One of the photography skills that I'm still working on is when and how to use flash. In low light situations or at night, flash is essential to help sharpen your subject. However, it can blow out the subject as well, so it must be used appropriately.
When visiting the National Christmas Tree last year, I photographed the nearby Nativity scene. I took several photos with and without flash. Today's image with a fill flash was the best of the series. While it's not perfect -- Baby Jesus is a bit too bright and there's some flash reflection off of Joseph's sleeve -- some might think its unintended imperfections are poetic and appropriate for the subject of the photograph. Christians believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light, right? This is just another reason why I love photography. Sometimes your best photographs are the ones where you made mistakes or miscalculated. At times, the camera might know more about what's best for your subject than you do.
