Hello and welcome to another segment of my Friday Favorites. Friday Favorites is a place where I share things that are saving my life right now and new tips that I want to share with all you amazing family, friends and clients. This week I am showing my home office tour + what’s saving my live in the Covid-19 work from home era.
Today as I write this, we are in the COVID-19 quarantine, more than 40% of people are working from home for the first time ever. I’ve been working from home for over sixteen years and so I thought it would be fun to share my office, take a little office tour and talk about some of the things I’ve added since the beginning of the COVID-19 social distancing.
The desk area is key to success when working from home. Since we are all now spending a lot more time on Zoom calls, it has required that I’ve had to make some upgrades and improvements to embrace the world of video. I love that our world has embraced video conferencing and I’m hoping to incorporate more Zoom calls (instead of phone calls) when this is all done. Clients are now comfortable working with people on video and I feel that video calls are way more personal than talking on the phone.
Laptop Stand
The first thing I added was this laptop stand. A laptop stand elevates your computer, allowing you to look straight at it versus having to look down. This eliminates the double chin that so many of us get when we’re looking down, and it also doesn’t require Zoom participants to look up your nose. That is a win win for everyone I’m guessing!
Ring Light
The second is this ring light. A ring light has been a game changer for me as well, because it allows me to have consistent, even lighting on my face, which is the most ideal when you’re on video. In addition, it allows me to do Zoom calls anytime of day and it doesn’t require that I have to be next to a window. If you spend a lot of time on video or need to be in front of a camera, I highly recommend investing in lighting as it will really upgrade your appearance and your brand on video calls.
Personal Branded Background
The third thing is my Shelly Niehaus Photography sign. As a brand photographer I know the importance of representing your personal brand and looking your best. It’s important to realize that your backdrop is a part of your brand. So for me, I wanted a clean backdrop that had colors that were consistent with my brand. My brand includes the color teal. Notice the teal boxes on the shelf behind me. In addition, there’s the Shelly Niehaus Photography sign. The sign is a simple reminder of who I am and what I’m all about. It’s important to have yourself branded when working with clients.
Studio Lighting
Since I can’t get out and shoot clients outside, I still want to be able to keep up with my photography skills and work on new concepts. I’m currently embracing product photographer and studio lighting.. We moved the desk that was in this area out of my office and into the dining room. Mam needed the kids to have a homeschool space of their own. I set up my in-home studio in this permanent location. I’m thinking we may keep this after we all go back to real life, as I love having a ready made studio space that I can easily do headshots, portraits or work on product photography without having to drag it all out and set it up every time.
The Peloton Bike
The fifth and final thing that I love, and this is not a new edition. I had to talk about it anyway because my Peloton is a complete lifesaver at this point. It’s not something you would see in a traditional office, but heck, we’re working from home, so that means we have to be creative about the spaces we use. The best place for this bike is in the corner of my office. #winning I love the Peloton because I can hop on it anytime of day, regardless of the weather and if the gyms are closed to get an amazing workout. Many of you may know, I was a spin instructor in a former life, so I’m very picky about the classes and music playlist. It is beyond awesome to have all of the amazing world-class instructors at the touch of my fingertips, as well as thousands of on demand classes that I can take at any time of day. As a business owner, you know your schedule can be very crazy and not the same every day. So it’s important to have flexibility!
How long have you been working from home? If you are new to this new corner office, I would love to know what the journey has involved. What things have you found helpful to keep your sanity in this “new normal”! Please feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me at [email protected]. Cheers to keeping up with life and learning to adapt!
SENIOR | FAMILY | TEENS| BRANDING
Hello! I am Shelly and I am a small business owner. I’m a brand photographer that helps small businesses tell the story of their brand through high quality imagery! Though this process you will learn to tell your story to connect with your clients! Branding sessions give you the tools to position yourself as the go-to professional and shine online!
