They Look Flat

[leopardforest]

I took about a hundred photos today at about 4:30-6:00 pm and a lot of my landscape pictures look flat. What can I do to improve contrast in my shooting? I would prefer to take a good image and have to do little LR and PS work.

Thanks!!

Here is one of the pictures with no editing what so ever:

 

[Jeff Colburn]

It's very common to have images look flat when you download them into your computer. I simple fix in Photoshop is just auto levels and auto contrast.

To increase contrast when taking the picture, underexpose by about 1/3 stop.

Have Fun,
Jeff

 

[leopardforest]

Thanks! Do you think that it is also due to the fact that it was clouded over and low light??

 

[photogincollege]

Also a polarizing filter could help, it should make the clouds a bit more pronounced but i'm not positive.

 

[RyanLilly]

I think that an overcast sky diffuses light so much that you get flat looking photos. There is not much variation, and highlights and shadows are lost. The sun is typically a very sharp light source, but the clouds can diffuse it quite a bit.

 

[xfloggingkylex]

I know all my pictures were looking pretty flat, so I went into the camera menu and changed the color tone from flat to "vivid" or something of that effect, and now the colors pop.

 

[leopardforest]

So i messed around with my camera and changed thoes settings and got that pop. But it is probably easier to do it in LR or PS right? I do shoot in RAW.

 

[Garbz]

If you shoot in RAW then it would be easiest in lightroom. Oh and if you really want that image to pop, come back sunset on a clear day.

 

[leopardforest]

Thanks again! I will definitely go and do the shot again on a clear day! Thanks for all your help.

 

[Alex_B]

sometimes, when you look out of the window, the world around you looks rather flat (light-wise, not debating this globe thing ).

 

[RyanLilly]

sometimes, when you look out of the window, the world around you looks rather flat (light-wise, not debating this globe thing ).

Neither was Columbus, but we still give that jerk a holiday, and glorify him as a hero in grade schools around the US.