective, it adds atmosphere and mood to a shot.
Unfortunately, my TFP (time for print) model was cancelled at the last minute, a common occurrence in the world of TFP. So, I had to come up with a backup plan. And that’s where the magic began.
I decided to combine this week’s project with the metahuman video and virtual production work I’m doing for my Maxys marketing business and the new VLOG show I’m working on. Applying the “Create Once Use Many” principle, I took my metahuman character “Alpha” and placed her in a maxyphoto virtual photography studio. I then added Christmas lights and experimented with the virtual camera.
Creating the still photo was relatively easy. But I wanted to push this to the next level and create a video – applying black and white and bokeh to video.
The result was a stunning black and white video that truly showcases the beauty of bokeh. And, as an added bonus, I also got to do an interview within the virtual studio as part of my VLOG show.
One idea led to another, and that’s the beauty of this challenge. It forces you to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions when things don’t go as planned. But, as Seth Godin so eloquently puts it, “otherwise you can spend all your time developing and never actually shipping.”
This week’s challenge is Macro and Bracketing, and I can’t wait to see what creative solutions I’ll come up with. But for now, I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey into the art of bokeh in black and white photography. And, if you’re feeling inspired, I encourage you to pick up your camera and try it out for yourself. Happy shooting!
