The lighting is what stands out in the photo as being better than the usual snapshot. Most likely fill flash was used in this case, and that's the easiest. Other methods are using a reflector such as a white or shiny board to reflect the light into the shadowed part of the subject. This avoids the harsh contrasty shadows that you often see in sunlight.
It's not the camera, though the camera companies would love you to believe that and start spending on a fancy DSLR and lenses; any good digital point and shoot can use fill flash and produce something similar. It's not hiring a pro, using pro equipment, and it's not bokeh (a word some like to use to describe a blurry background, though it's incorrect), a good photographer learns to use what he has available and can produce outstanding photos with whatever he uses.
Try backlit subjects using (forced) fill flash with your existing camera, and if it has the settings, set the flash to minus 2/3 or 1 stop so you still have shadows, but they are not so harsh. That way you don't get the flat lighting that full power fill flash produces.