“A little to the left”: NASA astronauts compose images just like us, even on the Moon

 

 

While they weren't trained photographers, the astronauts on the Apollo 15 mission were nonetheless tasked with capturing images in space and on the surface of the moon. Using specialized Hasselblad cameras, the three astronauts on the mission all captured a large variety of images.

In the video below, you can see astronauts David Scott and Jim Irwin capturing photos. The two can be heard discussing possible compositions and aperture settings. "A little to the left. Let's try another setting. How about an f/8?" says Irwin. Scott responds, "Yes, try an f/8." Even in space, the decisions a photographer has to make aren't so different after all. For the full transcript of the mission, all 1238 pages of it, are available here. (The exchange above is on page 738). 

The video quality is not particularly good (this was 1971, after all), but the Apollo 15 team did come back with some really high-quality photographs. With their specially-engineered Hasselblad cameras, they captured an impressive amount of detail.

 

Apollo 15 Hasselblad image from film magazine 92/OO - EVA-2

To see the rest of the images taken during the Apollo 15 mission and other Apollo missions, make sure to check out the Project Apollo Archive on Flickr.

(Via DIY Photography and Phogotraphy)