Are There Really No Photos Of Neil Armstrong On The Moon?

Here's a question that surfaces on the Internet every now and then (and not from the usual suspects of conspiracy theorists and cranks): why are there so few photographs of Neil Armstrong on the Moon?

There are people under the belief that there are no photos of Neil Armstrong on the Moon. This is not the case. There are photographs of the first man on the Moon, as well as plenty of footage. 

However, it is true that there are very few photographs of him on there. In fact, the trash bags the crew left on the lunar surface feature in more photographs than Neil Armstrong.

There are photos of Armstrong on the Moon, although one is of him reflected in Buzz Aldrin's visor, and one is of his backside. 

Neil Armstrong reflected in Buzz Aldrin's visor.

Image credit: NASA

Not his best angle.

Image credit: NASA

There are other stills of Armstrong on the Moon, though they were shot by movie cameras onboard the Lunar Module. In one, he is seen raising the US flag with Buzz Aldrin, while another gives a view of his face.

Neil Armstrong's face seen from the Lunar Module camera.

Image credit: NASA/Andrew Chaikin

The reason for the lack of photographs is fairly simple; Armstrong was the one holding the camera for the majority of their time on the Moon. There are plenty of photos of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon as a result, though both later said that they were not at all focused on who was included in the photographs, concentrating on the mission at hand.