Wyndham Wisdom

Grinding the Bean

How to work an icon for all it's worth

By Bob Krist

MAKING TIME
Never be satisfied with shooting only once. Some icons look best in the early morning, others in late afternoon. But even if you've shot in the "right" light, go back at least twice. The Bean is so reflective that it looks radically different as the day progresses. I found that twilight gave the most interesting results: The sky's rich blue was amplified and the skyline glowed warmly.

HOW ABOUT THAT WEATHER?
Sounds strange for vacation, but hope for unusual weather--say, a light fog or a driving snowstorm. Extreme conditions can provide a rare view of your icon. Be brave and get out there to capture the moment.

GO BIG (OR SMALL)
Your telephoto and wide-angle lenses can help you come up with fresh angles and juxtapositions. I used my fisheye lens up close to, and even inside, the Bean. The lens's extreme curvature created a lot of great perspectives; my shot aiming straight up one side of the sculpture looks like something out of a psychedelic 60s movie.

ACTION STARS
Get a new look at an icon by making it the background to a moment. I was in Chicago during prom season, and flocks of gussied-up high schoolers were shooting pictures of each other in front of the Bean. I did the same thing, often hanging back with a long lens so all I saw were the kids and the warped reflection of the skyline.

LESS CAN DO MORE
Some icons are so, well, iconic that you only need to show part of them. For example, if you shoot a little café scene with the top of Tower Bridge in the background, you've placed your shot in London. For the Bean, I tried zooming in on the reflected skyline, nothing else.

DOUBLE TAKES
Look for reflections of your icon in windows, sunglasses, even rain puddles. These fleeting glimpses often lend an impressionistic air to the shot. Using any of these tips can put a new spin on a photograph--and maybe allow you to create your own masterpiece.