Bokeh

Bokeh is a common technique used in photography and when translated from Japanese means 'blur'. It makes an image become instantly more interesting, as it forces you to focus on a certain point of the image. Bokeh is caused by the lens and not the camera itself. It can be used to blur out light in photos or to blur out the background, leaving the subject the main focus point. In order to get the best blur there should be no hard edges, as the blur should be soft.

Examples: