The new world order is remote and working from home, which means there are some extra steps in getting ready for a meeting. Sure, you can wear your pajama pants and dress shirt together to look ready for work but, how do you look on video?
Getting ready for work no longer includes getting fully dressed or even brushing your teeth but, looking presentable now involves the lighting for video conferencing. You don’t have to go all Hollywood about it, of course. No one needs to go to film school to be well lit during a WFH meeting but, there are tips and tricks to make sure you’re heard as well as seen while working from home.
Some things to know are doing video conference in rooms with lighter walls, that nothing beats natural light, three points of light are better than one, not all lightbulbs are the same, the source of light should be at eye level, and too much light is not your friend. Now, before you go collecting lamps and tearing down your curtains, let’s take a deeper look at each of these tips and make sure you’re seen by those you’re talking with.
Light the Way
Working from home and video conferencing is relevant to everyone now. Doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher, engineer, customer service, or student, proper lighting makes video calls much easier. Think of lighting in a video call as static in a cell conversation. It’s frustrating to constantly ask “did you hear me?” or “what’d ya say?” Well, for video conferencing it is just as annoying to constantly hear “I can’t see what you’re talking about.” or “Can you turn on a light? I can’t see you.”
Another way to look at this is the irritation we feel when we’re trying to talk to someone who isn’t looking at us. It feels a little insulting. Of course, it doesn’t apply on the phone because that is the nature of the technology. We’re supposed to see each other during a video conference, the expectation is the reason it is so bothersome when someone doesn’t have good lighting. Even on your side, seeing your dark picture on the screen would be annoying.
That’s why it’s important to have the right lighting on a video call while working from home. With these seven tips and tricks, you’ll be more clearly seen which translates to being heard more. Easier to ignore what you have to say when no one can see you.
With that said, let’s move on to the tips and tricks!
7 Ways to Light Up Your Remote Life
No one is expecting a light show or Hollywood level lighting so, don’t get nervous or stressed about the lamps or light bulbs. Lighting yourself for video conferencing isn’t difficult at all. Many of the solutions are just things around the house or moving your work area to a better part of the home. Skip pulling out your credit card or shopping for equipment best used by photographers. Instead, follow these seven tips and you’ll be the light of work life.
Nothing Beats Natural Light
We’ve been in the sun our entire lives. In general, we use sunlight to see and so, it would make sense we look most natural in sunlight. When working from home and preparing for a video conference call, sit in a room where you get the most natural light. Your skin tone will be the most accurate, it brightens your mood, and is the most visually pleasing.
Light Ahead
This is one area where you don’t want to follow after television and films. Lighting from the top or bottom is for dramatic effect and this is not the time to look like you’re about to give an Academy Award performance. Instead, keep your light source at eye-level, it’ll brighten your face and make you more clear without casting avant-garde shadows or puppet shows.
Know Your Lighting
Not all lightbulbs are created equal and different ones are best for different things. This kind of ties into natural light looking best during a video conferencing call in that soft light is better light. Bright white lights will make it seem like you’re a relative of Dracula and bare bulbs without lampshades will do the same. Warm lights are your friend.
Lighting Trinity
This is something people learn in film school and is easy to implement. An earlier tip was to have your light source at eye level but, to balance the light for your video conferencing call you should have three light sources:
- One behind your camera at eye level, or at 12 o’clock
- One at 11 o’clock
- One at 2 o’clock
Some would say that instead of the primary light source being at 12, use only one at 11 and the other at 2 with one more being above you. That isn’t completely necessary unless you’re trying to get Instagram famous but, 3 sources will balance the lighting for your WFM video calls.
Walled In
Nothing eats up light like dark walls and clothing. A good way to brighten up your work from home office is to have lighter walls to bounce the light around. You won’t need a hundred lamps or fancy light rings around your webcam with some lighter colors brightening the room. While some may prefer the deep and dark hues, it’s not going to help you be seen on a video conferencing call.
Say No to Sunglasses
Like everything else, too much of a good thing is bad. Don’t go crazy with multiple light sources or thinking that a bright and sunny day always looks good. Too much light will wash you out, like an overexposed picture. You want to be seen, not make everyone do an interpretation of “Blinded by the Light”.
If you’re unsure whether or not you have too little or too much light, do a test call. Looking at yourself in your camera isn’t the same as what another person will be seeing via a platform like Zoom or Skype. It’s better to do a test video conferencing call with a coworker or friend, make sure you have it all sorted out beforehand.
What’s your Webcam?
If your work from home office doesn’t get too much natural light and you need an extra boost, many webcams have lighting features to help cut through the dim. There are even lighting features that you can add to your webcam instead of decorating your desk with lamps.
Take a look at where you’ll be working from home and take a gander at your webcam. See what can be done to improve the lighting in your office and if a new webcam can better brighten the room on the screen.
Be Seen and Heard
Whether you work in the basement, attic, a corner, or have a full-on home office, lighting for video conferencing calls can be an easy solution. You don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of fancy equipment or special lighting equipment, you can easily use what you have. A quick summary of some of the tips above are:
- A lamp with shade behind where your camera is
- Windows for natural light
- Soft light lightbulbs
- Lighting from three sides: 12 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 11 o’clock
- Light colors for painted walls or white walls
- Don’t go overboard with lighting, too many light sources blind the viewer and camera.
Easy-peasy. Perhaps when people approach anything to do with computers they immediately think of having to buy more devices to get the quality of working from home to where they want it to be. Sometimes that is the case but, not with lighting.
Just follow these tips, tricks, and your way to being seen as well as heard on the video conferencing call will be well lit.
