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.
But, also be prepared to be spontaneous. No matter how well prepared you think you are, you might have a slow night. If so, be ready to switch things up. Try starting your show in the middle of a sexy dance. Try starting your show in an exotic or unique location in your house or room. Have a few outfits ready to go if one doesn’t seem to be satisfying your customers as much as you thought it would. Be a part of the flow of the room. If you have a tip-friendly customer who has a major foot fetish, don’t be shy to give him or her a taste of how exquisite your feet feel when you two are alone. 
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 
The cam industry revolves around sex appeal. For better or worse. It’s important to realize and come to terms with the idea or concept of sex appeal. Doing so can ratchet up your cam shows and help you earn way more than you ever dreamt you’d earn. Let’s begin by first developing an understanding of sex appeal. Webster’s defines sex appeal as “stimulating attractiveness.” That’s an interesting definition in that points to your ability to stimulate an attractive sensation in the viewer. And the more that you can stimulate such a feeling, the more that viewer is going to want to spend time with you on cam.
Moreover, sex appeal is a fantasy. Who you are in the mind of the viewer is all that matters. Of course, in your day-to-day life off cam, you probably go to the grocery store, stand in line at the post office, and order your coffee just like everyone else. But when you are online, you are an enigma. You are a larger than life image who is also intimately personal. I remember the first time I saw a celebrity I admired in real life, I was absolutely stricken with excitement. My hands went clammy. My breath tightened in my chest. It was exhilarating. The fantasy of who that person was struck me to the core. In the same way, your image (your fantasy) bores into the viewer and makes their heart thump in their chest. Any way that you can build that fantasy and lure in more customers, the better off you’ll be. Learn to grow your online presence as the fantasy that your customers intimately desire.
Your sex appeal is you being an attractive person. By “attractive” I don’t mean that you necessarily have to be objectively beautiful (as if there is such a thing). What I do mean is that you should work on what makes you attractive and develop that gift. It might not even be your physical attributes that make you attractive. It might be your ability to charm and seduce your customers. Or, it might be your ability to make your audience laugh. On the other hand, it might be your ability to radiate the kind of energy that moves your audience to keep coming back to you. Learn about what guides your sex appeal and intensify that energy. It will rocket you to not only be a better model, but a better person.
We all like to laugh. Learning how to make customers burst out laughing in the chat room is an invaluable resource. It’s also a resource that could increase both your earning potential as well as the enjoyment you feel after you put in those long “tip filled” hours in front of the computer. So often do we become focused purely on earning, and forget the joy of actual human interaction and what lies behind being an ultra-successful cam model, i.e. caring for your customers and having a good time with them. It’s time for that to change. Chances are that the better time you’re having with your customers, the more you will earn. Make your goals, enjoy the moment, and the tips and the money will come. But enjoying the process has a supreme value in and of itself.
