Christmas Light Bokeh

This year is the first time that I've had the physical space, equipment, and time to truly try to capture Christmas light bokeh. For those of you who may not know, "bokeh" is a Japanese term for how the lens renders the out of focus part of a photo - for example, the light in the background. By positioning objects in different locations in the foreground, you can make some very interesting effects! I've had a lot of fun this week experimenting with bokeh, and will have more to share! For now, here are the Christmas-y subjects I used earlier in the week.

This snowman is one of our stocking holders; I think the photo on the right (in front of the colored lights) is my favorite of all of these!

I really like how the lights are also reflected through the globe (above the house).

This little guy is one of the ornaments on my tree.

I didn't really like how this nutcracker came out in color, but am loving the black and white effect!

And this one was just for fun: a friend gave this ornament to me this year (why the pink flamingo is a long story). Wonderfully tacky, and the bright colors make for a great subject, especially when lit by the white lights.

And now to end on a sappy note: this ornament was given to us by my parents for our first Christmas together, 10 years ago!