Zoom and video conferencing meetings are apparently not going away. Working from home or working remotely will probably be part of the workforce forever.
Even three years after many people were forced to work from home and conduct business meetings over Zoom or Microsoft Teams, it’s quite common to see terrible video shots that might distract everyone else in the meeting.
Gadgets continue to be released to help improve video meetings from home and from computers and laptops. If you’ve been in just one video meeting you’ve probably seen a co-worker’s nostrils. You know that shot where the computer camera is two feet below their face? You see up their nose and the ceiling. There’s a simple fix for that: raise the camera. If you’re using a laptop, pick up a laptop stand to raise the camera to eye level.
Laptop stands are fairly inexpensive and can be tossed into a backpack for video meetings from the road. It also helps posture and prevents back strain by looking down at the computer. If you’re going to be doing more than just video meetings from that position, you may want to pick up a Bluetooth keyboard to keep your hands on your desk.
Good lighting is critical and in the past few years, companies have released several styles of desktop lights. My favorite desktop light is the Edge Light from Lume Cube. It can not only shine straight down on the desk for work but it’s easily moveable to use as a video meeting light. A diffuser keeps the light from being too harsh on the skin and softens blemishes.
The Edge Light has multiple brightness levels and temperatures which is very helpful since soft amber is much more flattering than bright white. A clamp attachment keeps from cluttering your desktop and you can adjust it in many different ways for a work light, or video conference.
I actually cannot count the number of different positions I can turn this light.
It reaches from behind my desktop monitor and pulls within a few inches from my face when I want it to shine down on the desk. It’s much easier on the eyes than using overhead lights. You’ve seen terrible Zoom meetings from people who blur the background or add a virtual background because they don’t want you to see the mess behind them.
It only looks good if you have a green screen. But who wants that taking up space in your home? The Elgato collapsable green screen hides away until you need it. Just flip the case open and pull upward. It’s broadcast quality. I picked one up from Amazon for about $160, yeah it’s a bit pricey.
These are a few gadgets that turn just about any Zoom or video conferencing meeting from blah to oooh.
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