Back to basics with Flash

I bought a speedlight (flash) a few weeks ago. I haven't owned one in years and even then I rarely used it. The only reason I had one was because I had started doing some small assignments for a local news blog, and sometimes would find myself at low-lit events and needing to get better portraits of people. 

In all these years, I never really took the time to learn how to properly use the flash. If used, it was as a fill flash, usually in Auto or TTL mode. On occasion, I would dial the intensity of the flash up and down (depending on what was needed), but only after I had accidentally figured out how. 

With the new speedlight, I purchased a wireless trigger along with an umbrella and light stand. Using the flash off-camera (with the wireless trigger) is a new challenge. It's also a lot of fun. I have been spending time rereading old photography books, reading new photography books, and watching videos to learn different techniques and styles. 

Back to basics. Well, at least attempting to teach myself some new skills. I don't have any specific intention for this other than to just "know" something else. Portrait, product, and studio photography work (still) don't interest me all that much but you never know.