George Lange Recalls ‘Competitive’ Steve Jobs and Bill Gates During Rare Photo Shoot Together (Exclusive)

Photographer George Lange says he took one of the only — if not the only — photos of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates posing together, and he has a surprising story from that day. “They’re sitting there and they’re so competitive,” he told PEOPLE of his 1991 photo shoot with the businessmen. “Bill Gates will say, ‘You’re never going to beat me at anything. And he says, ‘You may tie me up, but you’ll never beat me at anything.’ And it’s like, who says that?” He would then photograph Gates and Jobs sitting and smiling together on the staircase. The photographer writes about this exchange and more in his new book Painting Joy: Stories of Connection, which is out today from Girl Friday Books. In the book, Lange presents a series of photographs and stories from throughout his career, with portraits of personalities from Andy Warhol to Obama, from people from his everyday life to some of the most recognizable names we know.

‘Picturing Joy’ by George Lange.

Books for Girls’ Friday

Lange has always liked to capture people’s happiness in his works, which was a rare endeavor when he was studying at art school. “They told me that if someone is smiling in one of my pictures, it’s not art,” says Lange. “And everyone in my school wanted to be a famous artist. So I was an exception.”

Jim Carrey.

George Lange, Representing Joy: Stories of Connection (Girl Friday Books, November 2023)

His philosophy served him well when photographing celebrities. A special moment of happiness occurred when he photographed Jim Carrey, who often invited children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to join him. During one shoot, Carrey let one of the kids take his picture.

“The room went silent,” Lange recalls. “[We were] quiet and nervous because we didn’t know what was going to happen and would this child be trusted to tell him to do anything? And then he just burst out, ‘Give it to me, Jimmy!’ and press the button. And we all just died. We’re all just on the floor crying and laughing and Jim just screaming…those are the moments we live for.”

Lange also believes in what he calls “black key” moments, where the unexpected can happen while taking photos. When Lange arrived to photograph Sophia Loren for Allurethe actress allowed him to take a picture of her while she was still applying her make-up.

Sophia Loren.

George Lange, Representing Joy: Stories of Connection (Girl Friday Books, November 2023)

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In another instance, when Lange was sent to photograph Spike Lee in Brooklyn, he noticed some local children playing outside and invited them to come in for the photo. “What I love about this photo is Spike,” says Lange. “I love Spike. I think he’s an amazing director, an amazing person… but when you photograph him, it’s hard for him to share that. That doesn’t happen often… but when I got him together with all those kids, there was a sweetness in that picture that was so beautiful.”

Spike Lee.

George Lange, Representing Joy: Stories of Connection (Girl Friday Books, November 2023)

Lange said in a previous interview with PEOPLE that he doesn’t usually “photograph groups that well.” When he was painting Friends taken in 1995, he had the cast hang in circles on the walls and simply told them to “hold on to each other” — it turned out to be one of his most successful group photos. “I wasn’t interested in the characters they created as much as they were,” he says.

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The cast of ‘Friends’.

George Lange, Representing Joy: Stories of Connection (Girl Friday Books, November 2023)

Lange also managed to create powerful portraits, such as lawyer and educator Anita Hill, as well as Barack and Michelle Obama, which proved to be an unforgettable experience. “It was one of the few shoots that I was really kind of blown away by,” he says. Lange photographed the Obamas at a nursing home in Columbus that they were visiting. When he set up his makeshift studio, the power went out, because electricity wasn’t made for his light setup.

Barack and Michelle Obama.

George Lange, Representing Joy: Stories of Connection (Girl Friday Books, November 2023)

“I’m taking pictures of him and Michelle and the power goes out,” Lange says. “But still the light comes from behind. So I just kept shooting and it became the most interesting picture, I think.”

Lange also shot some interesting celebrity pairings. He photographed Jimmy and Warren Buffett for Wealth and had them dress up as each other, which was “simply priceless”.

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Jimmy and Warren Buffett.

George Lange, Representing Joy: Stories of Connection (Girl Friday Books, November 2023)

He also took a limo with Paul Simon to visit LL Cool Ju when Simon was working on his album Graceland, who was living in his grandmother’s basement at the time. “We go into the basement and he’s there with his friend,” says Lange. “And they start playing each other’s music. And Paul Simon plays all those African rhythms that are very dear to him. And LL Cool J plays doo-wop, to which Paul Simon cut his teeth… all the while grandma yelling down the stairs. She says: ‘Shut up, shut up!’ It was crazy.”

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Paul Simon and LL Cool J

George Lange, Representing Joy: Stories of Connection (Girl Friday Books, November 2023)

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In her book, Lange also shares photos of non-celebrities – people from her everyday life whom she photographs in “exactly the same way” and with similar results of joy. “They give themselves to me for a moment, to share them and capture something,” says Lange. “And that’s such a privilege.”Painting Joy: Stories of Connection it’s out now.

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Source: HIS Education