[emeritus]

Agreed with the comment on indirect lighting. When I was using traditional film I often used to use my flashgun with an extension lead , and put the flashgun, with its reflector retracted, up high pointing at the ceiling, hanging it from the chandelier if the room had one. It meant I never had to adjust the exposure regardless of how close to the subject I got. It also gave a very pleasing quality of lighting, without the harshness you get with direct flash. Articles on portrait photography generally recommend using harsh direct lighting for male subjects, and soft indirect lighting for female subjects.