It goes without saying that if you choose natural light as your primary lighting option, schedule your calls during the day. Watch out for sun shining directly on your face and creating odd shadows. If you have blinds that let in some light, partially or fully close them. If you have a window in your office, set up your webcam in front of it to create “flat light” (when the subject is parallel to the light source). What about natural light? Natural light is tricky, but can be a good plan if you don’t video-conference regularly. The goods: Two tripods (the set includes 3), twoįluorescent bulbs, two reflective umbrellas The goods: Two tripods (the set includes 3), two fluorescent bulbs, two reflective umbrellas: If you choose this approach, make sure to use a light-colored sheet (which will flatter all skin tones) because your face will reflect the color (and no one looks good with a greenish cast). The lamps serve as the fill light and the key light, and the white sheet serves as the diffuser. If you don’t want to invest in a professional lighting set-up, an alternative would be to take two floor lamps, remove their shades, and hang a white sheet behind your webcam. The only downside is that this set up is cumbersome if you set up and take down your lighting on a daily basis. At first I felt self-conscious about making the investment, but in retrospect I am incredibly satisfied with the purchase. It contains tripods (3!), bulbs, and reflective umbrellas, including a gold umbrella, which makes your skin look warm even if you have spent the last 3 days revising and resubmitting. I ordered this lighting kit off of Amazon (currently priced at $50!) and I cannot tell you what a difference it has made. This sounds complicated, but lucky for us, the professionals have it figured out. You want to diffuse the light so that it is not pointed directly at you, but rather bounces off another surface and creates a soft glow. Place your fill light and key lights on either side of you. You need two sources of light- a key light (the primary light source) and a fill light (a medium-intensity source). First rule- do not use a single overhead light, unless it’s Halloween and you are dressing up as a tired zombie. With respect to a lighting setup, I did some internet research and consulted my photographer friend, Mikki Skinner. What NOT to do- looking down at your webcam with overhead lighting: If the price point of a new webcam and tripod is too much, a simple alternative is to set your laptop on stack of books or a cardboard box. If you don’t want to see the nose hair of the person you are chatting with, they probably don’t want to see yours either. You should be looking up at your camera, not down. The webcam and tripod help me avoid a major pitfall of videoconferencing- the “from below” camera angle. I also purchased a tripod so I can adjust the webcam based on whether I am sitting or standing, or what monitor I am using. I bought this webcam, for no better reason that it’s a best seller and relatively affordable. Family photos are a humanizing touch, and a plant (not dead or dying) never hurts. Be careful of reflective surfaces- I have a fantastic map of Los Angeles from 1894, but I removed it from the wall behind my webcam because on camera it turns into a distracting glare. Make sure the books are arranged vertically, “fronted”, and no papers or folders are strewn about. For academic purposes, you can’t go wrong with books (scholarly ones, of course). Now, I am certain that when I turn on my webcam, day or night, the picture is clear, I look professional, and I come across in a way that doesn’t distract from the conversation or presentation (Note: we at USC use Bluejeans as our videoconferencing service).īehind the scenes- closed blinds and professional lighting (and yes, I have a plant addiction)įirst, check your background. The results have surpassed those I see when I speak with people from professional videoconferencing studios. So, with some advice from a photographer friend, I set up my office as a videoconferencing studio for about $125 (if this is beyond what you can afford- read on, I have more affordable alternatives). Weird shadows, back lighting, and- ahem- extra chins- made me anxious, not like the competent, confident academic I wanted to present myself as. As I progressed in my academic career and the caliber of videoconferences became higher, I realized that I didn’t like what I saw when I flipped open my Macbook and switched on the webcam. I defended my PhD remotely, I had my first full-time academic job interview remotely, and now I teach remotely in the Spatial Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California. Like many of you, I spend more and more time on webcam. Find original post from October 27th, 2017 at. This is a modified version of a post on Karen Kelsky's blog, The Professor is In.
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