For a few months, I'd been borrowing a buddy's speedlight flash(es) and diffuser. I remember the first time I borrowed it -- I had no idea what I was doing and everything came out over-exposed, and it was intimidating to learn when I was so used to shooting with only natural light (don't worry, I still live by my reflector!). With time, I learned how to add a little light for some extra pop while still keeping the photo looking natural. So eventually, I purchased my own set!
Here's a little example of the same positioning of the model and camera with and without flash. Both photos came out nicely -- Hafiza looks beautiful either way. But I think adding some light draws the eye more to the subject.
Left: Off-camera speedlight flash. Right: All natural light.
Each of these shots below used my new wireless HVL-F60M speedlight triggered by an on-camera HVL-F20M flash. My friend, Jason assisted in holding the speedlight to either camera left or right, except for the shot where the flash is behind Hafiza in a tree. I should note that I find the line-of-sight to differ between the two HVL-F60M speedlights I've used. I'm going to keep experimenting.
If you're interested in seeing more of Hafiza's work in front of the camera, follow her on Instagram here: @hjnoorie. I'll leave you with a (natural light, higher shutter speed) shot of this jumping beauty.
