Do You Have a Light for Video Conferencing? Why You Should!

 

Get up, hit the gym, make coffee, and log onto your computer to start a long string of virtual meetings. Sound familiar? That’s the modern workday for many who have worked from home since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The abrupt shift to remote work forced many to create makeshift workspaces and, in turn, it created inconveniences, including the annoyance of poor lighting for virtual conferencing. 

Since it’s been over two years since the start of the pandemic, we are hopeful that everyone has been able to upgrade their home office and lighting situation, although we are aware that not everyone has as there are multiple options. 

Insufficient lighting in your home workspace causes poor video quality for virtual meetings. If your meeting is important, you’ll want everything to be perfect, including lighting. Nobody has a studio-quality three-point lighting setup with a professional key, fill, and backlight, but there are other options! 

Brighten your next meeting with these tips!

Take A Look At Your Space

The first step to perfecting the light setup is to completely move your home office to an area in your living space with the best natural light. Natural light is free and the simplest option for upgrading your laptop camera quality. But, if you can’t move your home office, consider purchasing a ring light or other light that can attach to your computer for video conferencing. 

Ring Light Options

There are many excellent ring light choices online from retailers like Amazon. With options ranging from small to large lights, expensive to relatively affordable. There are many types, too, like clip-on lights for your cell phone, lights with tripods that can fit on top of your desk, and standing ring lights. Pros and cons exist for each of these setups. For instance, small lights are great for travel but may have fewer features, while expensive ones like the standing lights are robust with capabilities but might not be as transportable.

When determining what light to get, you’ll ultimately want to consider your budget and how often you’ll use the product to find one that’ll suit you.

Tips For Angles

Adjust your workstation to play the angles with your chosen lighting setup. The angles you use are just as important as your light. You’ll want to pay attention to the chair and monitor placement to reduce unflattering camera positions. Also, consider using a standing desk to help with poor posture, the ultimate cause of an unflattering angle. Light your work area using your ring light and a fill light. Try to avoid using lights in your house that are exceptionally high up. These cause shadows, which you are working to prevent with your fill since fill lights help distribute light evenly. Got a glare from your glasses? Soften your light by bouncing it away, turning your computer’s monitor brightness down, and changing the angle of the ring light. 

The right light for video conferencing can elevate your work-from-home experience and help you to put your best face forward with clients in this virtual world. Learn more about the tools that Clear.Live has to help by starting a free trial today!