Addicted to bokeh...

When I first started using my brother's D80, I was severely addicted to bokeh. Ken Rockwell's website clearly defines what good bokeh should be, not just any blurring on the background... I didn't know that till I read his website. I think that bokeh is among the pulling factors for all DSLR beginners ... the quest for blurring backgrounds as the mark of DSLR work ... Reading photographer Zeckson's interview in Photo Malaysia, his advice to beginner's really describe the experience I'm going thru as one... Below are excerpts from the interview ... I'm guilty of the first 2 offences.... equipment and bokeh... :) Q: Any advice for aspiring PhotoMalaysia members? Lots of them. I will separate into different categories. For Beginners / Amateurs> • Stop being a gear head. Equipment is not everything. • Stop your bokeh hunting. Having bokeh does not mean your portrait is good. • Learn your photography fundamentals first followed by complete understanding of your camera. Know what your camera will do under different situations. • Learn your portrait basics, i.e. What is framing, angle, composition and tilt and how you can use them to take portraits? • When you got hold of these fundamentals, you can then move on to the intermediate level of enhancing your portraits with lightings. What is available light? What is the relationship between incident light vs reflected light? How to create light using flashes? • You also have to get knowledge of how to pose your model, how to communicate with your model, effective poses, etc. • When you are good with all these, then you move to the advanced level of creative techniques where you will need to think about lightings, styling, themes, make-up, wardrobe, location, logistics and most importantly resources! The above are all technicals where you can easily look for over the Internet, bookstores, YouTube and other sources. But what you cannot find is the art direction and sense within you that governs all else. Ultimately, you want to create an image that has strong visual impact, big WOW factors and rich in emotions, moods and feel. All these can only be achieved by using your very own art form of expressions which no one can teach you. You have to develop this within yourself. Always remember this – Technology can NEVER create art but art can MAKE USE OF TECHNOLOGY to create things that is only limited by your very own imagination! If you have see an image that you had never imagined before, that only means you are not imaginative enough. For the established photographers All of the above mentioned plus the following: • Be humble • Cultivate a good inner self • Be helpful (in the correct and wholesome way) As for me, I never dare to admit I am a photographer. I am just someone that loves shooting. I am on a never-ending quest to constantly improve myself in my genre of photography. I hope to reach the level I wanted in time to come. All I can say right now is – The road is long…