Celebrity photographer George Lange shares 4 tips on creating unforgettable photos.

I’ve been taking photographs since I was seven years old. My camera has taken me all over the world. Photography, I’ve learned, can be an excuse to say things you would edit out of normal conversation, do things you would normally hold back from doing. And while I’ve photographed countless celebrities, my two sons Jackson and Asher are still my favorite subjects. I love to capture silly and unique moments with them. I’m less interested in capturing traditional milestones like graduations, weddings & award ceremonies; I believe real life happens in between those moments. Of course, at the end of the day, I want photos of everything.

When you take photos of children, it’s important to be on their level. Some are hams, some introverts, many much smarter than I am. They’ve been taught to smile and pose for the camera since day one, so you have to work past that to get to the good stuff. It’s not difficult, and the principles are the same as with adults. Talk to your subjects, play with them, surprise them, get them off-balance, keep shooting until they relax and have fun.

Here are 4 tips on how to take interesting photos of your children.

1. Put Babies in Surprising Places

We were in Pittsburgh during the wild spring magnolia explosion; the garden on a neighbor’s piece of property was begging for more attention than I was able to give it from the sidewalk. No one was around, so I laid my son down and shot from above. He kept snoozing while I kept shooting. Trespassing with a camera (especially when a baby’s involved) is generally not a problem; at worst, a person may be curious about what exactly you’re seeing.

When Jackson was older, he looked at this picture and noticed the most important detail: “Dad! I still have that blanket.”

TIP: When you put a child someplace unexpected, you have only a moment or two to get a picture. Exposure and focus should be set up ahead of time. For this shot, our car was sitting under a tree in spring when early buds were falling. I was on a ladder looking down – but my wife Stephie’s hands were just out of the frame, ready to stop a fall.

2. The Kid Doesn’t Have to Be in the Picture

Jackson and I are big Steelers fans, and we went together to Dallas for a football game. I picked the hotel we stayed at as much for photographing as for comfort and price. Our room was a loft with a huge window behind the bed and curtains that I thought would look good in the pictures. Jackson had other ideas, and this shot is a good example of why I find it’s usually best to take his lead. He peeked out, then almost disappeared, leaving me to shoot this picture.

3. Create a Bit of Imagined Peril

Moving kids out of their usual environment causes disorientation – both for them, and for the viewer. If my son had just been playing in his plastic car in the backyard, he wouldn’t have looked at me quite the way he does in this shot. Out on the road, he knows something’s up. I would never put him in real peril, but the suggestion of risk touches something at the heart of a child’s (and a parent’s) reality. This is actually a very composed picture, very put together; the road curving off, the sunlight on his face.

TIP: Most portraits of children benefit from being shot at their eye level. Here, taking the photo from the perspective of an adult adds to the “danger” – it almost reads as if it were shot by someone in a real car who had stopped on the road.

4. When in Doubt, Hold Them Upside Down 

I like pictures of babies being held and suspended – without showing who’s holding and suspending them. Take advantage, carefully, of that short period when children trust and love your total control. Always provide safe landing just out of the frame; cropping tight creates the illusion that they are much higher than they actually are.

TIP: About the lighting: Because of the backlighting, I carefully exposed for his face at f/4. Being close up at that exposure put the rest of the room nicely out of focus.

For more tips on how to take unique photos of your children, pick up a copy of my new
book The Unforgettable Photograph. And remember, shoot from the inside out. Shoot what you feel, every connection. Shoot lots. Shoot your life. And capture the moments in between.

Written by George Lange

George Lange is known primarily as a still photographer. His work has appeared on movie posters, billboards, in almost every major magazine, and in numerous platforms for many major corporations. He has photographed everyone from the Obamas to Honey Boo Boo; from the cast of Seinfeld to Cake Boss; from latex glove factories in Thailand to ice cream production in Columbus, Ohio; from choreographers to jewelers. In the past three years he has begun directing videos both personal and commercially with his wife, Stephanie Lange. His new book The Unforgettable Photograph is now available on Amazon and at bookstores worldwide.

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