What do you think you need to make a sharp, clear video? Good camera, right? Well, not necessarily. Think of it this way: the eye of a camera works similarly to the human eye, which means the better the lighting, the clearer we can see. It doesn't matter if you use your smartphone camera, laptop or DSLR — if you don't have good light, the image will be blurry. Lighting setup matters!

Here are 5 steps to a professional-looking video lighting setup:
Face the source of light — consider your main light source. If it is a window, turn to face it, if you use lamps, also do not put them behind you. If you do this, the camera will only capture your silhouette.
Use the right amount of light — too little light will make the image blurry and dark, and too much light can overexpose your face and again create a blurry image. If the light from the window is too bright, take a step back and see if this helped. When arranging the lamps, try to dim the light (as a rule, large lamps have a material that can diffuse the light). In turn, to avoid lighting that is too low, use several light sources. You don’t want the surroundings to be too dark.

Use natural light — whenever you can. For online meetings, set up in a room with windows. Thanks to the natural light, the colours will be fuller and truer.
Prepare lamps that give diffused light — you can use a lampshade or cloth to make the light softer. If you’ve already done this, but the light is still too bright, move it closer to you. I know, it might be counterintuitive, but it works!
Set up three-point lighting — this is the best way to get professional-looking videos. This three-point lamp setup consists of a key light, fill light and backlight. How does it work? We place the key light on the right (or left) side of the face; place the fill light in front of the key light so that it softens the shadows; place the backlight behind to separate us from the background. It is one of the oldest lighting techniques and will make your video professional.

Some of these points can be too challenging for simple Zoom conversations, but it’s important to remember the main rule: facing the light source. You can try the rest of the tips for larger video conferences.