A photograph is made of infinite amount of points of light. Where the points are small and packed tightly together the image is sharp. Where the points are large and loosely packed the image is not sharp.

When purchasing a lens we always think about the sharpness of the image it will produce. What is equally important is how it renders the out of focus areas in the photo. The Quality of the out of focus is referred to Bokeh. (Pronounced bo-keh ).

This is Japanese for “senile” or “touched in the head” or “fuzzy”.


Photo 1. I focused on a nearby object and then aimed the camera at the Christmas tree. The lights on the tree are so out of focus they are blurred. In this case the circles are perfectly round so this lens has good bokeh. It is a superior lens. Had the circles been egg shaped or octagon or pentagon in shape you would have bad bokeh or an inferior lens. This photo was taken with a $99 lens. Technology has made quality cheap.

Photo2 and 3. You can change the size of the circles or Bokeh by the distance, lens, and lens opening (f/stop).


Photo 4. So what can you do with this knowledge? You can do some really creative and abstract photos. Here is a photo of the out of focus Christmas tree.


Photo5. Put your shutter at about a 30^th of a second and Zoom out as you snap the photo.


Photo 6. I put Christmas lights on a wall about 8 feet away from the bottle and focused on the bottle.


Photo7 and 8.  I look for points of light in my portraits to make an interesting backdrop.


Photo 9. At night is where you’ll have the greatest opportunity.

After months of planning, shooting and editing, our latest DVD is now available. Landscape Photography: Creating Visual Eloquence shows you how to use parallel thinking in order to get the most out of your landscape photography. Host Emanuele "Manny" Pontoriero also shows you why "The time is the place". These 2 tools combined with lighting, composition, as well as lens and filter selection will give you the skills and confidence to take terrific landscape photographs. Manny explains, "I wanted to show people that you don't have to go to some far off exotic place to take great photographs. You can use the rules of composition and lighting to get great shots in your own region or state." Beginning Tuesday, December 6th, this set of DVDs is available through Our Store and Amazon.com.

Check out our trailer to learn more.

I was asked to take pictures for a friend whose son was returning from Afghanistan. I happy to help out and wanted to be sure I got some great photos they will cherish for years to come. Here are some tips on what to do to make sure the next home coming you photograph is successful.

Photo 1. Get there a little early so you can prepare. Preparation is the key to good photography. If you have a point and shoot camera turn off your flash. If the camera has a high and low ISO setting set it to High. If you have an adjustable camera (SLR), set it to manual. Then raise the ISO to 400. Take a test shot and see if you get a dimly lit photo. If it is still to dark raise the ISO to 800 and take another test shot.

Photo 2. Turn on your flash. Between the available light to brighten the background and the flash to light your subject you'll get detail everywhere.

Photo 3. Position yourself between where the soldier will be coming from and the family. This way you can photograph the soldier or family just by turning. Keep in mind that someone will probably step in front of you at the last second. Pick an alternate spot so you will know where to reposition yourself should that happen. You must stay focused on the task at hand. You must separate yourself from what is happening emotionally. Otherwise you will get drawn into the experience and miss a lot of good shots. Think of yourself as an observer, not a participant.

Photo 4, 5, 6, 7. Start taking photos of the soldier and take a lot of "grab shots".

These are unposed. Move around and try to get faces.

Photo 8. If there is another soldier there take a few shots with his family and get their  address so you can send them the photos. They will appreciate it.

Photo 9. Now get group posed shots so you can see faces clearly.

Photo 10. Keep your eyes open to what is happening. I took a photo of dad and son and his younger brother and sister were just i awe so I zoomed out to get them in the photo as well.

Photo 11. Tampa Airport is the best. They have a Harley Davidson store with a motorcycle in the front. Nothing says "you're home" like a cheeseburger or a Harley. It made for a great shot.

Fourth of July 
is coming up and many people want to take
pictures of specatacular fireworks displays.
Check out Manny's Tips to see his advice
on taking good pictures during a
Fireworks Extravaganza.