The holiday season brings earlier sunsets and a lot more lights into the parks. That combination creates one of the best times of year to experiment with creative photography. You already know that portraits look better when the background is blurred. The subject pops and the distractions fade away. But there is another layer you can add that turns those blurred lights into part of the story.

Those soft circles of light in the background are called bokeh. They appear round because they match the shape of your lens opening. When light hits the sensor through a round opening it stays round. Change that shape and the light changes with it.

Instead of letting the background lights stay circular you can shape them. That means every blurred point of light takes on a new form. Hearts are a popular option. Stars work well too. For Disney fans the most obvious choice is a Mickey Mouse silhouette. Two small circles connected to a larger one instantly turns your background into something that feels playful and intentional.

The photo at the top of this article shows only the background lights. Each individual light takes on the same shape. The more lights you have behind your subject the stronger the effect becomes. A background with just a few points of light gives a subtle hint. A background filled with holiday lights makes the shape impossible to miss. That is why this technique shines during the holidays.

This works best with cameras that use larger lenses. Phone cameras struggle here because the lenses are so small. It is not impossible but it is very difficult to get clean shapes at that size. Interchangeable lens cameras make this much easier.

The simplest way to try this is to make your own filter. Take a piece of dark paper and cut a small shape into it. Wrap it around the front of your lens and secure it with a rubber band. Make sure the hole is centered. Then shoot wide open and keep your background lights far enough away to blur.

You can also buy bokeh filter kits online. Some fit like a lens cap. Others slide over the lens and hold in place with rubber bands. These usually include several shapes that you can swap out quickly. If you enjoy making things and like precision you can even design custom shapes and have them laser cut. That is the route I took and yes one of mine is inspired by my favorite felt amphibian.

You do not even need to be in a theme park to practice. A Christmas tree at home or a string of lights on a wall works just as well. Once you get comfortable with the technique you can bring it into the parks and start shaping light instead of just recording it.

This is one more way to add personality and fun to your photos. It turns something familiar into something unexpected. That is where the magic usually lives.

If you try shaped bokeh I would love to see what you create. Come share your photos in the Fairy Tale Photo Academy Theme Park Photography community on Skool. It is a free space to share photos learn from each other and keep the joy of the parks going even when you are not there.