Flash Tips?

I just got my speedlight today. Any good tips on how to make the pictures look awesome?

We're not learning anything about in school.

I bought a diffuser for it too.

I'm going to put it up until Christmas, but I wanted to maybe learn a little bit before I put it away.

Turn it up and an angle and bounce it off a wall or window. Try not to point it straight on at your subject unless you are doing it to fill flash or far away.

Umm, practice? LOL!

The diffuser will help if you must shoot straight on (e.g., outdoors), but do bounce it if at all possible. You can bounce it off a wall, ceiling. Just keep in mind that you can get color casts that way if you bounce off colored walls.

If you are using it as fill-flash, you should learn how to turn down the flash to -1/3 or -2/3 so that it doesn't fire at full-power. It will give a much more natural, less "flashy" result.

Yes...bounce..unless you're somewhere that has a pink ceiling lol...I was taking photos at my sisters and could not understand why my photos all had a pink cast..until I looked up lol