I have been, yet again, reading the forums and other blogs like crazy. Tons of research has been going on.
The outcome has been much better. One great forum thread said to stay back several feet and use your zoom so you aren't interrupting your light. I refused to try it for the longest thinking that:
A. I needed to be close to my subject for my flash to work right
B. My zoom goes into digital mode after so far and my photos would distort
Well guess what....I was mistaken..not wrong..but mistaken. The zoom is GREAT! The flash doesn't need to be on all the time. When it is on, you don't want to be close to your subject. If you are, the light is only in a small area. Let the flash do its job! In order to do that, you must back away so the light can bounce and hit all around, not just in a small area. Ok so enough babbling..here are a few pics for you to see. The before photos are below on the old post. Tell me what you think.