The iconic photographs of the Apollo 11 moon landing were primarily taken by the astronauts themselves. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had specially designed cameras to capture their historic moment on the lunar surface.
Specifically, Armstrong took many of the first photos, including the famous shot of Aldrin standing on the moon, as well as the breathtaking views of the lunar landscape. Aldrin, in turn, captured several images of Armstrong during their exploration. The cameras used were Hasselblad 500ELs, customized for the mission with modifications to function well in the challenging moon environment.
In addition to these on-site photographs, NASA’s lunar module pilot also used a variety of film stocks for different purposes, ensuring the resulting images could convey the extraordinary experience of walking on the moon. It’s telling that while some images are undoubtedly iconic, many were also taken to document the mission’s scientific objectives and record details for future analysis.