Posts Tagged ‘meeting’

Quarantine 2 – Video Conferencing

Quarantine 2 - Video - conference call screen shot from my setup ©TimeLine Media
Screen capture from a Zoom conference call

Home Office Setup

Since we are weeks into this quarantine – video conferences have replaced in person meetings. To be sure this is not my favorite way to network and meet business contacts. However, the current state of our world has forced this style of communication for everyone.

While the advances in technology have made the webcam an adequate conduit for this communication, I am a photographer. Thus, I want to have the best picture quality! Of course I would look better myself, but it would also help my business profile. If my little box looked the best out of all of the boxes in the meeting, it would stick with some people that I know how to make a good looking image online. Moreover, it would show how much I care about how I project myself online, and how professional I can make my clients look. To this end, I looked at how I could use my professional cameras to stream online. My lenses and lighting could then be used to elevate the look from my studio.

Quarantine 2 - Video - overview of lighting setup with laptop, camera, and lighting ©TimeLine Media
Video conference lighting setup

Quarantine 2 – Video Setup

As an overview, my laptop is positioned next to my camera on a tripod. The lens is set to a 50mm focal length. If you are using a smart phone for your calls, I would select a portrait style mode to zoom in closer to your face. Seeing that this is the most important thing to see in the video, fill your frame up with your face! The microphone captures a nice clean audio from me sitting about a foot and a half away from the camera. The background of my shot is 10 feet away from where I am sitting. With the difference in distance, the background is blurred out nicely. As long as there is some difference between you and the background, you can have this same effect.

Camera tethered for video streaming with shotgun microphone
Camera tethered for video streaming with shotgun microphone

Once you have the camera set, the HDMI cable comes out of the camera and into a video capture card. For this setup, I used the Magewell USB Capture HDMI Gen 2. From here the audio and video is transferred by USB to my laptop. From here, you can choose your USB connection as your webcam in Zoom, Skype, Facebook Messenger, whatever program you would like to use. Both your audio and video will be sent through.

HDMI to USB capture card
HDMI to USB capture card

Lighting Setup

Similar to the separation of your face from the background, the lighting setup follows. I have a very cheap shop lamp with an LED bulb to my right. It is shining into an umbrella that softens the shadows but still gives dimension. With the bright light only about a foot from my face, the exposure is set for my face with the background becoming dark. This makes for a nice dark background. As a matter of fact, this is a good way to hide a messy work room 🙂

Shop Light firing into an umbrella
Shop Light firing into an umbrella

Again this may be overkill for most video conferences. However, I want to be remembered as a photographer. With this setup, it makes it easier to make an impression as someone that produces professional images! Please let me know if you have any suggestions, or questions. I am very knew to this, but am pleased with the results so far!

Quarantine 2 - Video post results ©TimeLine Media
Quarantine 2 – Video post results ©TimeLine Media

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703-864-8208

The Power of Place

Speakers from the Power of Place event at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Speakers from the Power of Place event at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media

Tysons Tower Club

Last month, I photographed Fairfax County: The Power of Place – an event produced by the Fairfax Couty Economic Development Authority. On this occasion, the venue was the beautiful Tower Club in Tysons. When you need to impress visitors to the area, this is the best location to put your best foot forward. To that end, the County was hosting visitors from an international convention in downtown DC. Meanwhile, speakers included representatives from businesses that have prospered in the area. Indeed, the setup of the conference room was perfect for photos. Though there was a strong light coming through the windows, they situated the speakers facing the light making good exposures easy to manage!

Tysons Tower Club for a presentation event by the FCEDA ©TimeLine Media
Tysons Tower Club for a presentation event by the FCEDA ©TimeLine Media
Jan Mul, FCEDA speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Jan Mul, FCEDA speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Carolyn Eichler, Capgemini Government Solutions speaking at the Tower Club in Tysons, VA ©TimeLine Media
Carolyn Eichler, Capgemini Government Solutions speaking at the Tower Club in Tysons, VA ©TimeLine Media
Steve Tozier, Ernst & Young speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Steve Tozier, Ernst & Young speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Benjamin Lin, Favor TechConsulting speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Benjamin Lin, Favor TechConsulting speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Juhi Naithani, FCEDA speaking at The Power of Place event at Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Juhi Naithani, FCEDA speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Networking at the FCEDA The Power of Place event at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Networking at the FCEDA event at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
FCEDA team after the Power of Place event in Tysons ©TimeLine Media
FCEDA team after the Power of Place event in Tysons ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Arconic Fairfax HQ

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam speaking at the Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam speaking at the Tower Club ©TimeLine Media

Tysons Tower Club

Ealier this year, I covered the Arconic Fairfax HQ announcement at the Tower Club in Tysons. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority planned for some good photos due to the guest list. Regardless of political views, it is a privilege to photograph a sitting governor. On this occasion, he was announcing the agreement with manufacturing company Arconic. Shortly they will relocate their headquarters to Fairfax County. Since this is was a deal that involved many high level government entities, this event was a milestone attended by many VIPs. Dr. Jerry Gordon from the FCEDA, Supervisors, State Delegates, and lastly the Governor of the Commonwealth came to speak.

Jerry Gordon introducing the VIPs at a panel in the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media Arconic Fairfax HQ
Jerry Gordon introducing the VIPs at a panel in the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Virginia Governor welcoming Arconic to Fairfax County ©TimeLine Media Arconic Fairfax HQ
Virginia Governor welcoming Arconic to Fairfax County ©TimeLine Media
Arconic announces their Fairfax HQ coming soon to Tysons ©TimeLine Media
Arconic announces their Fairfax HQ coming soon to Tysons ©TimeLine Media
Fairfax Supervisor Chairman Sharon Bulova speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Fairfax Supervisor Chairman Sharon Bulova speaking at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Governor Ralph Northam and Dr. Jerry Gordon of the FCEDA at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Governor Ralph Northam and Dr. Jerry Gordon of the FCEDA at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Arconic executives greeting guests at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Arconic executives greeting guests at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Networking with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media
Networking with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam at the Tysons Tower Club ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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