>>3794637>Pic related, needed a bit of tweaking to have the bark look not-so-gray.Aside from editing, when you take a shot, try having a play with exposure compensation - it can make a huge difference.
Great for when your camera gets it a bit wrong in poor or very bright light.
Also somewhere in your menu should be a "bracketing" mode, where it will take 3 or more shots, under, correctly, and over exposed.