A rather gray day (also, Dustin gets parentheses-happy)
I really like off-camera flash. On a gray day, such as the one on which I shot this photo, it helps bring color and contrast to the scene, while not looking flat, as on-camera flash often does. It also helps keep bright skies (relative to the foreground, at least) from being blown out. This photo, shot with a 16mm-equivalent lens, really works (in my mind, at least) to draw the viewer into the soybeans as Jon checks some test plots.
I really don't like being rushed. Off-camera flash is great when you have time to set up a light stand (with or without modifier), get the subject positioned and shoot a few frames. On the farm, that is rarely the case, especially when I need to get 12 different-looking images to use. As we got to the field, sprinkles of rain started tingling on my skin. Not a good sign when you have $2500 of camera gear divided up between two hands. So out in the field we dashed, camera with control Speedlite in the right hand, slave Speedlite in the left, snapping a few photos before we had to dive back into the pickup.
Luckily, I like how this one turned out. Could it have been better? You bet - with more time, without impending rain, with a couple more light stands and perhaps some modifiers. But for what it is, I'll take it.
