• Bokeh is a Japanese word. It is a loan word. Loanwords and loan phrases are terms that have been taken from other languages and used as English words and phrases. Another term for a loanword is a borrowed word. Loanwords and loan phrases come into the English language when English speakers come into contact with other languages and cultures. A foreign word evolves into a loanword when it is adopted into the vocabulary of the average English speaker, not just English speakers who come into contact with the source language and culture. We will examine the definition of the word bokeh, exactly where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.


    Bokeh is a photography term that describes the blurry, out-of-focus points of light portions of a photograph. This type of photographic composition has become more popular with the advent of image editing in mobile device photography apps. Most often, a photograph using a bokeh effect renders the distant parts of the photo in fuzzy, soft focus. This blurring makes the subject, usually in the foreground, the focal point. Having one sharp, solid feature serve as a contrast to a dreamy, blurred background brings attention to that one feature. Bokeh photography can be striking when shooting a portrait. When shooting bokeh with a camera lens, a photographer must pay attention to aperture, shutter speed and depth of field, blurring the portions of the composition that are farther away from the camera. A photograph featuring bokeh usually involves a shallow depth of field. The darkroom has for the most part fallen by the wayside, and digital photography and the ability to accomplish editing in programs such as Photoshop has made the technique of bokeh available to the average person. There are many tutorials and photo tips online. The term bokeh is borrowed from Japanese, where the word is rendered as bo-ke. In Japanese, bo-ke means a haze or a blur, and is also used to mean the brain fog of senility or old age. The term came into the English language in the 1990s. Mike Johnston, the editor of  Photo Techniques magazine in 1997, suggested the spelling that is currently used today, to encourage the correct pronunciation of the term. Bokeh is pronounced BO-kay.



    The camera offers features like, scene optimizer, flaw detection, live focus with bokeh filters, panorama, super slow-mo, AR emoji and hyperlapse. (The Times India)

    I can still wholeheartedly recommend a Huawei phone to people who focus on photography, because it takes great bokeh — which blurs the background of a shot — as well as lowlight, fast-moving photos and videos. (The Bangkok Post)

    But there were instances where the camera incorrectly delineated the edges of the subject while trying to blur the background for the bokeh effect. (The Straits Times)


    With its rear depth sensing imaging you can capture professional style images using selectable bokeh blur, which can also be edited after the picture is taken. (Business Ghana)

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