If you like taking photos and think you have a good eye for striking images, sign up to participate in this fall’s “A Day in the Life of Penn” photography project.

The initiative, led by the Office of University Communications, is a campus-wide event designed to document the pace and energy of life at Penn through the lenses of the University’s students, faculty, and staff over the course of a single day, Wednesday, Nov. 14.

The final online display of photographs will be showcased on the University’s Flickr page and posted on Penn websites for all to see.

Last spring, the inaugural “A Day in the Life of Penn,” project, conducted on April 12, drew the participation of nearly 60 photographers who submitted more than 400 images of campus life. They shared photos that were taken from every corner of the University, from classrooms, study lounges, and dining halls, to surgery suites, research labs, and gallery spaces. Photos were also snapped at the Morris Arboretum, New Bolton Center, and across the globe.

On Nov. 14, photographers participating in the project can start snapping at 12:01 a.m. Others may choose to take photos during their lunch hours, and many may carry their cameras with them all day long and well into the evening. The day of shooting will officially end at midnight.

The photo submission deadline is noon on Friday, Nov. 16.

Previous “A Day in the Life” photographs have depicted some of Penn’s iconic campus landmarks in creative ways, including Houston Hall with the glow of late afternoon light streaming through its stained glass windows, nighttime images of the “LOVE” and “Covenant” sculptures, and a stunning early morning photo of the spires of the Lower Quad. Luis Cornejo, a senior programmer for the Perelman School of Medicine, says he took that photo of the Quad in April using his Nikon D90 camera while on his way to work.

“I happened to notice the sun just hitting the spires at the Lower Quad gate,” he explains. “With the blue sky and moon in the background, it made for a nice composition.”

Another one of Cornejo’s photos chosen for the spring project was a classic image of campus life showing a group of students carrying book bags emblazoned with the Penn logo taken at the height of the afternoon lunch rush at his favorite food truck, Hemos, at 37th and Spruce streets.

Nursing student Jillian Kaltman also took several photos in her anatomy lab to reflect a typical day in class, studying various models in-depth with a lab partner and using iPad anatomy app technology.

Both Kaltman and Cornejo are gearing up for the fall “Day in the Life” shoot. Kaltman says she’ll likely opt to take a more creative route with the photos that she captures. Cornejo is scouting out more unique perspectives of campus. “Every time I walk around campus, I find something visually interesting I hadn’t noticed before,” he says. “It’s just a matter of filing the idea away and being able to recall it when needed.” 

“A Day in the Life” submission guidelines are available at the “A Day in the Life” website.