Two days into the trip, Mutrux wandered into a camera store in Chinatown. He had been itching to take photos of the Queen Anne architecture to share with his co-workers back in Kansas City, Mo., and when he picked up a tiny digital camera, the light dawned.

“Before I went into that camera store, it had not occurred to me that I didn’t have to carry 40 pounds of camera gear and a tripod,” says Mutrux, who has been a professional photographer for more than 30 years and now shoots for The Kansas City Star’s House & Home section.

“When I saw all those little digital cameras, all these possibilities began to emerge. The thought that I could take some neat images in a more casual way filled me with possibilities.”

Mutrux bought a 4-megapixel Canon Powershot SD10 Digital Elph that fits in the palm of his hand. He now carries it in a pouch hooked to his belt, right next to his cell phone, which is practically the same size.

“The size and the way it looked just exuded “cool,’ ” Mutrux says. “It was incredible. I didn’t care what it cost. I was extremely lucky that I got a camera that was worthwhile.”

Hundreds of photographs later, he is still impressed with the quality of the digital images. He has even used the little camera on photographs for publication.

Often the complexity of a camera is mistaken for the reason why professional photographers can take good photographs. But eye-catching photos can be taken with everything from a $7 disposable camera to a $5,000 digital single-lens-reflex camera.

To create an appealing photograph, concentrate on these things before you shoot: good light, uncluttered background and strong composition.

Good light is one of the easiest elements to pursue.

“Good photographers live by the National Geographic rule,” says photographer Ken Kobre, a photojournalism professor at San Francisco State University and author of the book Photographing Friends and Strangers. “Ninety percent of their photographs are taken 15 minutes after sunrise and 15 minutes before sunset. It’s gorgeous light and it produces long, beautiful shadows.

“A scene photographed at noon is a standard photo. But taken at those two times of day, it will take on a magical look.” The quality of light is golden, spreading a feeling of warmth over a photograph.

If your 15-minute window for good light doesn’t coincide with the perfect scene, don’t despair. Golden light actually lasts for several hours during the early morning and late afternoon, so spend some time scouting the area for the perfect scene until the time is right.

Mark Morris, director of editorial photography at The Sacramento Bee, which sponsors an annual travel photo contest, advises photographers to avoid photographic cliches, such as plain sunsets.

“Personally, I would like to see a nice portrait with sunset light rather than a picture of the sunset,” Morris says. “To me, that would capture the experience, the emotion of travel.”

Put some thought into it

Sue Hobart, travel editor at The Oregonian in Portland, Ore., says: “The photographers at our newspaper don’t ever say they “take a picture,’ they say they “make a picture.’ Good pictures are made through thoughtful effort.

“Photographers who win in our annual photo contest have a distinctive eye. They pay attention to background, light and shadow. It’s the difference between a picture and a vignette-a little story. Many times it’s a close-up, zeroing in on a tiny aspect of the photo.”

Closing in on details eliminates the background, which often competes with the subject for attention. Mutrux offers three pieces of advice for amateurs seeking to improve their photographs:

“No. 1: Get closer. No. 2: Get closer. No. 3 Get even closer.”

Another way to improve backgrounds is to blur the background by having just the subject in focus. You can do this by using a longer lens or a smaller aperture.

“Our eyes look at a subject and ignore the background,” Kobre says. “Then our eyes bring the background into focus when we look at it. But a camera sees the subject and the background the same. So a busy background interferes with the subject.”

If the background creates an interesting composition, however, you can make it work in your favor. Repetition, patterns, reflections and contrast of light and dark can produce eye-catching photos.

“You want to pay attention to the elements of composition like line, color and texture,” Mutrux says.

Texture in a subject can be emphasized by lighting it from the side. “Avoid photographing with the sunlight coming over your shoulder,” Mutrux says.

“That lights your subject with front light and it’s very flat and boring. If you move to put the light hitting your subject from the side, it’s much more interesting.”

Follow the rule of thirds

As you compose your image, “rule of thirds is another good suggestion to follow,” Morris says. Draw imaginary lines dividing the picture area into thirds horizontally, then vertically.

According to this rule, important subject areas should fall on the intersections of the lines or along the lines.

Finally, the pros advise, photograph people doing something, not staring into the camera.

“We are drawn to photos that are more candid,” Morris says. “Photos that capture the emotional experience of travel, rather than documenting who traveled and what they stand next to.”

“Most people see it as a compliment when you take a picture of them,” Kobre says. “And whatever you do, end your photo session with a smile. After you take a picture, you look at them and smile and they always smile back.”