John Loengard Inspirational Quotes (7)

Teachers don't work in the summer, and photographers don't shoot in in the middle of the day.

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.

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 that if I go very close in to the face, then the posed expression no longer exists. The face becomes a landscape of the lakes of the eyes and the hills of the nose and the valley of the cleft of the chin.

When I go to photograph somebody, they say, What do you want me to do? Those are the most frightening words in the English language. I want to say, Please, go over into good light and do something unusual.

Usually I think if there is something imperfect in a photograph it makes the picture more real. Photographs that are slick, smooth, and imperfect seem less honest to me.

Perishability in a photograph is important in a picture. If a photograph looks perishable we say, Gee, I'm glad I have that moment.

If you want something to look interesting, don’t light all of it.