Two of the best photographs of UAP were taken in 1950 and 1971

For over 35 years, I’ve used my Nikon 300mm f/2.8 ED IF lens to photograph wildlife. It was initially matched with a Nikon F4 camera body, back in the days when we used colour transparency film like Kodachrome 25 and 64 and Fujichrome Velvia. Then came the digital era and I swapped to using a Nikon D300 DX body. My 300mm lens then effectively gave me a focal length of 453mm. Anyway, this impressive professional telephoto lens alone weighs 2.85kg or 6.28lb - without a camera body being attached. And I need a sturdy Manfrotto tripod or heavy bean bag to eliminate camera shake to get sharp photographic images. When you’re travelling overseas with this equipment, boarding flights, then walking miles in the middle of nowhere, it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Nikon 300mm f/2.8 ED IF lens

Nowadays, most of us have a smartphone. This clever device allows us to talk to each other, send and receive messages, access all kinds of information via the internet, play music - as well as easily take, share, and store photos. The smartphone is lightweight and can be kept in your pocket. It’s designed for convenience and can make photography accessible for the laziest of people.

But the smartphone can’t take a clear image of an object far away. If you try to capture an aircraft up in the sky, for example - or, if you’re lucky enough to see a UAP - the resulting image will be disappointingly fuzzy. When people ask why aren’t there good photos of UAP or UFOs, most don’t appreciate the optics involved in photography. Avi Loeb of Harvard University clearly does understand this, as he’s used to looking at and photographing objects even further away than myself. Avi and the Galileo Project are getting close to being able to use their pioneering UAP-scope on the roof of Harvard University, fitted with 10 inch telescopes, and any results are likely to show impressive definition.

Meanwhile, we have to go back many decades to find two of the best photographs of these unknown objects or craft taken to date. One of the earliest was from 11th May 1950. Paul and Evelyn Trent were farmers in Oregon, USA. They saw a slow-moving, metallic disk coming towards them and Paul Trent managed to take two prints using his Kodak camera.

One of the two photographs taken by Paul Trent from his farm in May 1950 (Credit: Paul Trent)

The Trents were considered by everyone who knew them to be honest farm folk. Evelyn died in 1997 and Paul died in 1998. They insisted throughout their lives that the sighting and photos were genuine - and there was never a hint of financial gain or any other such exploitation. Analysis of the negatives and prints suggested authenticity.

On 4th September 1971, the Costa Rican National Geographic Institute was taking aerial photos from 10,000ft of Lake Cote and the surrounding area as part of preliminary studies for a future hydroelectric project. They were using a large map-making camera weighing 45kg or 100lb, rigged to the floor of a twin-engine Canadian Twin Commander F680 aeroplane, taking a photographic image every few seconds. One frame caught an unknown metallic disk, estimated to be 120-220ft in diameter. Analysis of the negative eliminated tricks of light as an explanation.

Sergio Loaiza, a specialist in aerial photography, plus geographer Juan Bravo and topographer Francisco Reyes, saw nothing as they did their work up in the sky. It wasn’t until later, as they carefully examined their prints, that the mysterious disk was noticed. This is a clear image, taken with a high-quality mapping camera, operated by an experienced professional crew, working for a government project. It was not a hoax.

The mysterious disk is obvious against the dark water to the right-hand side of the photo. (Credit: Costa Rican National Geographic Institute/Sergio Loaiza)

Both of the photographs above are good. They show “something” that’s intriguing. But there’s no clear detail of these unknown objects or craft.

With the advent of Photoshop and CGI (computer-generated imagery), hoaxes are an obvious problem for UAP photos to be taken seriously in the modern world. Seeing is no longer believing, as a result of this blurring of reality and fiction. It will take a remarkable image, showing sufficient detail, obtained by a reputable source (such as Avi Loeb’s Galileo Project), using suitable equipment, to arouse serious interest - and, even then, that won’t be enough for some people.

Written by Iain Scott, 9th May 2022