If you’ve ever seen a portrait with a dreamy, blurred background full of soft glowing circles, you’ve already seen the bokeh effect in action. In this guide, we’re going to walk through real, practical examples of bokeh effect in photography: 3 practical examples you can try with almost any camera and lens. Instead of vague theory, you’ll get real examples, camera settings, and ideas you can shoot this weekend. We’ll look at how portrait photographers use bokeh to isolate a subject, how city photographers turn streetlights into colorful abstract backgrounds, and how close-up shooters use bokeh to make tiny details feel cinematic. Along the way, we’ll add more examples of how bokeh shows up in everyday scenes, from holiday lights to weddings to food photography. Whether you’re using a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or even a smartphone with portrait mode, you’ll learn how to recognize good bokeh opportunities and create your own signature style with background blur.
When you’re learning landscape photography, seeing real examples of depth of field in landscape photography is far more helpful than reading dry definitions. Depth of field is simply how much of your scene looks sharp from front to back, and the best way to understand it is by walking through practical, real-world situations. In this guide, we’ll explore several examples of how you can control depth of field to create stronger, more intentional landscape images. We’ll look at wide, sweeping vistas where you want everything tack-sharp, as well as intimate scenes where a shallow depth of field helps isolate a single subject. You’ll see examples of how aperture, distance, and lens choice all interact, and how photographers in 2024–2025 are using depth of field creatively for both classic landscapes and more modern, social-media-ready looks. By the end, you’ll not only recognize examples of depth of field in landscape photography—you’ll know exactly how to create them yourself.
If hyperfocal distance still feels like mysterious math instead of a practical tool, you’re not alone. The fastest way to make it click is to walk through real, concrete examples of examples of understanding hyperfocal distance in everyday shooting. Once you see how it works in the field, it stops being theory and starts being a creative shortcut. In this guide, we’ll skip the dry formulas and go straight into real examples you can actually try: landscapes at sunset, street scenes, travel photos, even smartphone shots using apps. These examples of how to use hyperfocal distance will show you how to keep everything from a foreground rock to distant mountains acceptably sharp, without constantly guessing at focus. By the end, you’ll be able to look at a scene, pick a focal length and aperture, and know roughly where to focus. Think of this as a friendly field notebook of examples of understanding hyperfocal distance, not a math class.
If you’ve ever stared at a portrait where the subject just pops off the background and thought, “How did they do that?”—you’re in exactly the right place. In this guide, we’ll walk through real, practical examples of mastering depth of field in portrait photography so you can stop guessing and start creating that look on purpose. Instead of vague theory, we’ll break things down into clear situations you can actually try: indoor window portraits, busy city streets, golden hour backlight, small rooms, group shots, and more. You’ll see examples of how changing aperture, focal length, and distance affects depth of field, and how small adjustments can completely transform a portrait. By the end, you’ll not only recognize good depth of field when you see it—you’ll know how to build it, step by step, in your own work. No advanced math. No mystery. Just real-world, repeatable examples you can steal and adapt.
If you’ve ever wondered what makes a portrait look creamy, dreamy, and professional, you’re already halfway to understanding shallow depth of field. Instead of starting with theory, let’s walk through real examples of shallow depth of field that you can actually try this week. These examples of shallow depth of field show how photographers use blur to guide the eye, clean up messy backgrounds, and add a sense of intimacy to an image. In this guide, we’ll look at everyday scenes—portraits, food, street shots, even smartphone photos—and break down why the background melts away in some images but not in others. You’ll see an example of how distance, aperture, and lens choice all work together, without getting buried in technical jargon. By the end, you’ll not only recognize the best examples of shallow depth of field, you’ll know exactly how to create your own, whether you shoot with a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or a phone.
If you’re bored of “sharp subject, blurry background” shots, you’re not alone. Depth of field can do way more than just hide a messy living room behind your portrait. The best examples of creative uses of depth of field in photography turn focus into a storytelling tool: guiding the eye, bending time, and sometimes making reality look a little bit wrong in the best way. In this guide, we’ll walk through real, modern examples of creative uses of depth of field in photography you can try with any camera that lets you control aperture. We’ll talk about portraits where only an eyelash is sharp, cityscapes that feel like miniature models, and street photos where focus jumps between foreground and background like a movie cut. Along the way, you’ll get practical settings, composition ideas, and 2024-era trends photographers are playing with right now—so you can move beyond “nice blur” and start using focus like a director uses light.