Apollo 11 Photos and Problems Photographers Face Everywhere

Apollo 11 Photos and Problems Photographers Face Everywhere

by Nfidel | Published on July 23rd, 2009, 10:07 am | Arts

I've always thought it amazing that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin captured nothing but awe inspiring photos while on the moon's surface during the Apollo 11 mission. Today while looking at the mission's evidently unedited series of photos taken from the surface of the moon, I find the astronauts in fact made many common mistakes.

Some of the mistakes made: subject walking out of frame, out of focus, accidental shutter release. It also seems that Neil Armstrong experimented with composition and the results weren't always pleasing. Having said that, I still think it amazing that an engineer/ test pilot captured some of history's most iconic photographs. Given the location, NASA and the astronauts could have simply taken bland pictures to document the moon, but there does seem to have been some creative effort. IIRC, the specially made Hasselblad camera used had no viewfinder, making the task all the more difficult. Imagine trying to take good photos with a film camera, at the beach mid morning with a much brighter sun than usual, with no viewfinder, autofocus or auto exposure.

Here is a link to the photos.
http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_gallery.html
Scroll down about two-thirds of the page to the heading "Apollo 11 Hasselblad Film Magazine 40/S Unabridged" to view the photos.

Ive been reading "Magnificent Desolation" by Buzz Aldrin and he actually mentions Neil's photography a bit and the things they had to do to accommodate it. Overall a pretty good read thus far.

I expect that part of the training for the mission was to make an effort to get the best photos possible while they were there. After all -- even test pilots and engineers couldn't help but be aware of how important that mission would be, history-wise.

Sanjuro wrote:Ive been reading "Magnificent Desolation" by Buzz Aldrin and he actually mentions Neil's photography a bit and the things they had to do to accommodate it. Overall a pretty good read thus far.

Thanks for mentioning the book. I'll have to read it. I followed the moon landings closely when they happened. I remember I got really pissed during one of the missions when an astronaut aimed the video camera at the sun and fried it. Crappy visuals the rest of the time they were on the surface.

SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:I expect that part of the training for the mission was to make an effort to get the best photos possible while they were there. After all -- even test pilots and engineers couldn't help but be aware of how important that mission would be, history-wise.

You're right. I remember seeing something about just this in a documentary. I seem to recall that NASA hired some photographers to train the astronauts. And I didn't intend to denigrate "test pilots and engineers". After all we wouldn't have made it to the Moon without them. I just meant the photos seemed more creative or artistic than one would hope for on a scientific mission.

Nfidel wrote:...I didn't intend to denigrate "test pilots and engineers". After all we wouldn't have made it to the Moon without them. I just meant the photos seemed more creative or artistic than one would hope for on a scientific mission.

Oh, I didn't even think you were putting them down. I think any mature person would readily admit that people who concentrate on one area of expertise like engineering can become total klutzes when it comes to things they never train for.

BTW, thanx for the link to the Apollo archives. That is an absolute treasure trove of images. Like the pre-Apollo images, where Kennedy (interested) and Johnson (bored) are getting briefed on the Apollo project.

I was also struck by how much the interior of the Apollo capsule resembled a Navy ship bridge. Painted the same color, I believe. LOL

I think this is a perfect reason why we need to go back to the moon. With today's hi-res technology, imagine how much more we will all learn and see from crisp, clear photos..... It will be alien all again.