contrast question / help

Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong here.. the picture looks pretty good as is I think, but if I do a CONTRAST AUTO FIX it to me looks better.. i don't want to have to go thru all my shots and do this... I would like to get it right in the camera... here's the ORG and the same picture with the AUTO FIX

As always thanks...
William
FIRST one is the ORG and the SECOND one is the AUTO CONTRAST FIX

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

The first image is overexposed, check the histogram. Good DOF, in the future watch your backgrounds, the bright areas in the lower left corner are slightly distracting. KC

I don't know if there's much you can do to get a nicer contrasty look in the camera other than just getting better gear.
I think forrestt is right about the first photo being overexposed though.
though if it was properly exposed, it may just look darker and not necessarily more contrasty. I believe a photo isn't complete until it's post processed. so, no worries

I just finished a book today entitled "Understanding Exposure, Revised Edition," by Bryan Peterson. It is packed with examples and an excellent presentation on exposure, use of shutter speed and ISO settings. The book is packed with information the best of which is a discussion on the use of the one creatively correct exposure, (he discusses six possible exposure combinations with one being the creatively correct exposure for each shot). I believe this book may help you achieve what you are looking for in improving images of the type you show here. Your shot is very good, the knowledge of this book should help you achieve your personal goals of improving the image. Hope this helps.

I find with my IXUS 80 IS that I have to adjust the contrast every time (in Photoshop elements) , especially on outdoor shots on dull days. Can I fix this so the camera takes them right first time? (newbie, so try and be kind!)