Apart from being a weird word, bokeh is actually something many photographers want in their photos. If you don't know what it is, think about a nice portrait of someone who has a blurred background behind them. The blur is intense enough not to distinguish anything and everything looks kind of melted. That's bokeh. I've had a lot of amateurs asking me how to achieve that "wonderful blurry effect”, so I thought I'd share some of the ways of doing that .
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There are a number of factors that influence bokeh. The most important is aperture. If you want to separate your subject from the background, you're going to have to use a wide open aperture, basically any number lower than f/2.8. Primes lenses are usually the best choice for the best bokeh because they have aperture values as low as f/0.95 or lower. Mind you, if you're going to buy one of those lenses, it's important to note that focusing is going to be a drag and you might not even get all of your subject in focus.
So a wide open aperture is a must. The next factor is focal length. Generally, for the best bokeh you should use any lens longer than 50mm. That's not to say you can't separate the background with a 35mm or 24mm lens, but they will have to be very fast, f/1.8 or f/1.8 lenses.
The distance between you and the subject, as well as between subject and background is also very important. You're not going to get much blur behind the subject if you place them ten feet away from a brick wall. You need to have generous space between all three elements for the best results.
Now that you've read this brief introduction to bokeh, it's time to see a practical demonstration.
Here's a video from Photo Extremist with further explanations on adding that creamy bokeh to your photography.