zoom lighting

Beyond the Ring Light

Back in the early days of 2020, when we all began setting up our work-from-home arrangements, it quickly became apparent that we all needed to learn a thing or two about studio lighting. All of us were after the same thing: natural light that showed us at our best. Like all of you, I spent hours sitting in front of my camera experimenting with various lighting options. I tried every imaginable combination of natural light, overhead lighting, task lighting, and reflective white surfaces.

Since both Peter and I have some training in photography, we are familiar with basic lighting principles. With this basic knowledge, we were able to find lighting solutions that worked.

Interestingly, the biggest problem I faced was aesthetics. Getting lighting that worked on camera was achievable. But it required lamps and cords that cluttered my work space. And the clutter was disruptive. Instead of being a peaceful and streamlined space that supported me, my office was filled with clutter that distracted me and reduced my productivity.

For a while, ring lights seemed like a good solution to the clutter problem. I looked at every version imaginable: ring lights integrated into cameras that sat neatly on top of my computer screen, ring lights with adapters to hold my phone, table models and floor models.

I soon learned, however, that ring lights and eyeglasses are not friends with each other. Ring lights reflect in the lenses of eyeglasses. The reflection shows up as a green circle around the pupil of each eye. It is distracting, to be sure. It is even a little bit unsettling.

Following this discovery, I returned to overhead and table lighting to supplement the natural light that comes into my office. I was making do. Weren’t we all?

And then: a novel solution came from an unexpected source.

During the summer of 2021 I stayed in a hotel. We arrived late in the evening, so I quickly washed up and headed right to bed. In the morning, while preparing for the day, I turned on the vanity light. The lighting was integrated into the mirror. The light radiated out from the mirror and bathed my face in natural, even, beautiful light.

And I immediately saw the solution to my Zoom lighting problem!

I could just hang a vanity mirror on the wall behind my computer screen, and I would be bathed in even, natural light while on Zoom calls!

However, as I was researching lighted mirrors, I realized that the mirror element would be problematic. The mirror itself would reflect light from various other sources and create a lighting imbalance. And the mirror would also reflect all sorts of things behind me, which would be visually distracting.

Panel lights (LED) were the next logical step beyond lighted mirrors. So I started researching panel lights. Each round of research brought positive results.

Quality of light?
No problem! Most panel lights come with bulbs that can be adjusted from warm to cool tones.

Evenness of light?
No problem! Panel lights are available in many sizes. I could easily find one that is slightly larger than my computer screen, emitting an even wash of light from all sides.

Lost desk space?
Absolutely not! Panel lights don’t sit on a desk, they hang on the wall.

Clutter?
None! Panel lights hang right on the wall, like a framed picture! They can be hard wired, or a single cord can extend from the bottom of the frame and be plugged in behind the desk.

Look at the impact! The camera view shows clean, even lighting. No shadows. No reflections in my glasses

And this is what my desk looks like: a clean, uncluttered surface bathed in light.

Panel lighting has been an absolute game-changer for me!

Panel lights are widely available. I did quite a bit of research online and looked at several models in person before making a choice.

Since Peter and I have side-by-side desks, we purchased two panel lights in order to provide even lighting for each user and symmetry for the office decor. Our computer screens are quite large, and in order to achieve even lighting on all sides of our computer screens, we chose panel lights that are 24'“ x 48.”

Variable lighting is an important feature for us, so we chose panels that allow the light to be adjusted in two ways. We can choose from four color settings, ranging from 3000k to 5000k. And we can choose from four brightness settings, ranging from 25% to 100%. We most often use the highest settings: 5000k at 100%. Adjusting the settings is simple: just click through the options on the remote that comes with the lights.

The lights we chose are made to fit in a drop ceiling; however, they offer a frame that allows the lights to be adapted for wall mounting. We purchased the following four items:

LED panel lights (set of 2, comes with a remote)
Wall-mount frames (set of 2)
power cord (2)
cord protectors (set of 5 pcs, 1/2 NPT; you only need 1 per light, but they come in a 5-pack)

The installation was a little bit tricky, but certainly within Peter’s skill set. Since we chose the plug-in option rather than the hard-wire option, we did not need an electrician.

I’ve linked all of the parts below so you can easily set up the same zoom lighting.
Here’s to solutions that work great and look great!

Kind regards,