The Bean (Cloud Gate), 201 E. Randolph Street

 

The Bean stood there in front of me and somehow she was unrecognizable, like a friend I hadn’t seen in years. I remembered her being polished and radiant, yet somehow over the years she had lost some of her luster. Nevertheless, she still demanded the attention of the people surrounding her, people who wanted to be photographed with her, people who traveled from long distances just to lay their hands upon her. She stole my attention and had me in awe as I admired the simplistic yet remarkable detail that had gone into her creation.

The light flew off of her body and shadows were cast upon the ground creating shade under the beating sun. People surrounded her from all angles: the rear, the front, the sides, and underneath. The reflection of the buildings across her face astonished me and I knew I wanted more.

I gripped my camera tightly as I captured every curve and I released my fingers momentarily as I searched for the perfect angle. I wanted to do it right the first time and put the photography skills I had learned at BlogHouse into practice. I settled upon a few frames which I felt fully capture her essence, and I put them here, in this photo essay.

 

The surrounding area is full of people waiting to capture her beauty

 

The reflection off of her body is unparalleled