The Proper Light

I have been using one light for decades.  When I was  a kid I would spend hours trying multiple light set ups and not matter how carefully I lit the subject I'd ed up with multiple shadows all over the place. 

The someone showed me a one light + reflector technique and I haven't looked back,  I know people who can rig large numbers of lights, fill, hair, beauty, soft boxes and ring lights and pull it off, I never could.

Shot Mr. Amaryllis with one strobe, with a white foam core reflector. 

Having the preview screen on the camera is a big help - not for exposure so much - but seeing how the shadows fall and where I may be too dark or have blown highlights. In fact, I try to avoid looking at the screen. 

The idealized image - so prevalent in advertising and portrait photography makes me ill.  Over lighting, too much make up, skin without pores, perfect fruit and vegetables, scenic shots of Eden like perfection serve to distance and alienate the viewer.  Just my opinion...

Photography can be about the examined life.