My pictures are somewhat desaturated/low in contrast

[uchin]

My pictures are very low in color vibrance is there a way to up the contrast or vibrance in my pictures with out using applications? sorry I'm not good with telling the difference between contrast, saturation and saturation

[RichardTaylor]

Your camera may have some settings to adjust this before you take the picture. Can you post an example(s)

[Dan A]

Can you tell use the Camera brand and model? As previously mentioned by Richard normally there are settings on the camera that can be changed to assist.

[uchin]

Pic taken
IMG_8721 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Post Edit
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/...57f45296_m.jpg

Digital Rebel XT 18-55mm

[wulf]

In that example, the couple are in shadow with the light behind them and parts of the background are overexposed. That's not a great recipe for vibrant colour. It isn't the case that you should only shoot with the sun behind you but that might be worth trying on purpose to give you a headstart on lighting.

Also, there probably are settings to boost colour and contrast in camera (there certainly are on my D40) but be cautious - you might find that you lose some detail from the picture whereas boosting colour and contrast is relatively easy with post-processing.

Wulf

[Vagebond]

According to Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT Review: 3. What's new: Digital Photography Review

"Modified parameter sets
As per the EOS 20D there are two preset parameter sets, the default being Parameter 1 which has a higher contrast, saturation and sharpness than the default, Parameter 2 has neutral settings, after this there are three customizable parameter sets. "

Check your manual and perhaps experiment with those?