Lights, camera, action!
A number of times now I’ve given a remote presentation in the evening and I’ve struggled with lighting. The room I use just has ceiling lights and my desk faces a window. A pleasant view in the day but very dark at night. I ended up borrowing my daughter’s desk lamp to help make me look a bit brighter. That’s not a long term solution (especially if my daughter wants to use her desk light too!)
I’ve noticed some people getting [Elgato Key Lights](https://www.amazon.com.au/Corsair-AU-Elgato-Light-10GAK9901/dp/B07L755X9G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ref_=ast_sto_dp&linkCode=ll1&tag={{ site.amazonau-referer }}&linkId=177826e69ded070551928784f3f3156f&language=en_AU), and they certainly look pretty swish, not to mention how they’re remotely controllable, but at $AU270 per light (or $AU199 for the ‘Air’), they’re not that cheap. Elgato make some nice gear, but unless I was using it all the time I don’t think my budget could justify it.
More recently I saw the ‘Neewer’ brand getting mentioned on Twitter and at $AU55 for two lights, I was interested!
I ordered a Neewer 2 Packs Portable Photography Lighting Kit Dimmable 5600K USB 66 LED Video Light with Mini Adjustable Tripod Stand and Color Filters for Table Top/Low Angle Photo Video Studio Shooting [amazon.com.au](https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07YFY7H7J/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag={{ site.amazonau-referer }}&linkId=65ba5394f2f047948c86154933594145&language=en_AU) [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YFY7H7J/ref=as_li_ss_tl?smid=A10AWEQN3FQFMO&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag={{ site.amazon-referer }}&linkId=5cd96e14528f1e5dc32c8706ca39c193&language=en_US).
You get two lights which are USB powered, with a controller on each power lead to turn on/off and dim up/down. They come with a small stand that uses standard 1/4” screw connectors.
The comments on this product point out that the stand is not that tall, but I realised that I should be able to mount the stands on my existing monitor arms. All I’d need was something to attach to the arms. A couple of SMALLRIG Super Clamp Mount with Ball Head Mount Hot Shoe Adapter and Cool Clamp [amazon.com.au](https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00CSMCPKQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag={{ site.amazonau-referer }}&linkId=af97d5b0496b3c09a52b101c614b2a65&language=en_AU) [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSMCPKQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?smid=A22PRX6WI8E2K6&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag={{ site.amazon-referer }}&linkId=073b77c0930fa363444075d433f69faf&language=en_US) should do the job!
I was pleasantly surprised that it only took a few days for the packages to arrive. I presume they must have stock in Australia instead of having to ship from overseas.
I assembled the lights and removed the tripod foot so I could instead use the clamps. Here’s the clamp attached to the monitor arm:
And here’s one of the assembled lights:
Now I’m all set for my next evening presentation!
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