Let the Games Begin!!

Once again, it is time for the summer Olympics. I'm excited. Who isn't?? The swimming, the gymnastics, the ping pong . . . ok, I'm kidding about that last one (but it IS an Olympic sport!). It's so neat to watch as the world comes together peacefully to compete -- wouldn't it be wonderful if we could live like that all the time?

We've been touched a couple of times by the Olympics. I was at the announcement party when it was announced that Salt Lake City would host the 2002 Winter Olympics -- and of course, we lived here during that time, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to attend some of the events. This year, we were touched by them in an out-of-the-ordinary way. My husband works for, and has worked for, Kennecott Utah Copper since we moved here in 1995. This year, Rio Tinto, a world leader in finding, mining and processing the earth's mineral resources that is based in London and the parent company of Kennecott, is the exclusive provider of metal for the 2012 Olympics, with most of the metal coming from Kennecott. You can read more about their process if you click on the link above.

My sweet hubby holding the 2012 Olympic medals provided by Rio Tinto.

Here are a few interesting Olympic Medal Facts you might not know: 

• This is the largest medal (size and weight) in the history of the summer games. 
• The IOC requires a minimum of 6 grams of gold per medal. 
• The front of the 2012 Olympic medal features Nike, the goddess of sport/victory; the back of the medal represents an amphitheater crossed by the River Thames, as well as the 2012 Olympic logo.
• The front of the 2012 Paralympic medal depicts the wings of Nike and the depicts the area close to her heart and represents the heart of a champion. 
• The last pure gold medals were awarded in 1912.
• It wasn't until the St. Louis Olympics in 1904 that the gold medal was introduced as the prize for first place.  
• The gold medal is made up of 92.5% silver, 1.34% gold, and the remainder copper.
• The silver medal is 92.5% silver and the remainer copper.
• The bronze medal is 97.0% copper, 2.5% zinc, and 0.5% tin.  
• The Olympic medals are designed especially for each individual Olympic games by the host city's organizing committee.  
• The ore for the 2012 medals was mined on opposite sides of the world -- the Kennecott Mine in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia.  The metal's journey, from extraction to production, took a month and a half and involved a team of over 2,000.  

Photo of the front side of the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, for the Olympics (top) and the Paralympics (bottom).

We are proud to be part of the bigger picture, and proud that Rio Tinto was given this opportunity.  We are also proud of all the athletes who have trained so hard to participate in these 2012 Olympic games.  So, we'll see you there, I suppose, in front of the television these next two weeks, as we watch with awe and admiration these athletes who have given so much to be the best at what they do.  Let the Games begin!  Until next time,


 

Photo Basics -- Week 3 Assignment -- Composition

So here we are, already on week three!   This week, we learned about composition.  Definition:  A pleasing arrangement of subject matter elements within the picture area."  Okay.  SO . . . our assignment is to:
**Post 3 images that incorporate elements of composition such as: lines, shapes, color, patterns, framing, simplicity, texture.
**Remember to avoid mergers, cut-offs, and think about the rule of thirds!
(You are free to choose whether you would like to focus on depth of field–using aperture–, or motion–using shutter speed.)

I had a lot of fun this week taking LOTS of photos!  And then uploading them to my camera and realizing that I should have taken a few more seconds looking around the viewfinder, asking myself if I was cutting anything off, or if there was anything that offended me about this photo.  BUT!  That is the beauty of digital photography!!  You can take and delete, take and delete!  I found subjects throughout the valley, from a pasture near my home, to Millcreek Canyon, to my own backyard.  Here is what I came up with:

PHOTO #1:

ISO-250

1/25

f/32

Taken up Millcreek Canyon.  Going for the implied motion of the water, but also the lines of the trees and branches directing your eye to the waterfall.

PHOTO #2:

ISO-250

1/60

f/11

Going for the "sweet spot."  Wanted everything in focus, and used the shapes and lines to draw attention to my subject (my good-natured and handsome hubby!)

PHOTO #3:

ISO-1000

1/800

f/5.6

Wanting to use "singular theme" to focus on my puppy, Sydnie, by slightly blurring the grass in front of her, but also using framing to draw attention to her sweet face.  I'm hoping I did the rule of thirds correct here, as well! 

 

So, those are my submissions of this week.  Many more I would like opinions on, but will save them for another time!  I'm excited to see everyone's photos this week.  Until tomorrow, namaste!!