107 - Camera Angles That Help You Connect (Not Turn Your Audience Off)

Social media is a very personal space. You're on camera talking to one person, watching your video at a time. That's why camera presence is so important. 

And that doesn't only mean you being comfortable on camera, it's using camera angles that make your audience feel comfortable too. 

In this solo episode, I share a strategy to help you become more confident on camera and how to frame the camera to build connection with your audience. 

Takeaways

🔹Building confidence on camera is essential for effective communication.
🔹The 14-day video challenge helps reduce camera anxiety.
🔹Practicing without the pressure of public scrutiny is key.
🔹Framing and camera angles influence viewer perception.
🔹Natural light is preferable to artificial lighting for video.
🔹Sound quality is more important than video clarity.
🔹Understanding viewer comfort zones enhances connection.
🔹Being about an arm's length away from the camera is ideal.
🔹Authenticity builds trust more than striving for perfection.
🔹Consistency in showing up on camera fosters a genuine connection.

🔷If you're listening to this podcast, video feels way harder than it should. That's why I created the VIDEO ACCELERATOR a Live 90-minute Masterclass.

Join me on Tuesday, March 17th @ 1 pm ET.

In this live session, I'll show you how to start creating video without

→ Overthinking
→ Overplanning
→ Or Being On Camera

🔗 To register CLICK HERE
Or visit BlackDogMarketingStrategies.com/VAL

Join me in The Lab on Substack, my space to test, tweak, and share smart ideas worth chasing, especially around video, content strategy, and showing up online without burning out (or wasting your weekends) Click Here

📌 When you’re ready to make creating engaging social media videos a priority, I offer 1:1 coaching and done-with-you video services. 😉 Click Here

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➡️ Need more? Check out the 300+ videos on my YouTube channel Click here for my YouTube channel

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For additional insights, connect with Annette Richmond and Black Dog Marketing Strat...

Transcript

[00:00:00.00] 

Hi, I'm Annette Richmond. Thanks for joining me today. This episode is all about building confidence on camera and making simple changes to the way you show up so that your audience will see you as natural, clear, and trustworthy. Now, the reason that I'm sharing this is because I recently gave a keynote at a four-hour marketing marathon for the self-employed. At the end of the day, when attendees were asked what stuck with them the most, you know what they said? My Bocca strategy. That's banish on camera anxiety, a simple 14-day video challenge that I created and used with my clients. Today, I'm going to walk you through that strategy, and then I'm going to share some camera angles and framing tips that come straight from my background in psychology and media studies. This stuff can make the difference between a video that feels awkward and one that instantly connects with your audience. Let's dive in. Here's how it works. For 14 days, you record one short video every day, just one to two minutes. Share one idea, one tip, one insight that you normally give to a client. Keep it simple. But here's the twist. You don't publish them.

[00:01:15.22] 

You don't even look at them, not a single one. You just record daily, but you don't post them anywhere. The goal is to practice without the pressure of being perfect or feeling like you're going to be judged. On day 15, you Go back and watch your videos from the oldest to the newest and see what happens. You will see how much more confident, natural, and engaging you look after just two weeks because video becomes just something you do rather than a chore that you dread. I think that is why people at the event connected with it so strongly. They didn't need another content calendar or confidence hack. They needed a doable way to practice to build that muscle memory of just showing up. Because as I said, then video just becomes something that you do, not a chore that you dread. Now, let's talk about how you look on video. This is where my media studies background overlaps with my graduate work in psychology because the way you frame yourself on camera taps into how people subconsciously read comfort, trust, and connection. The first step is to keep your camera at eye level, not too low and not too high, because eye level creates a natural, trustworthy connection.

[00:02:35.13] 

People feel that you are looking right at them. Step two is to think about framing. Leave about one side hand width of space above your head and frame yourself from the top to about mid chest. That gives room for natural hand gestures. Head and shoulders works too, but avoid that space only shot because too close feels cramped, almost invasive, especially on social media where people are scrolling quickly. The next thing to do is to have camera angles with intention. Eye level or slightly above is best because it feels friendly and approachable. Looking up at the camera makes you look smaller and less confident. If you're looking down at the camera, that signals dominance, and it can actually make viewers feel uncomfortable. On social media, connection is so important, so stick to that eye level or slightly above. The next thing to think about is light, and natural light beats equipment every time. If you can, face a window with natural light coming in and avoid just overhead lighting because it can create a shadowy look that nobody likes. Now, if you want to invest in gear, I recommend starting with a wireless lavalier because better sound makes a bigger impact than fancier cameras.

[00:03:56.00] 

Because people will be okay with an image that's not as clear as you might like. But when the sound is off, it makes it really challenging for people to watch your video. The next step is to respect viewer comfort zones. That's where the psychology comes in. People have subconscious space rules, and it is cultural, but I'm here in the US, so I'll be talking about it from that frame. Now, intimate space is about 0-18 inches. Too close for video because it feels invasive. Personal space is about 18 inches to 4 feet around friendly conversations. Now, social space is 4 to 10 feet away. Now, that's too far because you look distant and disconnected. When recording social video, you want to be about arm's length away from the camera, close enough to connect, but not so close that you're crowding your audience. If you've been hesitating on video, try my Bocca strategy. 14 days, one video a day, no looking, no publishing, just practice. You will be amazed at how much your confidence will grow. When you record, remember these simple framing and space tips. They'll help your audience see you as approachable, confident, and clear.

[00:05:18.15] 

That's how you build trust, not by being perfect, but by showing up consistently in a way that feels human and real. Thanks again for joining me today. If you found this episode helpful, share it with a friend. I bet they'll thank you.