Footprints & Photographs : The Selection Of A Visual Story, A Study Of The Apollo 11 Photographs In The Illustrated Press

Footprints and Photographs is a preliminary investigation of the selection process photographs undergo from production to eventual publication in the illustrated press. The analysis considers the roles and selection choices made by a photographic producer, a photo-agency, and picture-editors in two separate groups of Apollo 11 photographs and a selection of published Apollo 11 images. This argument presents a comparative analysis of nine illustrated publications with photographs of the Apollo 11 moon landing published between July and December 1969. The comparison is completed in conjuncture with 2,124 original Apollo 11 photographs in NASA's Online Image Library and 149 press photographs in the Black Star Collection held at Ryerson University. A literature survey and methodology section provides historical context and explanatory research methods employed throughout this paper. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 are dedicated to the categorical analysis of each group of Apollo 11 photographs and outline the selection of imagery available for depiction of the event's narrative. By analyzing these three bodies of work as a whole, this thesis examines the narrowing perspective of the Apollo 11 photographs as they move through the stages of selection, concluding with their published accounts, and highlights the role this selection plays in building the visual narrative surrounding the first manned moon landing.