So, Covid-19 is upon us and we are staying home. Alone. This means that we make a lot of content and meetings in front of a monitor and a webcam.
If you are a photographer or a videographer, you know that the lights you use, matter at least as much has your webcam. I thought it would be nice to take three lights and show them in front of a monitor. Now, these are lights that are either low-priced or that you already have lying around anyways. Without further ado, here are my top three photography lights to up your online meeting game.
Lumiee BiColor (Adorama | B&H)
I’ve been in love with these little lights ever since I first saw them, and I always keep one or two around me. They’re bi-color so they fit all kinds of lighting, like old spaces with incandescents, or even your office with fancy lights. They are not the brightest of the three options, but they require no mounting gear and you can simply wrap them around a phone or lean them on a computer monitor, basically, you can place them just about anywhere. If you’re feeling extra crazy, you can even magnetize it to the top of your monitor.
Litra Torch 2.0 (B&H | Amazon)
The torch is definitely the brightest of the bunch. In fact, it may be too bright if you are using it from a very close distance, even on its lowest setting. On the other hand, it will give you some nice light even on brighter locations. Just don’t look directly into the light.
The Torch has three levels of lighting, but I really never had to go beyond the lowest setting. As far as mounting goes, it has a small tripod hole on the bottom so you can put it on a small Gorillapod or something, or just use a phone clamp thingy with a small screw. The back is also magnetic, so if you can find something with the right height, you’re golden!
Alpha Home (Amazon | and a slightly different Amazon)
Ok, this is not a photography light “Per se”. But I saw this on Caleb Pike’s channel and ended up getting one because they’re so cheap. The light quality isn’t as high as the other two “video” lights, but for zoom calls, it may be enough. You can simply put this light on your desk and have it provide some side-lighting. It lights up with a touch of a button, then you control the intensity with a long press and move between daylight, tungsten, and somewhere in between with another short press. the biggest caveat of this light is that it charges via a weird DC jack rather than a USB port.
What lights are you using for your zoom calls?
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