@TemplesMom: I don't know if this was advised to you already, but with the Tab key you will also be able to place the camera at interesting spots you see for example in (good) movies too. Like when a sim istaking something from the fridge or putting something in the microwave you could photograph that from out the fridbe or microwave. It will cost you a little practise with shipping that camera around but eventually you will succeed.
Also you could deside to uplick your pictures in a photo editing program like Photoshop to give it some more accent.
Lighting setup is also very importent, mostly during the night, as light from lamps during bright daylight will not add much.
Try for a simple basic setup with a back light to seperate your sim from it's background, a front light (the lamps position will vary from situation to situation) and a lamp from above, which will function as a heli.
I have learned using those setups in 3D animation but originally it came from movies, therefore from photos.
Try it, you will be surprised how much your pictures will improve.
Sadly, we have no lamps in TS3 who can cast shadows, as that also would be very important.
