The project will be an exercise in the bokeh style of photography.  This is a Japanese photography style wherein the background and lighting blurs, while preserving the clarity of the foreground image.  One definition of this style is “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light”(Photoguide Japan).  This will be a unifying characteristic of the photographs within the series.  With this as the basis for the project, a series of images will be captured. Through these images, the sequence of life, and the joyous and painful moments that occur throughout, will be portrayed using a number of different subjects.  Such images may include a newborn or infant child, a child in a moment of joy, and the angst of young adulthood.  The series will continue forward in such a manner, capturing individuals at various stages of life.  The intent is to not only capture joyful moments, but also pensive, and pained emotions.  Photographs will be taken at unique locations, employing a variety of lighting techniques, not only in colors, but also in the methods use to capture the light through the use of custom designed filters.  There are a few methods which can be employed to create quality bokeh effects, primarily by using a shallow focus to create little depth of field in the focal range, and by increasing the distance between the subject and the background.  Additionally, the telephoto and portrait lenses are best at creating a quality bokeh effect, and both will be used to capture the best examples possible.

The intent for this project is to capture between 8-10 images which will work to document one’s journey through life, and the milestone moments that one may experience.  The likely print size will be 8”x10” photos.  The presentation may be such that they are hung in a linear fashion along a line from the ceiling, so that you would walk through the stages of life, or along a wall with a few feet between each that would also parallel the “walk through the journey of life.”

The project will be shot with the Canon Rebel T5 with the standard 18-55mm lens mount, and the 2.2x Telephoto lens attachment.  Various types of lights will be used for the background bokeh effects, including Christmas lights, candles, natural lighting reflections, streetlights, and ring light patterns which I will create.  Prior to setting up shots, the lighting colors and effects which will best suit the nature of each “moment” will be determined, and multiple styles may be deployed on each portrait.  Additionally, a variety of custom filters will be designed and placed on the end of the lens, to give distinct visual patterns to the lights as they are captured, further setting each image apart from one another.

https://photographylife.com/what-is-bokeh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/beautiful-examples-of-bokeh-photography/