The number one tip for taking better pictures, whether you are using a fancy DSLR, an iPhone, or a point and shoot camera, is... wait for it... is to de-clutter the background.

Yes, this can make all the difference in a great photo.  If you are shooting in your house, taking a picture of your kids/grandkids, remove all those toys from the background, and those dirty socks too, lol; otherwise, that is all you focus on.  If you are outside, it may be as simple as changing the angle from where you are standing - to remove those distractions.  Watch for things in the frame like a piece of trash on the ground, or a bright orange cone in the background.  Your attention will focus on those things, instead of where it is supposed to.  If you don't remove them, you will spend a lot of time in Photoshop trying to remove them. (If you want a great picture)

The number two tip for taking better pictures is deciding what the theme is, what is the subject of your photo, or what do I want the story to be about??

If you are shooting a portrait, the subject is obviously the person in the picture.  It could be a pet, a birthday party, a couple in love, a family, maternity, the precious newborn baby, a happy wedding party, your nervous senior just before they leave the nest for college, or an awe inspiring landscape.  The subject is the reason you are taking the pictures in the first place, right?  It may even tell a story about that subject, such as the image below.

The third and final tip for taking better pictures, is that once you have decided what your subject is, you need to focus attention on it,  so that the viewer's eye is immediately drawn to it.  There are multiple ways to do this.

One of the easiest ways to focus attention on your subject is to fill the photo with your subject.  So either zoom in or step closer.

You can always add that buttery, creamy blurred background.  This can be achieved using my favorite lens - the 50mm - f/2.8.  It also depends on the distance from you to the subject and the distance from the subject to the background.  You can achieve the same results with a kit lens - again put the subject a good distance from your background and zoom in.

Frame your subject or subjects to draw attention to them.

Use leading lines to your subject.

You can use the Rule of Thirds.  Put your subject on an intersecting line.  That is where you eye looks first.  Weird huh?

Backlight your model to draw the eye directly to them and enhance the photo.

I sincerely hope this gives you a few new ideas and puts you on a track to take better pictures.  Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

Always Be Awesome.