Buzz Aldrin on the Moon with the American Flag 1964 - 1974

This photograph, taken by Neil Armstrong, shows Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon next to an American flag. It's mostly black and white, this ghostly, grainy image. I think about what Neil Armstrong might have been thinking as he shot this picture. It’s such a strange, almost alien place, but then there’s that very familiar flag, planted, sort of flapping in the nothingness. The flag looks almost like a painting against the dark void. It has a kind of gesture, doesn’t it? A sort of frozen wave. I wonder if Armstrong felt the weight of history or the weirdness of this moment. He’s an artist here, framing the shot, thinking about light and shadow, even on the moon. It makes you consider the conversation between photography and painting. Both capture a moment, but they do it in such different ways, with different tools and intentions. I guess what I'm saying is every picture is a painting, even a photo taken on the moon.