I did a portrait shoot today for a not for profit. I knew I had the whole board room to shoot the job, but the thing I did not know is the board room table, and an impressive thing it was, took up 80% of the room.

I had some depth, but no width. I literally had the choice of whether to use my 1.5 or 2.1 wide Manfrotto backdrop taken from me. I had 1.5m….just. My original intention was to use a main light 45/45* on the left and a second one low and behind on the right side as a dual fill-rim light.

No hope, so what to do**?

The end of the room I was able to use had full length windows with thin Venetian blinds and the direct sunlight was on the other end, so I pressed these into use. I started the morning with the blinds closed, but on opening them, I got a little fill, just a little.

Using the shutter speed to control the ambient light (that is what happens with flash work), it works as the master control of natural light fill. It also controls the background darkness, well the bit the flash does not blitz. Normally I would be happy with no ambient, but in this case I went with just a hint.

About 1/160th gave me a hint of natural light from the darker right side.

Aperture at f4 and ISO 400 gave me a very usable 1/64 power through a shoot through brolly. I really need to explore my huge arsenal of mods, but for now the brollies just work.

So, a one light, ambient fill image. They look a little flat, but are consistent and useable.

Other stuff; G9 with 12-60 Leica, YN560 flash through a 42” Godox brolly and the Manfrotto Pewter background.

*45 degrees to the left, 45 decrees above for safe if not dramatic angled light.

**In hind sight I could have used a small, flagged LED panel, which I had packed.