23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Climbing the Bean Mountain

In May 2025, the stacked form of beans in the grains and cereals section of a supermarket inspired my creation. I used the telephoto end of a 24-120mm lens with a small aperture to capture the texture of beans stacked like “mountains”, establishing the visual foundation of the image. Afterwards, I shot action silhouettes via a green screen and integrated them into the scene, making the tiny figure appear to be climbing the bean mountain. The ordinary beans in a daily supermarket are transformed into “mountains” through the lens, and the climbing figure endows them with humanistic tension. This breaks the boundary between traditional landscapes and modern consumer spaces, connecting ordinary life with cultural heritage through interesting collage.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Shanghai, China
Camera: NIKON Z 7_2
Copyright: © Jian Wang