Celebrity Photographer Avinash Gowariker’s 8 Tips On Looking Your Best On Zoom Meetings

At a time where we've all defaulted to video conferencing apps for most work meetings, celebrity photographer Avinash Gowariker spoke to Sneha Menon Desai about the dos, don'ts and essential hacks to making sure you look your absolute best on Zoom calls.

Ensure You're Looking And Smelling Good

Whenever you want to do a Zoom call, or a work call or any kind of video call, ensure that you look and smell as good as you would have wanted to if the person was in front of you. It leads to a very good body language rather than lying down in pyjamas and talking.

Ensure Your Camera Is At Eye Level

Everyone puts their camera below on the table. It's the most convenient thing to do but it is the worst angle. You show the fan and the ceiling which I am not interested in. Plus, you are not looking good because you are on a low angle.

Don't Be Too Close To The Screen

Wear wireless headphones and talk if you can. The reason is you have the freedom to be far away because everyone is talking too close to the camera. It looks weird and you look all cockeyed. So choose a sweet spot and keep the distance.

Ensure You Use Natural Light

Do not keep backlight behind you and talk. It will automatically make you look darker. Another mistake everyone makes is keeping the light on one side so you get lit on only that side. Try and keep it where you are completely lit.

Try To Find A Background That Isn't Distracting

Find a background which is not distracting otherwise people will keep looking at the painting on the wall, or whatever is in the background. Try to make everything in the frame look good.

Avoid Moving While On The Call

I hate when people move while they talk. They are looking around, moving and talking at the same time. If you stay still, you will feel fulfilled and not hectic. You feel relaxed, steady and peaceful.

Identify Your Most Flattering Profile

Whenever I shoot a person for the first time, I click pictures in all three profiles and then put them together and look at them. Either all of them will look good or one of them looks better or all look different but none of them are bad. It all depends on the angle, what you're wearing, what your hairstyle is or where your light is.

The Wider The Lense, The Slimmer You Look

All the selfie cameras and computer cameras make you look thin. It is all about the sweet spot. I have to choose the spot where I think my face is looking proportionate and correct.