The characteristics of a beautiful photograph are simple. It should catch the interest of the viewer. It could be abstract, or the message could be clear, as long as it says something. I also think composition is very important. Where you place subjects can make the photograph. At least for me, a variety of emotions can be very pleasing to look at, and like I mentioned before, it gets you thinking.
Yes, something "ugly" can be photographed to be beautiful. It all depends on the photographer. Whatever the photographer decides to take a photo of can be their opinion of what is beautiful, and maybe that person took the picture to display a different kind of beauty then the typical beauty. Everyone has their opinion of what is beautiful. It could be a group of smiling people, or the ocean in the middle of a storm. Or maybe it's someone who is really sad because of something that happened, and someone helping that person in a time of need. Also, the opinion of beauty is different for every viewer of the photograph. An ugly photograph can be beautiful because of the story behind it.
This photograph is beautiful because it tells a story. Sure, what happened to make this person cry may not have been the beautiful part, but it makes you wonder why the person is crying, it makes you want to know the story. Tears are real, and real is beautiful.
