Dec 21, 2011

Wednesday

The only upside of rainy days in the city is taking dreamy out of focus iPhone shots... What I really needed to do here was stand right in the middle of the street, but I was getting enough stares as it was on the corner. ;) I just can never pass up the opportunity to bokeh the great buildings of this city.


Many of you have figured out how to do this, but in case you still want to know how to create iPhone bokeh, there are two methods that are pretty much the same idea. The quick and dirty method is to compose your scene, focus on your hand close-up (sometimes I use the tip of umbrella when it's raining...) and quickly take away your hand and press the shutter before the iPhone has a chance to refocus.

The other is to use the iPhone's AE/AF lock. For this, I will try to focus closely on something around the same exposure as the scene, then hold down that part of the screen for a second or two. You'll then see "AE/AF lock" pop up on your screen. Then bokeh away! Fun fun.
Posted by Alice at 5:09 PM
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15 comments :

  1. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 5:51 PM

    Gorgeous Alice! Might need you to teach me bokeh in person. :) I just attempted both methods..to no avail. #fail

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  2. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 5:55 PM

    Hah! I always get a good laugh at how good you are at this. =P

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  3. genevieveDecember 21, 2011 at 6:35 PM

    Lovely shot! Golly, I want an iphone now...

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  4. CharDecember 21, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    I did NOT know that 2nd method :O mind blown...

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  5. Pink Peony PhotographyDecember 22, 2011 at 12:24 AM

    omg, i'm so giddy over the iphone AE/AF lock! i never knew it existed til now, ha! great bokeh city shot, as always!

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  6. SalmaDecember 22, 2011 at 5:08 AM

    i've been to new york only once, but i loved it - and in your pictures i always find little pieces of memories :)

    wonderful shot!
    also love the community garden series...

    have a nice day
    salma

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  7. LisaDecember 22, 2011 at 5:13 AM

    I don't own an iPhone yet, but this sound interesting :-)
    NYC is always beautiful, even more in your photos.

    silkchocolate.blogspot.com

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  8. VickieDecember 22, 2011 at 6:24 AM

    wonderfully dreamy

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  9. UnknownDecember 22, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    thank you! that is a great tip!

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  10. OohLookBelDecember 22, 2011 at 8:08 PM

    This method is also great for night shots, of city lights. I get lots of funny looks when focusing on my finger (using my compact camera).

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  11. JacquelineDecember 23, 2011 at 12:50 AM

    :) the alice-iphone-bokeh effect.

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  12. Kayla PooleDecember 23, 2011 at 1:32 AM

    I get so much accidental bokeh with my phone and love it...tis the season!

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  13. lynnetteDecember 23, 2011 at 10:07 PM

    Aww so gorgeous, as always!! :D Thanks for the tip! I've always been able to get out of focus shots but those weren't intended lol. Curse (?) after having dropped my iPhone so many times :(

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  14. Sara/Matchbox KitchenDecember 26, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    Thank you! I always wondered how to do this. Can't wait to try it out.

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  15. JiaJanuary 4, 2012 at 2:26 PM

    thanks for sharing this trick! always love your city bokeh shots! the best!

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