As a serious amateur photographer, I’ll post a simple trick for better before/after photos if anybody cares.
Don’t stand up against a wall. Keep several feet between you and the wall if you can. Ideally, the subject (you) would be halfway between the wall and the flash on the camera. This way, the flash lights you, not the wall. The wall will come out darker because it’s farther away and you’ll stand out more. Plus, that nasty dark shadow you get from the flash will be less intrusive.
Of course, this only works if you have enough space in your living room and the right size lens on the camera. Anyway, I thought some people might like this hint. Obviously, it works for all types of photos…