Spectators stand on concrete barriers to take souvenir photos of the Olympic cauldron. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

Security measures at the Olympic cauldron in downtown Vancouver have made it so secure visitors can't get a decent picture of it.

The giant steel and glass cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza rises almost 10 metres and sits against a stunning backdrop of Burrard Inlet and the North Shore Mountains.

But the flaming symbol of the Vancouver Olympics is also surrounded by concrete barriers and wire fencing to deter vandals.

This has forced photographers to peer helplessly through their viewfinders, hoping to line up a shot 50 metres away from the monument B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell has called "one of the most … visible icons of the Games."

"I think it's crazy," said Jamie Switzer, who struggled unsuccessfully Monday to find the perfect angle from which to photograph his children in front of the flame.

"It totally takes away from the whole thing having to look through chicken wire," Switzer said.

"What a wonderful memento of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to have a picture of your family in front of the torch," visitor Carolyn Schmidt told CBC News. "You can't …do that."