benallenphotos

Distance, Isolation, Flatten

My special lady friend working from home at her new desk

My special lady friend working from home at her new desk
Read less

Canon EOS 80D

settings

Aperture f/8 ISO 400 Shutter 1/4 Focal Length 18/1

location

Minneapolis, Minnesota, US

upload_date

Mar, 2020

Views

582

Likes

+44

Awards

Zenith Award

Curator's Selection

Top Shot Award 21

Spring 21 Award

Staff Favorite

Peer Award

+324

Outstanding Creativity

Absolute Masterpiece

Top Choice

Superb Composition

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

Emotions

Impressed

Sad

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Gather everything in your house of one color, then take a picture of it. I was inspired by a post on the r-quarantineactivities subreddit and worked w

A bridge with a poem in each direction, linking Minneapolis’ Loring Park with the Walker Art Center’s Sculpture Garden

Housed in a former mission, the Ajo Historical Society Museum located in old “Indian Town” outside of the town center. This is where the local min

Minneapolis Police Department doing what they do, dispersing a peaceful protest at E Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue this past week in Minneapolis.

This is what happens when I’m left to my own devices

A silent disco is only silent by one definition

An impromptu photo shoot at Electric Forest

Gogol Bordello at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota

A couple of pretty Betties pull up for a photo at Lightning in a Bottle

Discover more photos See all

Afternoon beach shoot in Maui. by BeachGuy

https:--www.instagram.com-ohnitsoga_photography-?hl=pt by ohnitsoga

“You have to die a few times before you can really live" Charles Bukowski by KlaraKasprzyk

Si tienes la experiencia correcta del tercer cuerpo empezarás a detectar colores. Cuando empieces a detectarlos, no sólo verás los tuyos, sino tam by JD_Mujik

053BCBF4-4FC3-4FDE-8E21-4A89A2A648D2 by johncalisoderquist

This picture was shot with my drone, just one day before lockdown on Fuerteventura - Spain. by CynthiaFotografie

From a series of character role shots and headshots for an Australian actor and film maker by rcb521

Beautiful Michelle with headpiece and dress from Mystic Fantasy Creations by OriginalCin

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in my home in the early stages of the pandemic, when stay at home orders were fresh and new.

Time

This was late morning, in between meetings for my partner, Cass, who's pictured here. The dogs weren't used to having us both home yet, so they were keeping an eye on us to make sure they didn't miss out on anything. I opted for a day time photo for obvious reasons, it was the time that working from home happens.

Lighting

The lighting was a bit of a challenge with the combination of indoor bulbs and daylight streaming through two windows on the right. (You can only see one, but the second one is there) I opted to shoot a longer exposure and in raw so that I could more easily manipulate the lighting later on.

Equipment

I shot this with my Canon 80D with a 10-18mm lens and since it was a longer exposure, I had it on a tripod and used a remote trigger through the Canon app on my phone.

Inspiration

I don't think anybody knew just how big of an effect that COVID-19 was going to have on our lives, but at that point, it was big enough and I knew it was something people would be talking about for many years to come. That initial, clunky transition into long-term working from home, sheltering in place, as everybody retracted from the outside world. I had a job at the airport, which I lost due to the pandemic, so I had a lot more spare time. My partner? Not so much. So I wanted to memorialize this moment for her, that felt representative of a lot of peoples' experiences at that time. It didn't seem like something she'd need a dedicated space for, so she was still using the couch and a TV table as her desk and our living room as her office. The world map behind her felt like it really tied the pandemic theme together.

Editing

I did a fair amount of small changes and adjustments that added up to a bigger change. I wound up adjusting the white balance in two parts: those lit by the incandescent-looking LED bulbs and the other parts, lit by the sunlight coming through the window. I also adjusted the shadows and saturation to help her shirt pop.

In my camera bag

I always carry my Canon 80D with the favorite child of my lenses, my Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8, as well as my Canon 10-18mm for those times when I need to capture more of what's in front of me. There's also an Allen wrench for adjusting or tightening the Peak Design Clutch strap to the base, which attaches to my Peak Design Capture clip on my bag's shoulder strap. Plus a few microfiber towels just in case.

Feedback

This is not a technically challenging photo, nor does it require the kind of fortitude needed to capture mountain climbing pics or anything complex. It's also shot in the middle of the day, so you don't even have to get up early. For me, the work was in picking out the right everyday moment that tells a larger story. So I suppose the real work in this is selecting which moment you want to keep, and recognizing it when it shows up.

See more amazing photos, follow benallenphotos

benallenphotos

benallenphotos

Distance, Isolation, Flatten