i don't usually use on-camera flash. mostly because 90% of the time it looks terrible. you get that ugly shadow behind people, and there's no shaping quality to the light..... what's that quote? something like "using on camera flash is like turning your camera into a photocopier". i don't know who said it, but i'd say it's more or less true.
that said, the strobist has some setups that involve using an on-camera flash as a on-axis fill. meaning it's not the main light source, it's just a bit of extra light coming in to push some detail into shadow areas.
it's not how i usually work, but i figured i'd give it a try. and it works out allright. it's basically lighting for the shadows, setting up your ambient level and then accenting with off camera flashes the areas that are important. i did still get that ugly shadow in my picture.... shooting inside with a wall five feet behind me, there's not much getting around that. but using the on-camera fill did put a bit of light up under my hat, which is a place that usually is a pit of shadows and darkness.
so yeah, not a bad technique. not sure it'll be part of my everytime arsenal, but it's useful, that's for sure.
oh - and you can't see it in the setup shot, but i have a colorsplash flash on the couch to lighten up the background a bit. i couldn't get it into the frame for the setup shot.
setup shot:
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