I have seen a UFO!! but I did not take picture.. DOohhhhh

Can I just add that I am of the older generation and it takes me far too long to make my phone take a picture. I've missed plenty of stuff our cat does because I'm too slow.
However just the other day I was thinking that the reason people don't think of taking a picture is not freezing or being in awe.
It's the assessment time.
I know, because I saw something the other day and had to look at it for quite some time to assess if it was even worthy documenting. Well it wasn't, but it took me some time to establish that it wasn't a UFO.

However if it was a UFO and a fast one, people still need to assess what it is first, if they figure it out, then brilliant.
It takes quite some time to check if it is your eyes, a chinese lantern, a bird, a star or whatever. Most people will not yank their phones out at everything they see, because they might have to do that a lot and most of the time for nothing.

Once you established it's worth it, the second stop for documenting it is that you don't want to lose sight of it. You want to look at it continually as it could just disappear and you yearn for more information. You put your personal curiosity before providing evidence. I once ran from a proper sighting to get my husband and wish I'd have just looked at it a bit more as it had disappeared by the time he came upstairs [also no phone cameras at the time].

Then, after all that, if it is still there will people get their phones out.

By then it's either gone or you'll get some footage. But humans are humans and I just wanted to explain why we don't think: 'film it first', then do all the other stuff.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: Spacespider

Dude, I once saw one too and I just froze. Don't beat yourself up about it bro.

I've done the same, it's like your so involved watching this UFO that everything stops.

But yeah OP we need to start taking out or phones, after all what else are they good for except stupid selfies lol.

a reply to: Perfectenemy

Or immediately declared photoshopped

Keep em coming..

*insert a million trivial lame excuses here why I have not*

a reply to: whyamIhere

I am a painter and I work outside a lot. My standard uniform is cut offs and a T-shirt. My phone doesn't even fit in my back pocket and I don't typically have other pockets. After having three different phones smashed in various ways, I stopped taking my phone out there entirely. Plus, when I'm painting and glance up at the sky, I've got a palette in one hand and a brush in the other. If I catch a glimpse of something moving really fast, I'm not going to have time to stow my tools and get the paint off my fingers so I can fiddle with my phone. I'm glued on what I'm watching because if I look away, I'm going to miss it.

I ran for my binoculars a few weeks ago because I saw something moving slowly enough that I decided to make a sprint into the house...but I didn't care about getting a pic. I wanted to see this sucker close up before it disappeared. I actually did get a photo, but it was tiny and far away and shows no detail...just like it looked to my eyes from that distance. If I trotted that out, people would be crying drone or balloon or the ever-popular lens flare. I can assure you it was none of those things.

Honestly, though, if someone ponied up a clear closeup in perfect lighting of an obvious alien craft, someone on this forum would scream it was shopped. At least one person would refuse to believe it...and I'm betting it would be one of the ones who cry loudest about no one ever having photos for proof. Show them a photo and they still won't be satisfied.

Know why? Because they don't really want photos from other people's sightings. They want to see something real and tangible for themselves. In person. And somehow, that translates to this incessant demand for more proof, better proof, proofier proof.

I've spoken to a lot of people who have claimed to have seen a UFO. And I think the smug ones, the ones who sneer at people for not being prepared 24/7 to capture a random UFO sighting at a moment's notice, have never actually witnessed a true UFO sighting. And somewhere in the back of their minds, they realize this. And so they feel compelled to rip the testimony of other witnesses to shreds...this is true whether said accounts come with accompanying photos or not. And the only thing that is ever going to satisfy those people is for them to experience a truly unexplainable sighting.

When you see one, your brain knows it...even if you don't consciously realize it. And cameras are going to take second fiddle to keeping your eyes glued on something that most people won't witness in a lifetime. Smug and superior is the very last thing a person feels when they witness something that profound.

I really like the old photos too. I've seen lots of those that I believe are the real deal. Of course I've seen some new ones that are pretty compelling, too. But it's so easy for people to fake things now that I am wary of most photos and footage...especially on YouTube. It really is a bummer...takes some of the magic out of the whole thing when you've got to ask yourself if it's just another phony image.

a reply to: Spacespider

I never saw a UFO, but once a remarkably beautiful woman flashed me her chest. I, too, failed to take a picture. I've regretted it ever since.

a reply to: tigertatzen



I was trying to take a picture for a Partner.

OP wants me to film a UFO...

a reply to: Spacespider

If the picture isn't close enough to see intricate detail of the ship or if you can't capture an alien waving at the camera, skeptics will consider it cgi, a drone, a hoax or just another light in the sky. In this day and age, photos are easy to fake and skeptics will use it to disprove your sighting. It's not worth the aggravation, so I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

a reply to: Spacespider

I did not see a ufo, but what I did see was a very large Eagle with a full grown cat in its mouth flying away about three feet from me. I was in such shock at what I was seeing it didn't even occur to me to take a pic until it was too far to see anything. I think that is the same scenario with most people when they see something out of the ordinary. Unless it is a camera that records on a house or car a lot of things will be missed.

originally posted by: whyamIhere
a reply to: tigertatzen

I was trying to take a picture for a Partner.

OP wants me to film a UFO...

Hahahaaaa!! How are you with a sketch pad and a pen instead?

I can't even remember to snap a pic of my son when he's being awesome or cute, so i'm not holding my breath that i'll ever have a photo of any suspected "ufo"

-Alee

At the moment the big triangle flew over me, I was just excited that I was actually seeing one. That's all I could really think about. Convincing other people didn't come to mind until afterward.

My phone was in my pocket and everything. I could have taken a video of it slowly flying in and over the top of me. Then again, if I had I might be in some dark room somewhere chained to a wall.

Maybe these things are best just being seen? I'm of the paranoid variety though.

a reply to: Spacespider

Mate you have no idea......

a reply to: tigertatzen
Couldn't agree more, I had a close sighting about a year ago, I was with a friend in the country. We watched tis thing for 5 min 'floating' around and we were so totally and completely engaged in the sighting neither of us got a pic. Whats even weirder was I thought about grabbing my camera which was only 50ft away from me the simple thought of capturing it on camera seemed so ridiculous for some reason.

But like you say, even if I had caught it on camera people would just say it cgi etc so at least I don't have the frustration of trying to convince folk.

I've seen 4 and I have no pictures of any of them.
UFO #1: This was before most people were using cell phones, and the only camera in the house was this old antique thing that my parents had stashed away somewhere. I didn't wanna leave the window to go look for it in case I missed anything, and I didn't even know how to use it.
UFO #2: I was in a car and only saw it for a second as we went around a turn. I had nothing to take a picture with anyway.
UFO #3: I was standing outside on the deck smoking a cigarette and happened to see it shooting through the sky when I looked up at the trees. It was moving so fast that even if my flip phone had been good enough to get a picture of it, I wouldn't have had time to.
UFO #4: It was hovering over a field next to the road at night. I stopped to watch it. I don't remember if I had my flip phone at the time but even if I did, the camera barely took pictures in perfect conditions, so any picture I would have taken would have been completely useless.

a reply to: Spacespider

Yes, because EVERYONE walks around at the ready to just snap pictures of #. Honestly, this is one of the stupidest threads I have seen here at ATS in a long time.

If I ever see UFOs again and I say this having seen anomalous objects in the sky. I know my crappy camera on my cheap phone would do a terrible job capturing them. Though if I did see something recently I wouldn't talk about it on here unless I had damn good evidence to post...and even then I would be reluctant.

a reply to: Spacespider

Well show us then. Lead by example!

Because for instance in my case when i spend time outside i do it to get Away from technology and spend time with nature.I don"t drag my phone along with me.I have a camera which i sometimes take outside with me for the occasional bird shot so next time a striking ufo sighting comes along hopefully i can catch at least one viable shot.We have had a lot of sightings here including 2 rather spectacularly fascinating ones.I didn"t have my camera back then though - and though you may find it strange - even if i Did - when something like that happens it is so damn Riveting,one becomes so instantly caught up that the last thing on one's mind is running inside for a camera.

But look i understand your frustration. However unless you have a phone or camera with you at all times,every minute when you're outside you will likely be surprised when it happens. Ufo's don't give advance notice of their appearing.
Ever heard of the "rabbit in the headlights" type thing? That is usually what happens.If you do not have your camera or phone with you chances are you are not going to be able to run for them to get them.

Anyway if i ever happen to have my camera outside and have a sighting of course i will try to get shots of it.

a reply to: tigertatzen

Wish i could give you more than one star for that post,Very well said