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

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.

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.