How do I make my Pictures look more like a profesinal took them?

Question:My mother is taking pic of me tomorrow cuz we do not want to spend a LOT of money doing that when we can do it ourselves.
I have a good digital camera but I feel I need more?
What are they looking for in the pics..wat should I work on?
thanks. =D

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: My mother is taking pic of me tomorrow cuz we do not want to spend a LOT of money doing that when we can do it ourselves.
I have a good digital camera but I feel I need more?
What are they looking for in the pics..wat should I work on?
thanks. =D

It's kind of hard to just jump to a professional level...it all takes practice.
If you're in a bind....Photoshop can help (Gimp is a free download and has all you would need), with this you can alter the image so it looks cool/different.
When photographing, think ahead of time, picture the image you want then do it. Play with lighting (a bare bulb, the lights used in garages on cars, etc.), do an extreme of light on one side of the face and darker (but not too dark) on the other and do that as a horizontal close up (head shot).
Go outside work with natural light (never never never at noon), sunrise and sunset offer great light. Play with backgrounds and angles...
Most of all have fun and be relaxed, that is the most important because it will show in your eyes and face and that will make the image.
And I definitely don't blame you for doing your own pics, it's insane how expensive it is. And yours will be unique from the others. It's what I did, and I couldn't have been happier with the result!
Send me a message if you need any other ideas or help, I'd be more then happy to help!

You could download a free trial of photoshop or go buy photoshop itself.

Pictures look "professional" because someone with the knowledge of capturing light has taken them.

It takes years of education, learning, experimentation and practice to have your images come to such a level that people would be willing to pay you for them.

For the most part the camera is irrelevant. If it is of a decent quality, then the person that controls the camera has more to do with a successful image than the camera.

So, as I see it you have 2 choices to get the outcome you want.
1) Hire a professional photographer
2) If you want to take the pics yourself, then you'll need to wait, learn, practice, repeat until you have gained the skills needed to get the end result you desire.