What is this and how can I fix it?

[hook78c]

In going through a recent shoot I noticed a couple of the photos looked like this, really bright and lacking detail. http://clicks.smugmug.com/photos/516257143_vNaS7-L.jpg

But the shot right after like seconds after would be ok like this. http://clicks.smugmug.com/photos/516257215_vRj7T-L.jpg
Is this caused by lighting issues or does it have to do with the shutter speed, camera shake,etc.
thanks for your help, photography is such a steep learning curve, phew!

[BobbyMarshall]

the first shot looks out of focus. are you using autofocus? if so, are you allowing your camera to lock focus by pressing the shutter half way/waiting for beep/then fully pressing shutter?

what camera settings & lighting were you using?

[pathfinder]

I think the first shot suffers from movement due to a long shutter speed. The lighting looks artificial, but there is definitely movement of the subject noted, so I doubt this was entirely a flash shot.

The movement makes it look out of focus, sort of.

It looks slightly over exposed also.

[ziggy53]

Which camera, lens and flash were you using?
Were you using center dot only for focus?

[momwac]

Spot metering while in Av mode? The first frame is overexposed and blurred, apparently due to a long shutter speed. I'd guess you metered some of that black background or black clothing in the first frame, vs. some skin in the second. Both images show a lot of black in the center area, where the camera would be spot metering. Is the second frame cropped? Or perhaps the camera you're using is a Rebel-series Canon which supports partial metering, not spot metering, and your second frame happens to include a fair amount of skin in the center area.