Photographer Pat Little will have his own exhibition open in the Penn State All-Sports Museum, titled “The Way I Saw It.” The exhibit will feature his sports photography work, with photos dating back to 1977. 

Penn State alumnus and Centre County native Pat Little has worked for numerous publications, including the Centre Daily Times, Philadelphia Journal, and the Associated Press. He first began taking photographs in 1977 and worked for the Daily Collegian. After graduating from Penn State in 1977, he attended Ohio University and earned his master’s degree in photojournalism in 1991. 

His initial interest in sports photography was sparked after taking his first job in Philadelphia for a start-up sports newspaper. Little’s boss served as a mentor to him, and when he returned to State College a year later, he was able to use the skills he was taught. 

“I happened to walk into it, and then I happened to meet the best sports photographer I ever would meet. And he was my boss, and I worked with him for a year, and he basically gave me a master class in sports photography,” Little said.

The initial planning for the exhibition began in the spring of 2024, with Little collaborating alongside the museum to select a wide range of images that would be displayed in the exhibition. The scope of the exhibit will encompass his images from 1977 to 2005, and it will feature photos that capture the various aspects of sporting events, including athletes, crowds, and venues. 

“It was done to create a feeling or a memory or something about that era that will touch you in some way,” Little said. 

Little shared that he had to sort through thousands of negatives to select photos for the exhibition. He feels that although the process of sorting through images has been extensive, he has found satisfaction in rediscovering forgotten images dating back to 1977.

The museum gave Little around eight months to sort through his negatives, and he returned with 5,000 photo options. He emphasised the importance of keeping an organized log of negatives and taking care of them to maintain their quality.

“Probably one biggest key to everything I’ve ever done was I always took care of my negatives. I always made sure they were processed properly, and everything was on,” Little said.

The feature photo for the exhibition is Little’s most famous photo, showing a Nittany Lion with a baby Nittany Lion sitting on top of his head. He recalls capturing this image only weeks after first picking up a camera. 

Before the exhibition is finalized, the museum is still awaiting the arrival of physical items that will be included. For further updates on the exhibition’s opening, you can visit the All-Sports Museum’s website.