Before you take those Holiday Lights Down: Bokeh!

A couple of years ago, I used my vinyl cutter to create some DIY bokeh discs, to create custom shaped background lighting.  The idea is to cut out a shape and put that in front of the lens, set your camera to a shallow depth of field, and then the lights int he background will take the cut out shape.  Unfortunately, I always forget to test these out when the holiday lights are up around the house.  I remembered today, and used my trustworthy pooches as models, again.  What I discovered is that I cut the shape of the "dog paw" to large, as it cuts off the shape around the edges.

If you're looking for a quick way to get into Bokeh shape lighting, Photojojo.com sells a kit here.

I used a 50mm f/1.2 prime lens on a Canon 5D Mark III.  The closer you could get to the lights, the bigger the shape would appear.  Dora, my youngest Weimaraner, always cooperates with my photo shoots, but has a hard time keeping her ears up.  

Maximus is always interested in helping.  

Here is the DIY bokeh shape with dog paw.  I'll try and cut a smaller version of the paw to see if that solves the problem of cutting the edges of the shape off.  I use a rubber band to hold it onto the lens with the 3 tabs.