We all have a role to play in building a future where everyone can reach their full potential. It’s a call to action and a reminder that gender equality is one of the most effective ways to build healthier, more prosperous, and more inclusive communities. Yes, reality has caught up.The Government of Canada’s theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2024 is Invest in women: Accelerate progress. But I think it’s fair to say that when you think about how to decorate your living spaces moving forward, it’s not crazy to plan for the creation of Zoom-optimized rooms. I know we don’t live in TV studios (well, most of us don’t). That means your whole room (or at least the part people see) needs enough light. Your environment is an extension of you, and it’s important to give it the same attention as you set up your webcam shot. If you want to really show up for your close up during Zoom meetings from home, you’ve got to do more than light your face and wear a nice shirt. Plus the extra light also helps my back wall pop. Now, my robots are easy to spot in my Zoom background. Think of it more like an under-cabinet lighting solution, but designed as a self-standing vertical glow. The lamp’s cold, minimalistic look also blended nicely with my little metal companions. It added the background fill light I needed without overwhelming my shelf. I found a small vertical LED table lamp made by Edishine on Amazon. Instead, I looked for a lighting solution with a smaller footprint: some sort of lamp that could sit on the end of the book shelf just outside of my Zoom frame. That said, I didn’t want to clutter my background (or my home office). A floor lamp next to the bookshelf would be an easy solution. So, I needed to figure out how to throw more light on that back wall and my little robot display. That means you’ll look better and not over exposed. Otherwise your environment will look drab, no matter what it contains.Īnd webcams are usually happier if your lighting is more even throughout the entire shot. Like any professional studio TV set, you’ve got to properly light your entire space, and that includes the background. That’s because my back wall didn’t have a lot of light hitting it. The only problem is my robots looked like shadows in my background. They’re also nice ice breakers as people sometimes ask about them when they spot my metal robots in my Zoom shot. (R2D2, C3PO, Robby the Robot and Robot from the original “Lost in Space”) I repositioned a short bookshelf into my Zoom background, and I used the top shelf to display a few robot statues I’ve collected over the years. Recently, I moved the furniture around in my home office, and to a certain extent I’ve created something of a blank canvas to work with. So, even though my home office is hardly an ideal space to create the perfect video shot for my Zoom meetings, I’ve continued to tinker with my background throughout these many months. I’ve tried digital and blurred backgrounds, but I always felt like I was in a science fiction movie. While that’s okay, I like to keep my shot as authentic as possible. I know many folks are fond of using virtual backgrounds. Position your webcam perpendicular to your eyes, not looking up your nose.Make sure you’ve got enough light on your face.How your shot looked understandably may not have been your priority.īut as we’ve settled into our new routines, many of us have improved our Zoom look. During those early pandemic months, simply finding a quiet spot to open up your laptop for a Zoom, Skype or Teams meeting was a challenge. I hope most of us are beyond the chaotic experience of working from home and participating in meetings all day. So, it’s important to create a ‘remote video communications’ home set-up that really works for you and your viewers. It’s clear we’re at a point where participating in Zoom meetings is a permanent part of home life and a necessary tool to communicate with our world. What about the supporting cast in your webcam’s view? Making sure you’re properly lit in your Zoom shot isn’t always enough.
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