When a customer enters your room, YOU are the first person they see. And, they see you as framed by your webcam, set against whatever background you’ve chosen, BUT they also see you (literally) by how you’ve lit your room. Ask any top cam model and they will tell you that great lighting is a necessity if you want to attract more customers to spend time in your room. Imagine if you, as a customer, entered a model’s room and that model was poorly lit — the shadows, the darkness, the blur. How would you feel? Would you want to tip that model? Would you want to take that model to private? How does the quality of a model’s lighting effect his or her live show? In this short article, we’ll dive into the basic, but incredibly effective 3-light setup, and hopefully, get you lit up better than you’ve ever been lit up before.
BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE PREVIEW!
Before you go live, really look at what you’re broadcasting. In all honesty, do you think you’re properly lit? Are your best features being accentuated? Are your lights too bright? Too dim? Sometimes, just by simply previewing yourself before you broadcast can solve the problem of poor lighting. It might be that you need one more lamp or to turn on an overhead light and your problem will be solved. Or, it could be that your light is way, way too bright against your skin. Turn it away from you. Tweak your light sources so you look just right.
THREE POINT LIGHTING, GET TO KNOW IT!
Becoming a lighting expert is easier than you might think, but it does require a bit of thought. That said, it’s worth it. Let’s dive in.
Key Light: This light is the key that unlocks your beauty to shine. It’s your strongest light. Position it behind the camera. It faces toward you and it’s best to keep it at a 45 degree angle from you. That is, if you’re sitting facing your camera, you can place your key light in front of you and to the right. Experiment with how far it should be from you, because every light is different. Remember, key light equals BRIGHT.
Fill Light: This light “fills in” the shadows created by the key light. Position it behind your computer and to the left. That is, if you’re sitting facing the camera, you can place your fill light in front of you and to the right. Just like the key light, experiment with how far it should be from you. Every light is different. Don’t make the fill light as bright as the key light. That’s important. If you do this, there’s a good chance it’ll distort how your skin looks on cam.
Back Light: This light is best when kept behind you and out of the frame. This means, that the light should not be visible in your webcam. An overhead light would work fine. Or, a lamp on a high table. The purpose of this light is to light what’s behind you. It makes you appear more 3-D. It makes you come to life. This light should also be the dimmest of the three lights.
Test out these lighting tips in your room. Take some time to make things look and feel right. It could mean the difference between a good night and a GREAT night.
Got it? Great!
LIGHT UP YOUR CAM
Experiment with your lighting setup and you’ll reap the rewards! Truly. Proper lighting can make or break a broadcast. The better you light up your space, the more customers are going to want to step into your room and engage you in conversation. And, the better you’ll appear. Customers will want to see you. Make them want you.
Once you find a great lighting setup that suits your broadcast space, play with it until you know it works well. Once you get to that point, you can work on experimenting with different locations around your broadcast space. Maybe you want to perform in the kitchen or in the shower. Maybe you want to do a show in the living room. Wherever you go, you’ll be able to properly get yourself lit and lit well. As broadcast possibilities expand so will your knowledge of how to light yourself.
Remember, your time on cam is a performance. You are the star and it’s important that you take the time to make your room into the best room on the site. Of course, your performance is key, but great lighting will always be “key” to making you light up like a sky full of shimmering stars.
So, onward, cam models! Keep doing what you’re doing and let’s all work to get better.
And if you have stepped away from camming, but now are coming back, have you tried promoting yourself on social media? Have you kept a consistent schedule once you came back? Get out there on your site of choice and shout yourself out to the world. Your regular customers are probably still out there, they just don’t know that you are back. Honestly, you have to let them know. And if they don’t come back to you, build yourself up to a new base of fans. Like I said, when you broadcast, you are literally opening yourself up to the entire world. It’s a mighty big world out there. Trust me. Perform your best and people will come (literally and figuratively).
Let’s dive right in. Even better, let’s get aphoristic: Be seductive by being the fantasy that your customers want (even if they don’t know they want it), and they’ll be yours. Keep them in your room by giving them a truly “fantastic” experience. While this sounds easy, it might not be as easy as you think. 
How you present yourself on cam is a big theme on Guide to Camming. As industry professionals and lifelong achievers, we truly believe that it makes a difference how you present yourself on cam, how you groom yourself, how you craft your behavior, and how you engage with your customers. Focus on those things which you have control over. It can make or break your cam adventure. And, heeded properly, can elevate your hours to the heights of financial freedom. It can also mean the difference between twiddling your thumbs or watching your bank account today, I’d like to offer you up one bit of wisdom that you can take with you as soon as you’re back online. It’s this: OWN YOUR DOMAIN. Or, said otherwise, YOUR ROOM, YOUR DOMAIN. Let’s break it down. 
You are in control of your room. Don’t let anyone try to tell you otherwise. You are the one who is on cam and you are the one who fans are coming to visit. They are on your channel, in your room. If they don’t like it, they can leave. Right? Right. Don’t be afraid to think otherwise. Sure, playing into their hands is recommended, but there’s no need for you to feel shy. Literally, it’s your chat room. The more you own your domain, the more your customers will want to hang out with you. You’ll start to see the same people coming to your room week after week. 
So, take a deep breath and say to yourself, “It’s okay to be who you are.” Feels liberating, doesn’t it? This kind of thing is helpful. Actually, we wholly encourage it. The more you opt-in to the idea of “Your Room, Your Domain,” the more free you will feel. Everyone who comes to your room has chosen you. Use that wisdom to 
