The Unforgettable Photograph: 228 Ideas, Tips, and Secrets for Taking the Best Pictures of Your Life

by George Lange, Scott Mowbray (With)

Overview

Renowned photographer George Lange’s work is guided by one simple truth: An unforgettable photograph is not about what the subject looks like, but what it feels like. In this entirely new kind of photography guide, written by Mr. Lange and Scott Mowbray, magazine editor and longtime amateur photographer, the rest of us will learn how to take photographs that don’t just document life but celebrate it.

No fancy equipment required. Just hundreds of simple, inspiring ideas and lessons—each one illustrated with a photograph—organized around the six essential principles of seeing like a photographer. (Here’s one: Shoot the Moment, Not the Subject.)

Here’s why to shoot in natural light—always. The fun of putting babies in surprising places. How to get intimate with food. Using a dramatic sky as your backdrop. The benefit of learning to know the light in every room of your house. Shooting hands or feet instead of faces. How to move past the “I was here” postcard effect. How to catch the in-between moments. Because in the end, it’s about living the moment, shooting the moment—and being in the moment forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761169239
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/10/2013
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	7.08(w) x 8.26(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

George Lange has been taking photographs all his life. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he began his career working for Annie Leibovitz and Duane Michals, and went on to shoot for many major magazines, national newspapers, entertainment studios, and corporations. Today he is best known for his commercial still and motion work.

Scott Mowbray, now the editor of Cooking Light, is a serious amateur photographer and longtime Time Inc. editor. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and Louisville, Colorado.

Editorial Reviews

This approachable volume invites photographers of all skill levels to step up their game through creative challenges, such as “Shoot the Moment,” “Move Your Eye,” “Feel the Rhythm,” and “Embrace Intimacy.” Each of the titular “ideas, tips and secrets” then uses for reference a shot taken by Lange himself, whose work has appeared in Esquire, GQ, the New York Times, and other publications. Lange’s candid approach deserves credit for humanizing picture taking by deliberately emphasizing the medium’s poetic possibilities over its technical aspects. The book’s conversational tone makes for an enjoyable read. Under the 80th of his 226 tips, Lange discusses his image of four girls jumping off a lifeguard stand 10 feet above the sand, admiring how one “is hanging back, having her own moment, afraid to make the leap,” thus giving “the fearlessness of the others more impact.” This charming book provides a fresh approach and offers assignments for those new to the craft. The book will also appeal to seasoned photographers looking for new ways to capture the moments around them in a more meaningful and personal way. More than 300 photos. Agent: Mark Reiter, Reiter Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

For anyone who’s dreamed of capturing the perfect image . . . more than 100 brilliantly simple suggestions [and] . . . award-winning techniques.”

–Parade magazine

"This charming book provides a fresh approach and offers assignments for those new to the craft. The book will also appeal to seasoned photographers looking for new ways to capture the moments around them in a more meaningful and personal way."

–Publishers Weekly

"Turn to any page of this colorful volume . . . and you’re practically guaranteed a game-changing idea or impactful tweak for bringing more soul, spirit, and life into your snapshots (whether you’re using an iPhone or pro-grade gear)."
–Real Simple

"Hundreds of masterful photos surprise, inspire and fascinate . . . The how-tos in this volume are not so much technical as philosophical, urging photographers to celebrate life—not just document it—through their photos. . . . In addition to its photography application, this book might also provide a good introduction for any budding human being (or photographer) to the ways in which love brings people together."
–BookPage

"Featuring practical wisdom for all skill levels, the book uses [Lange’s] stunning photos to demonstrate points about lighting, framing, and, most important, how to train yourself to shoot the moment, not the subject."
—Southern Living

"[The book's] common thread is helping the people behind the camera accomplish the ultimate goal behind all the button-pushing: depicting the world more richly."
–Chicago Tribune

“For anyone who’s dreamed of capturing the perfect image . . . more than 100 brilliantly simple suggestions [and] . . . award-winning techniques.”

–Parade magazine

"This charming book provides a fresh approach and offers assignments for those new to the craft. The book will also appeal to seasoned photographers looking for new ways to capture the moments around them in a more meaningful and personal way."

–Publishers Weekly

"Turn to any page of this colorful volume . . . and you’re practically guaranteed a game-changing idea or impactful tweak for bringing more soul, spirit, and life into your snapshots (whether you’re using an iPhone or pro-grade gear)."
–Real Simple

"Hundreds of masterful photos surprise, inspire and fascinate . . . The how-tos in this volume are not so much technical as philosophical, urging photographers to celebrate life—not just document it—through their photos. . . . In addition to its photography application, this book might also provide a good introduction for any budding human being (or photographer) to the ways in which love brings people together."
–BookPage

"Featuring practical wisdom for all skill levels, the book uses [Lange’s] stunning photos to demonstrate points about lighting, framing, and, most important, how to train yourself to shoot the moment, not the subject."
—Southern Living

"[The book's] common thread is helping the people behind the camera accomplish the ultimate goal behind all the button-pushing: depicting the world more richly."
–Chicago Tribune

From the Publisher

“For anyone who’s dreamed of capturing the perfect image . . . more than 100 brilliantly simple suggestions [and] . . . award-winning techniques.”

–Parade magazine

Parade magazine