Why are my photos so dull?

[Abbielynne]

Do I need a lens besides the one that came with the camera body?
OR do I need to master some post processing software?
I see so many like the link below and I love how the eyes pop out.
Thanks in advance!
Abbie

Canon EOS Rebel XS
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
f/ 7.1
1/100
ISO 400
focal length 37mm
metering mode: pattern

Red Stone Photography's Photos - Recent Families | Facebook

[MarkyLandon]

It looks either slightly out of focus or more likely suffering from camera shake. I'm not sure what "mode" you took this shot using ?? Was it on the green square auto ?? Try moving to the portrait (face in profile setting) or if you are more confidant the Av setting. Us the largest aperture possible (whilst still having the front and back subjects in focus (you may need to repostion the poeple for this). This will increase your shutter speed, the faster the shutter speed the lower the risk of camera shake (simplistically speaking) You could also consider using a tripod or resting your camera on something solid. Basically you need to learn the relationship of aperture/exposure/ISO and the effect they have on each other and how to optimise each setting for the shot YOU want. If you are ont eh green auto setting the camera takes the shot with no creative input from you. The focus point, metering, shutter speed and aperture all have a huge impact on what the shot will look like so you need to take control and tell the camera what to do.

[vikkijac]

I agree with the reply about focus, also I think the light is a bit dull. If it was a cloudy day, this shot may have benefited from a gold reflector to give nicer light on the subjects. I try to shoot early AM or just a couple of hours before sunset to catch that great golden light with nice long shadows.

Good composition, maybe place the subjects a bit farther from the background so the tree is more out of focus and less distracting?

Keep shootin'!

[Christian Michael]

Lighting is an issue, but mastering Paintshop, Photoshop Lightroom etc etc will make an OK image Great and help give your images depth.

[abarickman]

A catch light by possibly using a reflector would help with the eyes. They look dead without one.

[kencaleno]

Underexposed-What I did here:

shadow/highlight at default setting

Image>adjustments>Match color:
luminance 119
Color intensity 126

Sharpen

[Christian Michael]

Originally Posted by kencaleno

Underexposed-What I did here:

shadow/highlight at default setting

Image>adjustments>Match color:
luminance 119
Color intensity 126

Sharpen

As I said before, mastering software....I rest my case, nice work kencaleno

[lputman]

No, it isn't about mastering software as much as it is having a good photo to start.

[Christian Michael]

With all due respect, I’m not saying that you don’t have to have a good photo to start with. Of coarse you do.

However the days are gone when any roll of film could go in a $20 camera or a $200 camera and as long as the photo was strong enough, the image could have been pulled from either camera via the negative and blown up to any size to produce a good picture.

Now, if you have a great shot in a cheaper digital camera, (not everyone can afford SLR’s and are still using Automatics set on auto mode) because of the pixels, the image can only be of a certain quality, unless the image is manipulated with software. Granted it won’t make it billboard ready, but it will make it cleared for printing and framing if required.

Respectably a mediocre image can be salvaged. For the beginner who struggles to get things right the first time, the software can salvage images that otherwise wouldn’t have been usable or as striking if left in its original format.

[WooD]

Originally Posted by lputman

No, it isn't about mastering software as much as it is having a good photo to start.

Right on!

I edit almost every image I take in some way or another. I use editing to enhance a good picture to make it a better picture.