--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Ming vase can be well-designed and…" description: "\"A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don't think this can be true for photography. Unless there is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/john-loengard-33680_beautiful_a-ming-vase-can-be-well-designed-and-wel_1953324.jpg" --- # A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is… ![“A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don't think this can be true for photography. Unless there is something a little incomplete and a little strange, it will simply look like a copy of something pretty. We won't take an interest in it.” quote by John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/john-loengard-33680_beautiful_a-ming-vase-can-be-well-designed-and-wel_1953324.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/john-loengard-33680_beautiful_a-ming-vase-can-be-well-designed-and-wel_1953324.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/john-loengard-33680_beautiful_a-ming-vase-can-be-well-designed-and-wel_1953324.jpg) > “A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don't think this can be true for photography. Unless there is something a little incomplete and a little strange, it will simply look like a copy of something pretty. We won't take an interest in it.” [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A well-made object is valued for its inherent beauty, but photography needs an element of imperfection to engage viewers. **In simple terms:** Beauty alone isn’t enough for photos; they need intrigue. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection to make photographs compelling. Themes art beauty imperfection photography design Mood contemplative curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - gallery c - personal projects - advertising - documentary work - fine art photography Key Concepts Aesthetic theory visual perception authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can you introduce subtle flaws to enhance a photo? - What makes an image feel alive? A Different Perspective A perfectly polished photo may feel sterile and fail to capture interest. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/a-child-is-not-a-vase-to-be-filled-but-a-fire-to-be-lit/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [Love is a broken vase whose shape everyone remembers differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anis-mojgani/love-is-a-broken-vase-whose-shape-everyone-remembers-differently/) [Anis Mojgani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anis-mojgani/) > [No flower is happy in a vase, because vase is nothing but an ornate coffin for the flower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/no-flower-is-happy-in-a-vase-because-vase-is-nothing-but-an-ornate/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [But it is not for the perfect vase or the polished gem to choose their owners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-renault/but-it-is-not-for-the-perfect-vase-or-the-polished-gem-to-choose/) [Mary Renault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-renault/) > [Flowers are an education in a vase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/flowers-are-an-education-in-a-vase/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [An hour is not merely an hour, it is a vase full of scents and sounds and projects and climates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/an-hour-is-not-merely-an-hour-it-is-a-vase-full-of-scents-and-sounds/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [it seems Montgomery could not help himself when it came to this vase. I'm afraid he has a weakness for beautiful things and has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/it-seems-montgomery-could-not-help-himself-when-it-came-to-this-vase/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [Trust is like a vase.. once it's broken, though you can fix it, the vase will never be same again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-inglis-anderson/trust-is-like-a-vase-once-it-s-broken-though-you-can-fix-it-the-vase/) [Walter Inglis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-inglis-anderson/) > [Poetical spaces too can be painted like a vase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guity-novin/poetical-spaces-too-can-be-painted-like-a-vase/) [Guity Novin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guity-novin/) > [If we'd put them in a vase in the living room, they would have been everyone's flowers. I wanted them to be my flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-we-d-put-them-in-a-vase-in-the-living-room-they-would-have-been/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Like a lovely vase that someone has smashed. Only luck and skill can put it back together the way it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus/like-a-lovely-vase-that-someone-has-smashed-only-luck-and-skill-can/) [Magnus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus/) > [It was intended to be a vase, it has turned out a pot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/it-was-intended-to-be-a-vase-it-has-turned-out-a-pot/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [A fine glass vase goes from treasure to trash, the moment it is broken. Fortunately, something else happens to you and me. Pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/a-fine-glass-vase-goes-from-treasure-to-trash-the-moment-it-is-broken/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [She's a rare vase, out of a cat's reach, on its shelf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/she-s-a-rare-vase-out-of-a-cat-s-reach-on-its-shelf/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Sometimes I do just have to stop and hit myself in the head with my diamond-encrusted vase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrej-pejic/sometimes-i-do-just-have-to-stop-and-hit-myself-in-the-head-with-my/) [Andrej Pejic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrej-pejic/) ## More by John Loengard > [The fact is that the camera is literal if anything, which gives it something in common with a thermometer... Often the tension that exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/the-fact-is-that-the-camera-is-literal-if-anything-which-gives-it/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [In my head I think, There is a beautiful picture here and by God, short of murder, I'm going to get it. So shut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/in-my-head-i-think-there-is-a-beautiful-picture-here-and-by-god-short/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [In a painting no one complains that the subject is posed, but everybody complains about what looks posed in a photograph. Except, I've found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/in-a-painting-no-one-complains-that-the-subject-is-posed-but/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [When I teach a class I often give the assignment: Photograph someone you love. I ask people to do this so they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/when-i-teach-a-class-i-often-give-the-assignment-photograph-someone/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [Working alone on stories, I began to feel the anonymity of motels on interstate highways reached by jet planes and rental cars. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/working-alone-on-stories-i-began-to-feel-the-anonymity-of-motels-on/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [Usually I think if there is something imperfect in a photograph it makes the picture more real. Photographs that are slick, smooth, and imperfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/usually-i-think-if-there-is-something-imperfect-in-a-photograph-it/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [Teachers don't work in the summer, and photographers don't shoot in in the middle of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/teachers-don-t-work-in-the-summer-and-photographers-don-t-shoot-in-in/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [If you want something to look interesting, don’t light all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/if-you-want-something-to-look-interesting-don-t-light-all-of-it/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [When I go to photograph somebody, they say, "What do you want me to do?" Those are the most frightening words in the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/when-i-go-to-photograph-somebody-they-say-what-do-you-want-me-to-do/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [Perishability in a photograph is important in a picture. If a photograph looks perishable we say, "Gee, I'm glad I have that moment."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/perishability-in-a-photograph-is-important-in-a-picture-if-a/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [Often the tension that exists between the pictorial content of a photograph and its record of reality is the picture's true beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/often-the-tension-that-exists-between-the-pictorial-content-of-a/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [There are two kinds of photographs: mine and other people's. I never think of what I might do myself when I look at someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/there-are-two-kinds-of-photographs-mine-and-other-people-s-i-never/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) > [I was photographing the photographer Brassaï. He had very prominent eyes, like a frog's. As I focused my lens, he brought his hand up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-loengard/i-was-photographing-the-photographer-brassa-he-had-very-prominent/) [John Loengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) [Explore all 14 John Loengard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-loengard/) ## More Beautiful quotes > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) [Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don't think this can be true for photography. Unless there is something a little incomplete and a little strange, it will simply look like a copy of something pretty. 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