In my last post, I discussed etiquette you should consider when participating in remote meetings. There are a number of tactics you can leverage to keep people engaged and included, even when remote.
Chief among those recommendations was turning on your video. We use Zoom which has excellent video capabilities. Most other top conferencing platforms have the same.
But, one of the challenges a lot of people face when they turn on their video is that it’s crap. And, this isn’t the fault of the video platform, it’s the fault of their lighting. I realized that I had my own challenges with my setup so, at the beginning of the year, I make some quick and cheap adjustments. I’ll walk you through what I’ve done to fix my web conference video, your colleagues might appreciate seeing more than a shadow of your face.
Without Lighting
First, here’s how my video comes across without any lighting:
My desk is in a corner facing 2 very dark painted walls that absorb light instead of reflecting any back onto my face. All the white cabinetry in the background compounds this as the camera adjusts the exposure to account for a very bright background. Hence, I look like I’m in a cave.
My years as a photographer taught me that to fix this I need more direct lighting on my face. There are lots of ways you can do this, but frankly, I wanted simple and cheap.
Say hello to the selfie-light.
After a bit of research on Amazon, I came across the Selfie-light. Yep, that’s a thing. There are thousands of different variations of this on Amazon, in the end, I just went with one that was less than £15 and could get delivered by Amazon Prime. It has a standard USB charger and even has different color LEDs if you’re particular about getting your white balance right. What I like about it is that I can easily clip it onto either my desktop monitor or my laptop. This is great if you travel and find yourself doing video conferences in poorly lit hotel rooms.
Here’s my video now improved with only my £15 selfie-light:
If you want a higher-end version of this same concept, look at the Lume Cube. My selfie-light is by no means Hollywood lighting but it’s a vast improvement for very little effort and investment.
Take it to the next level
However, over time, I have found that my cheap selfie-light is sometimes not enough. As the lighting conditions outside and in my office change throughout the day, sometimes I still need to add more light. Enter a small LED desk lamp I reclaimed from the garage.
Here’s how my video now comes across with both the selfie-light and my LED spotlight:
I’m still experimenting with the position of the spotlight, but it really does make a difference in how you can see my face over a video call.
To recap
- When working remotely, use video during your meetings.
- Assess your lighting. Is your face very dark and covered in shadows?
- If so, you can quickly and easily improve this by adding a cheap selfie-light.
My final setup at the moment – selfie-light + spotlight:
See the difference?
But Wait… There’s More!
Since I originally published this cheap “quick-fix” post, I’ve spent a lifetime on Zoom. And, I realized that if this is how I’m going to be spending my working life for the foreseeable future, I should invest a bit more in improving my setup.
- First, the built-in webcam on my older iMac is a long way from a high-end camera. Enter the Logitech StreamCam. There were other webcams that people had recommended, but webcams went the way of toilet paper as soon as everyone realized they’d be working exclusively remote. StreamCam was the best option I could get delivered. It works great.
- Second, I broke down and bought a proper key light. On several recommendations, I went with the Elgato Key Light Air. Easy to set up, you can change the white balance & brightness, all in a handy app. Yes, it makes a huge difference vs my cheap selfie-light + recycled spotlight.
The resulting final setup:
You Get What You Pay For
So in summary, when I pair my new webcam and key light with a proper Zoom virtual background, my colleagues see a well lit, professional me. Nevermind about the sweatpants.
