Just about every mom, dad and grandparent these days has a great camera in hand, pocket or purse. But a few simple strategies can make your smartphone an even greater tool for making treasured family pictures.

These eight tips will have you taking better pictures, and enhancing your family album in ways you might not have considered.

Keep Your Camera App Handy

Your smartphone is already at your fingertips, but many great family shots can be missed tapping in your password. So when you plan to be out with the family, adjust your settings so that no password is required and the camera icon is easy to find. This will help you catch those spontaneous moments. If you’re an iPhone user, here’s a suggestion for avoiding blurry images: Instead of tapping the digital shutter button on the screen, use one of the phone’s volume buttons to snap photos. This is an easy way to avoid camera shake.

Three Is the Charm

The rule of thirds, a simple key to bolstering balance and composition in your pictures, emphasizes the most important elements of the image. Ponder your image split into three equal parts both vertically and horizontally, as if divided by the lines in a game of tic-tac-toe. Or better yet, turn on smartphone gridlines by tapping on the options panel. Make sure the part of the photo you want to emphasize touches where four of the gridlines intersect. If the gridlines distract you while photographing, apply the rule of thirds while editing and cropping your photos.

Use the “Burst” Mode

Gone are the days of paying for film, so generally the more shots you get, the better. To get many options to choose from in case your hand shakes or your subject moves unexpectedly, use the “burst” mode, which takes many frames per second. Activate burst mode by simply holding down the shutter button in your camera app instead of giving it a single tap. When possible, begin shooting before the subject moves, and keep the button pressed until you get the photo you want. You can always delete the redundant images later.

Get a Little Closer

Get down to your child’s height when you photograph her, and don’t be afraid to get close. One drawback of smartphone cameras is that they don’t have great zoom quality – and you don’t want to see just the top of the kiddos’ heads. Try to have something in the frame to add perspective and contrast in color and size. Also, focus on the eyes; you’ll be amazed at how revealing they can be when your camera looks into them.

Condition Your Kids, and Yourself

It’s easy for parents to forget they have a camera with them, missing many memorable shots just because they aren’t thinking about photography. So moms and dads should condition themselves by snapping pictures often, and that will also accustom the children to being photographed. Eventually the kids will relax and be more natural, and you’ll get far fewer posed and stiff results.

The Best Feature Is You

The smartphone camera has all kinds of features, modes and filters. The HDR option, for example, can be handy for landscape photography and or situations when the sky dominates your picture. But remember that your feet are a great zoom device, and that shooting against a strong backlight creates silhouettes. In the end, you may find that your favorite pictures don’t rely much on the fancy features. Awareness, a good eye and a willingness to move around while you shoot can be far more important.

Not So Flashy!

Except in deep darkness, don’t rely too much your flash. The iPhone’s flash is essentially an LED light. It’s not greatly powerful and can often give your picture a cloudy or blurry hue. Try to shoot in natural light or adjust your app’s exposure slider, and remember you can always adjust an imperfect image later on your computer. Another option is to take some shots with the flash and others without it.

Even Landmarks Need Movement

You’re going to visit memorable places like Mount Rushmore, but your family members don’t need to look like statues in the pictures. Along with the posed shots, try to get some casual images of your family enjoying the view or interacting in front of a landmark. Happy shooting!

Kerry Prichard writes from her new home in downtown Little Rock, where she lives with her husband, Kyle, and draws on long experience in journalism, history and family chaos. Educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Virginia, she is a gifted photographer, a mother of four and grandmother of five.