What's new in fairy tech?

Looks like you are all set for some bokeh photography now

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/bokeh-for-beginners.html

I let Xmas cheer get the better of me last year and ended up with some USB powered light strings.

That's wonderful! I can try, but LEDs don't have quite the same wonderful colors as the old tungsten mini-lights with painted glass.

I have some neopixel fairy lights that might make some warm colors...

Out of the box they can also sometimes be a bit too bright for fast lenses with wide open apertures. 

Arducam do a low-cost F1.6 C-Mount lens which can be used with the likes of a R-Pi HQ camera for bokeh work for video as well as still photography. 

https://www.arducam.com/product/arducam-35mm-f1-6-mirrorless-c-mount-lens-for-raspberry-pi-hq-camera-with-c-cs-adapter-ln052/  

https://www.amazon.com/live/video/3fe10de00abf4e848156572658f5f50a?ref_=dp_vse_lbvc_2

You're a natural! That looks awesome! You have inspired me to give it a try!

You're a natural! That looks awesome! You have inspired me to give it a try!

That one with Mario is from one of Arducam's tutorial videos (linked below it). 

It's been a long time since I've done any bokeh photography but I think I've still got one of those Arducam F1.6 C-Mount lenses in my 'machine vision' toy box, so might have to get the e14 blue robots dancing in front of the camera with the USB Xmas lights in the background.

Finding enough clear space for studio work is the current problem these days.

I'll randomly choose colors from this color palate and write them to my neopixel fairy string

# Christmas spirit for beacondave
import machine, neopixel
import time
import random

# h degrees
# RGB 0 - 255
def hsv2rgb(h, s, v):
    h /= 360
    if s == 0.0:
        return v, v, v
    i = int(h * 6.0)
    f = (h * 6.0) - i
    p = v * (1.0 - s)
    q = v * (1.0 - s * f)
    t = v * (1.0 - s * (1.0 - f))
    i = i % 6
    v = int(v*255)
    t = int(t*255)
    p = int(p*255)
    q = int(q*255)
    if i == 0:
        return v, t, p
    if i == 1:
        return q, v, p
    if i == 2:
        return p, v, t
    if i == 3:
        return p, q, v
    if i == 4:
        return t, p, v
    if i == 5:
        return v, p, q
    
    
# Neopixel string with 50 pixels
np = neopixel.NeoPixel(machine.Pin(28), 50)

np.fill((0,0,0))
np.write()
time.sleep(1)


xmascolors = ((46,67/100,1),(15,96/100,89/100),(334,100/100,84/100),(2,96/100,77/100),
              (76,70/100,78/100),(127,92/100,56/100),(191,85/100,31/100),(36,46/100,84/100))

for i in range(50):
    rgb = hsv2rgb(*random.choice(xmascolors))
    np[i] = rgb

np.write()

WS2812Bs don't reproduce colors quite as well as I would hope... 

I wonder if there are HD neopixels...

I bought this handsome dude at the dollar store too

Perhaps I should choose a smaller figurine...

Nice work. Very bokeh !

You could perhaps try the Santa nutcracker with the small Xmas tree in the distance with its lights on.

Perhaps using an infinity mirror or a fibre optic lamp as the background light source could produce an interesting result.

In the past I've pondered about skeleton tree/leaf type structures with LEDs inserted at the ends so that in real life they aren't overwhelming but when you take the bokeh photograph it suddenly pops out at you.

I'm not sure the best material to use however. I was thinking of perhaps microbore copper plumbing pipe ranging from 4-10mm outside diameter but not sure that you get Ts or reducing Ts at those sort of diameters. Also got to make it possible to thread a wire through it to the LED.

I think it might call for a a micro brazing torch and a lot of patience.

LED-wise then perhaps something similar to the dLUX-dLITE shaped LEDs to diffuse the light.

 https://www.adafruit.com/search?q=dLUX-dLITE

 I've seen skeleton lamps done with 1/2" plastic pipe and 40W golf ball lamps but was envisioning something a bit more intricate.