Hair Light -senior portrait example

Illuminate Yourself!

Uncategorized

Light from behind is one of the tricks of a pro that you can use in you home or small office to really stand out!

(I considered the title “You Need a Headlight!” — which do you think is better?)

Since 2007, when I picked up my first DSLR camera, I’ve been learning how to work with light. Creating good lighting for a video production or a photo shoot is a blend of art and science. In a small office or home studio the existing light—room light, window light, direct sun—is usually a factor. I love to help people fix their lighting so they love their office environment and look great on camera too!

Here are my links to couple of lights I love and how to use them in your office!
(affiliate links to products I love, that will help you create the office you love!)

Over-the-shoulder lamps

Also called a “Hair Light” by pros, a lamp like this is positioned above and slightly behind you, so it doesn’t shine on your face (watch the nose and forehead when you lean back in your chair!). What you get is a defined light halo on your head and/or shoulders that creates visual depth, separating you from your background and making you look sharp, and intelligent! Position the light just out of view of the camera for the best effect.

This is a time where you like the light to be smaller and a little more harsh in appearance because it’s creating a line, or a stroke of light around your silhouette from behind.

daylight bulb in a small office floor lamp. Great for separation from background!Silver metal floor lamp from Dot & Bo. A perfect hair light!
Small floor lamp with daylight bulb.
This is a great hair light for a small office.
Best Recommendation for a Hair Light!
This great looking floor lamp can can help create separation from behind or above, sitting or standing. Perfect with a daylight bulb or toned bulb for a brand effect!

Try it out!

On camera, you can just hold a flashlight (phone flash) over your head and behind, and see how the light falls to separate you from the background!

Hair Light -senior portrait example
This senior portrait illustrates separation from the background with a strong hair light. I used the natural bounce of light off of a gray cement wall in this shot. Printers Alley, Nashvile, TN – copyright © Daniel Crandall 2019

How to Look Good on Video!

Brand Video, Leadership Development

You are doing more and more webinar conferences and meetings online now—

Are you happy about your presence on camera?

This is the way of the world today—online—if you have a job in business or tech anyway!

But clearly there is a steep learning curve to this “video conference” thing! Not everyone. knows how to use the camera, and set themselves up for success in a video call.

Great! I can help you look brilliant with little or no investment in new gear!

I’ve been delivering this training to teams of leaders and entrepreneurs for the last year every other month, but now it’s available to you too!

Basically, with a group of attendees we go through what it takes to present yourself well online in a webinar, video call or any kind of home office video system really.

What does it take to look good in a webinar?

  • LIGHT – People need to see you, but you don’t need to get studio lights. And you don’t have to deal with fluctuating window light or looking green or pale. Those are common problems, but I’ll show you why and how to get around them.
  • CAMERA – Your webcam might not be the best, but you don’t have to invest in top tech to get a great look on Zoom! The camera behaves a certain way, and there are a few things you can do to convince it to make you look good! Really!!
  • ACTION – It matters how you sit and position yourself on camera, what you do, and more importantly, it matters WHY you position yourself or behave in certain ways on camera! You can build trust quickly, set peoples mind at ease, or loose trust altogether on a call and I’ll show you how!

(Hmm.. that’s a good slogan for this training: Light, Camera, Action! I wonder if I can trademark that… – jk!)

Let me help you look good, sound good, feel good and impress your audience, without ugly studio lights and ring lights. without big bulky microphone booms—And if you like the studio and mic boom, feel free, it’s a brand look that’s not for everyone. They work, but…

You know there is something better! You can simply be brilliant on your home video and still have a great looking office space without all the gear.

No need for a studio in your home, or a movie production quality camera.

You’ve got the technology to do this right in your home.
So join the class and learn how!

Join the class and stop sitting in the dark!