Why isn't Neil Armstrong in many Apollo 11 photos?

Question

There is basically only one photo of Niel Armstrong on the moon. All the other photos are of Buzz Aldrin. Why is this?

Answer 1

Neil had the only camera for still photos for the entire time they were on the moon. When they got back and NASA looked at the photos and realized there were NONE of Neil. Then one guy looked closely and in the famous straight on shot of Buzz you can see Neil's reflection in Buzz's faceplate. That remains to this day the only film image of Neil on the surface.

For all missions after that NASA made sure the camera duties were split between both astronauts.

Answer 2

Neil shuns publicity and Buzz revels in it. They should have let Buzz step out first. He is a MUCH better ambassador for the whole lunar landing program than Neil. As it is everyone talks about Neil almost as if Buzz wasn't even there. It isn't fair.

By the way, if you look at the pictures of buzz, he doesn't have a camera in most of them. I guess there was only the one camera and Neil took most of the pictures. Just like I rarely appear in my own vacation pictures but my wife and kids do, because I am usually the one taking the picture.

Answer 3

It was Armstrong's job to take most of the photos. A few were taken by Aldrin, for obvious reasons.

Answer 4

Perhaps Mr Aldrin kept leaving the lens cap on whenever he took a shot! Come to think of it, why wasn't Mike Collins in any of the photos?

Answer 5

He´s in bunches of pictures but mostly videos.
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/video/apollo/apollo11/mpg/apollo11_onbclip09.mpg
There they are, both Neil and Buzz. Neil hops off to take this picture of Buzz at the end of the video.
http://www.solarviews.com/raw/apo/as11_40_5874.jpg
There are several more photos of Neil on the surface but it seems Buzz wasn´t too good a photographer actually. Take a look at the pictures here where Neil is just barely in the shot...
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/AS11-40-5886HR.jpg
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/AS11-40-5916HR.jpg
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/AS11-40-5894HR.jpg
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/AS11-40-5895HR.jpg

And then there is this photo right after that first famous walk on the moon.
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/AS11-37-5529HR.jpg

"That´s it Buzz. I´m taking the pictures from now on. Gimme the camera!"

Answer 6

He took them. Somebody had to.

Addendum: the mission was planned very carefully, practically to the second, including who did what. It made sense at the time, especially since the goal was to "land [a man] on the Moon and return [him] safely to the Earth". Pictures were a nice to have.

Answer 7

Buzz has always been the publicity hound. I even read that he lobbied hard to be the first one out, even though Neil commanded the mission, before they left Earth and the NASA people had to tell him to knock it off.

Neil always seemed like the quiet one. I would attribute to that.

Answer 8

Perhaps Neil was taking the photos.

Answer 9

They took the two black & white and coloration photos. it quite is in many cases demanding to tell which of them are in coloration through fact the Moon is an extremely "black & white" place. in many cases the only signs and indicators of coloration are in the astronauts themselves and their equipment: US flag patches, gold plated equipment, and so on. decrease back in the '60s maximum photographers took the two coloration and black & white photos, in many cases wearing 2 digital camera bodies for the purpose; the astronauts have been no diverse. The black & white photos have been for medical learn; the colour photos for mementos.

Answer 10

Neil doesn't like to be stalked by the paparazzi.