Framing the Action: How One Penn Student Found His Focus

Ethan Young, current Penn sophomore studying Political Science and History, first discovered his love of photography as a highschooler in Philadelphia. In his junior year, he began taking photos of his school’s sports teams and events for the school’s newspaper. This passion made a seamless transition once Ethan started at Penn, where he currently travels with the basketball team to document games, and is currently an editor at The Daily Pennsylvanian.

“Since I have arrived at Penn, I have really enjoyed having the opportunity and platform to cover events that have impacted the Penn and broader Philadelphia community and get to work with other photographers who have different talents and interests.”

Due to the scope of his work, the Vitale Digital Media Lab has played an integral part in Young’s college experience. Unlike the majority of Penn students, Ethan discovered the lab within his first week on campus when a fellow DP photographer recommended he check out our facilities. Since then, he visits the lab each week to reserve camera bodies, lenses, flashes, and card readers to help him fulfill his many responsibilities on campus.

“Vitale has been instrumental in supporting my work with the DP, the basketball team, and the Netter Center. Having access to state-of-the-art equipment, along with the opportunity to ask questions to lab technicians, has provided me with the tools I need to pursue the work I love. The specialized equipment has been so crucial in allowing me to make sure that my images are sharp, and that I am able to document whatever action might occur at a sporting event or a political rally.”

In addition to sports and campus events, Young has been working with the Netter Center to inspire young teenagers to get into photography and digital arts. Recently, as part of the Participatory Action Art Mentorship Program, or PAAM, Ethan teamed up with a group of West Philadelphia high school students to recreate their favorite album covers using digicams borrowed from the Vitale Digital Media Lab (you can learn more about our digicams here). The students went around campus to recreate their favorite covers and used editing software to make them come to life. While Ethan has done many interesting projects, this one in particular intrigued me. It’s a reminder that while having access to high end equipment is great— NOT having it should never stop you from being creative!

“We have been fortunate enough to make use of the equipment from Vitale (both DSLRs and mirrorless cameras and also digicams) to help students who are passionate about photography learn how to work with more technical equipment and find ways to tell stories through photography. Projects have included photo essays, photo shoots using studio lighting and specialized backdrops, and photo editing.”

Check out more of Ethan’s incredible work. If you’re feeling inspired, be sure to check out Vitale’s lending website to start making equipment reservations today!