Swimming Hall of Fame Exhibits Panoramic Photographs of Olympia

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, January 22. IN celebration of the 2004 Summer Olympics recently held in Athens, Greece, the International Swimming Hall of Fame ISHOF) is pleased to present a special exhibition of panoramic photographs of Ancient Olympia (776 B.C.).

This exhibition opened Friday January 21, 2005 and runs through the end of April, 2005. Museum hours are Monday – Sunday, 9:00AM – 5:00PM. Admission is $5 family, $3 adults and $1 students, seniors and military. Children under six are free.

Shot in the early 1990's as a promotion for Greece, these unique 360- degree panoramas were created to educate the world about the origin of today's International Olympic competition. Exhibit curator Peter C. Yalanis along with internationally acclaimed panoramic photographer, Michael James Lawton, covered more than 20 locations throughout Greece and her islands from Thessalonica to the Peloponnese, shooting thousands of images in 360-degree rotary panoramic, wide angle, 120mm, 35mm and fish-eye formats.

The exhibit includes 18 images of ancient Olympia (in sizes from 4' to 8') with descriptive narrative. Historic information researched and written by Yalanis, with the assistance of former Georgetown University associate professor Dessie Kardaras, PhD (Ancient Greek) identifies each panorama and describes significant aspects and practices that occurred during the first Olympiads. A series of twelve 2' x 8' mini posters, featuring an Olympian panorama on one side and descriptive history on the reverse is also part of the exhibit. Enhancing the photographic presentation are 18 Olympic medals received by (ISHOF's) swimmers, divers and water polo players from 17 Olympiads.

Peter C. Yalanis, who hails from Bristol, Connecticut has enjoyed a diverse career, which began in radio and progressed to advertising and marketing with a short stint in comedy and music in Chicago. He also worked for Lake Compounce, America's oldest amusement park located in Bristol/Southington, CT, serving in a variety of roles from ownership- transition manager and group sales coordinator to museum curator.
Throughout his varied career, Yalanis gained experience as a
photographer and videographer. His work with panoramic photographer
Michael Lawton on "Project Panoramic Greece" introduced him to the
exciting world of panoramic photography. He created "Dogs Up A Tree
Photos" in 2000, to develop along with Lawton, unique panoramic
photography projects involving international locations and events. Yalanis plans to tour the "Ancient Olympia" exhibit to other cities as well as Greece.

Michael James Lawton, is a 35-year veteran of rotary panoramic
photography. He is a master at producing startling photographs that
encompass more of a scene than can be seen with the naked eye. In the
early 1970's, after months of trying to produce a color panoramic
photograph for a client by combining frames with expensive retouching, he decided there had to be a better way. Three years later, he and a friend of a panoramic camera that would produce a razor sharp, 360-degree image through a seamless strip of medium film format. Lawton has photographed for National Geographic, NASA (U.S. and Soviet space programs Apollo-Soyuz missions), Citgo Oil Company and a host of other clients. He was the only photographer in the world to capture panoramic images of Mt. St. Helens before and after the eruption and was invited by the White House to photograph President Reagan's 1986 inaugural address. Lawton resides in one of his three favorite locations: Glastonbury, CT, Albuquerque, NM and Stallion Springs, CA.

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