21 travel-inspired virtual meeting backgrounds and videoconference lighting 101
While there are tons of virtual backgrounds out there to choose from, from universities to West Elm (no surprise, I’m partial to those), since travel isn’t possible right now one of my favorite options has been travel photos from my own personal collection.
All of the photos in this post, I’ve collected on my travels over the past several years, and I welcome you to download them (just right-click on them and “save image”) to use for your own videoconferencing adventures! I’ve included a little context and story for each one — I hope you enjoy them!
How to look good (or, at least better) in your videoconferences
So, now that you have access to some pretty backgrounds, how do you make sure you yourself look good in front of them? As it turns out, all of you regular people out there aren’t as attuned to lighting setups and principles of photography as I am, so just like I do in engagement sessions, l’m sharing here today some tips to setup and posing to help you look your best on screen!
There are two things you can adjust wherever you are that have a big impact on how you look on videoconference: where you are in relation to your light source(s), and (phone or computer) camera angle. I was going to pull together a whole little tutorial, but my friend Colin, who also works in communications, shared an adorable hand-sketched this one on Twitter the other day:
When it comes to light sources, whatever your light source is — a window, a doorway, a table lamp, etc. — turn toward it and face it. Either face it directly, or have it at at about a 45 degree angle to you. Sitting with your back to windows, lamps, etc (or having them directly on either side of you) causes harsh shadows, and/or blows out your background (makes it super-bright). Those of you who are my clients, remember how I always try to shoot in the shade for our sessions, or at least avoid super-bright sunlight? This is the same principle, applied to videoconferencing. What we are trying to do here is avoid super-dark darks or super-bright brights, which are hard on the human eye.
When it come to camera angle, unless you’re a professional (like me!), keep it simple — set yourself up so that the camera (whatever device you’re using) is as close to eye-level (or slightly higher — and by slightly I mean 1-3 inches). Be creative! Pile up a stack of books for your iPad. Set your iPhone on a shelf! Put something under your laptop stand! I’ve seen all sorts of silly setups rigged, but they really do help. :) Here’s my current one, to give you an idea. Yes, I have a laptop stand, but it’s stacked on an XBox and several magazines!
Behind-the-scenes on my setup: my desk is in the corner of two big windows (light sources), and camera is more or less at eye-level.
How it looks in Zoom, with my Miami virtual background.
Of course, camera angle and light sources aren’t the only things you can control. Make sure you’re not wearing pajama tops, and maybe brush your hair or whatever. I’m using global pandemic as an excuse to let my skin breathe and skip makeup (let’s be real, I often don’t wear it to the office, either), but for makeup wearers, that obviously helps too. Just like for photos, make sure you blend your makeup well.
Zoom virtual backgrounds near and far: Across the U.S.
As I was going through my back catalog, some of my favorite photos are from cities across the United States. Whether you’re feeling tropical, midwestern, or want to live that vintner’s life in California, here are some lovely backgrounds from across the U.S.
A few years ago, I went to Miami Beach and laid poolside with my friend Becky for 4 days. It was delightful — we stayed in Midbeach and I loved this view just outside our hotel!
Paper lanterns strung in a courtyard of shops in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, spring 2014 — my first trip to Los Angeles. LA is one of my favorite cities to visit.
Love transit? Me too. Here’s a deserted platform for the MBTA (Boston T) in December 2018.
The beach of the Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel in Miami Beach, nearing sunset.
Looking south toward China Beach, from the Battery in San Francisco. This is the view behind you if you’re looking at the Golden Gate Bridge.
The “L,” downtown Chicago, circa 2014.
Wine country - Just outside Pelatuma, California.
Virtual meeting backgrounds from around the Washington, D.C. region
We have so much beauty closer to home in the Washington, D.C. area as well. Here are some favorites in and around D.C.
Eastern Shore, Maryland
Docks from a private inlet of the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland (you can see the main road into downtown Annapolis in the background!)
Georgetown University with the Key Bridge in the foreground, as seen from a kayak on the Potomac.
One of my very favorite wedding portrait spots — the lower Senate Gardens on the U.S. Capitol Grounds. This spot is right outside Union Station, and was closed off for renovations for a couple of years. Luckily, I snapped this test shot — it’s just crying out for someone in the middle! — at a bridal shoot just before the renovations started.
PHOTO
One of my very favorite wedding portrait spots — the lower Senate Gardens on the U.S. Capitol Grounds. This spot is right outside Union Station, and has been closed off for renovations for a couple of years now. Luckily, I snapped this test shot — it’s just crying out for someone in the middle! — at a bridal shoot just before the renovations started.
Is Georgetown more your speed? Here’s a C&O Canal shot for you.
Rowhouses in Petworth, summer 2019.
Want to project a scholarly vibe? Join your next videoconference from the Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress (only open to the public two days a year, but always available on Zoom!)
Those cherry blossoms Washington is famous for — this photo was featured in the Washington Post in 2019!
Log in from around the globe
I’ve been lucky enough to do a fair amount of traveling internationally these last six years. Here are some backgrounds for your inner travel bug… or just to daydream about from home for now.
Log in from aboard a boat in the old harbor of Copenhagen, Denmark.
A summer night in downtown Amsterdam , c. 2014.
Biiiiiiiiiiiig sky on a summer day in Iceland, 2017.
Log in from a roadside rest stop in northern India.
Make your coworkers or Zoom friends jealous with this background, taken from aboard an aerial tram in the harbor of Barcelona, Spain.
Or if you’re feeling more contemplative, afternoon sun in the stained glass windows of one of Barcelona’s oldest churches.
