Photos by Ava Kitzi

The upcoming holiday season brings family gatherings, beautiful snow and scenes and other photo-worthy opportunities. And while those memories are worth being preserved with whatever camera you have lying around, we’ve compiled a list of easy ways to make your cell phone pictures look professional, polished and ready for Instagram.

1. Smudged Lens

Not even the best cookies can survive a smudged, goopy camera lens. Residue that collects from your fingers and other surfaces that your phone touches can make a big impact on your photo quality. To avoid foggy looking pictures, regularly wipe your phone’s camera lens with a microfiber towel or another clean piece of cloth.

2. Rule of 1/3s

To make your photos look more cinematic, try picturing a 3×3 grid on your screen. The human eye is naturally drawn to the intersections of these grid lines. By placing your subject along these lines — instead of in the very middle, for example — not only will your Facebook friends immediately be drawn to your grandson’s smiling face, but it also brings your surroundings into frame, whether it be your festive decorations or Little League medals.

Tip: iPhone users can bring the gridlines directly into their camera app for easy access! Go to settings > camera > toggle grid lines ON.

3. Natural Light

Always look for natural light as a tool in your budding photographer toolbox. When you take a picture directly facing a large, powerful light source, your subject will look less luminous and get blown out. By standing with your back to the light, so your subject is facing the window or sun, you automatically lighten your photo naturally.

Tip: For outside pictures, this strategy works best when the sun is either rising or setting. High noon is a tricky time for pictures, and often makes subjects look blown out and casts weird shadows on them. “Golden hour,” as the sun is setting, gets its name for a reason.

4. Composition

For candid shots, think critically about how your subject is interacting with the world around them and use that as an interesting focal point. For example, if you want to snap a picture of your grandmother making her famous pumpkin pie, consider using the pie as a center point of the photo to give your viewers context for the pie making skills being displayed.

5. Posing

Posing at big family gatherings can be a feat of its own, but by coaching your loved ones through a few simple changes, you can make the whole group look a little less stilted. First, try angling your subjects’ feet toward each other, not the camera. Then, make sure they’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder and not leaving massive gaps of space in between them.