Until We Have Jetsons Technology, Ring Lights Will Have To Do
We’re in the age of video chats. I don’t have a job where I have many meetings, and I’m still doing some sort of Zoom interaction most weeks. Maybe this is an easy transition for the types of people who like to chat on FaceTime (maybe this will be me someday, but now? Gross.), but for me it’s been a lot of figuring out HOW to have a meeting on my laptop, from home (this was phase one of my WFH setup). Where is the best lighting? It’s at my kitchen table, but my kitchen table isn’t nearly as comfortable as my couch, and sometimes when I’m sitting there Hero freaks out and barks and barks and barks and I end up being stressed and distracted. So my couch is better, but the lighting is not great for video, and I end up looking like I’m a person trying to do a talking head bit on a true crime show, but I don’t want my identity to be revealed. The solution, as every YouTuber and TikToker already knows, is a ring light.
I’m not trying to make a splash on the internet, so I don’t need a big ol’ ring light on a tripod or anything like that. So I got a little clip-on one that’s made for putting on your phone, but works just fine on a laptop. I specifically got this one, but there are a ton of different options available. It’s about the size of my palm and has three light settings, and charges with a USB micro b cable.
The only caveat to this light, and I believe with all ring lights, is that if you wear glasses you need to come up with some very strategic angles, or just accept that you will have a ring light reflection in your glasses. I typically just don’t wear my glasses, but if you are a full-time glasses wearer, you may need to put a little time into finding a non-reflective setup that works for you.
This clip-on light is small enough that you could carry it with you, if you want to take well-lit photos of your food, or are very particular about your Instagram feed, this would be $14 well spent. For me, it was the perfect price to be able to be seen on all these video meetings, while also being sprawled on my couch under multiple blankets.
