More Than You Think: Lesser-Known UFO Sightings With Photographic Evidence

There have been, without a doubt, some very famous UFO sightings that have resulted in equally famous UFO photographs. Such cases as the McMinnville UFO pictures, or video footage that resulted in numerous still-frame images of the Phoenix Lights incident. There have, though, also been many lesser-known encounters with equally intriguing photographic evidence. In fact, we might contemplate with this abundance of photographs in the public domain, why the subject of UFOs is still dismissed without question by some.

The fact is there are more photographs – many of which have been all but proven to be genuine without tampering – that show objects that very much match the many, many descriptions of apparent spacecraft from elsewhere. And while this doesn’t prove in any way that these mysterious objects are extraterrestrials from elsewhere in the galaxy, it does show that there is very much a phenomenon worthy of serious, scientific, and open-minded investigation.

While we will only explore a handful of some of these lesser-known UFO photograph cases here, for everyone we do examine, there are multiple others on record.

Domed Disc-Shaped Object Captured Over China, Pre-Roswell

Perhaps one of the earliest photographs of a UFO was captured in China, although there is a discrepancy as to exactly when it was captured. ^[1] Some sources offer that the photograph was taken as far back as 1911, by a Japanese journalist in the city of Tienjin.

Others, however, insist the picture was captured in 1942 in the Hopeh Province, just one of whom is Chinese ufologist, Shi Bo. According to his research, in the year in question, “an American man on duty was walking in the street” of an unspecified town “in the north of China” when he suddenly saw “a black hat silently flying above the street”. As soon as he saw the strange object he reached for his camera and took a picture.

Further information comes from researcher and author, Wendelle Steven, who claimed in his book, UFOs over Modern China, that a Japanese student, Masujiro Kiryu was sifting through his father’s old photobook from when he was based in China at the start of the Second World War when he came across the photo in question.

Further, according to Steven’s research, a local man took a picture of the object from the pavement, and Kiryu’s father had arranged to purchase it from him. Wherever the picture originates from, it is certainly an intriguing one.

The Bull Turrentine UFO Photograph

According to an article in the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch, just before noon on July 9^th, 1947 in Norfolk, Virginia, 13-year-old, Bill Turrentine, witnessed and photographed a strange object that was “lots bigger than an automobile”. ^[2] The teenager would immediately take the picture to the local newspaper and was perplexed as to why they hadn’t already had one of their photographers take a picture of it, as well as why there were seemingly no other witnesses.

He would state that the object was “rocking and spinning like a football” as it headed in his direction from the southwest. Furthermore, there were two other, smaller objects trailing behind the larger one, and they appeared to be traveling at a speed of around 600 miles per hour at an approximate altitude of 5000 feet.

He further described the object as “more oval than disc-shaped” and being “gray, almost black” in color with a texture similar to rock or stone. Of particular interest, none of the objects appeared to make a sound and moved across the sky in complete silence.

You can see the picture in question in the newspaper clipping below.

The 1960 Yacanto-Cordoba Picture

At around 4:30 pm on July 3^rd, 1960, Captain Hugo Niotti, a high-ranking officer in the Argentinian Air Force, was driving from Yacanto to Cordoba in Argentina when he noticed a peculiar object hovering a short distance above the ground in a nearby field. ^[3] Immediately realizing he was something completely out of the ordinary, he brought his car to a stop on the wet, slick road and exited the vehicle.

By pure chance, he had his camera on the passenger seat. He reached for it, aimed in the direction of the strange object, and pressed down on the shutter. At this point, he could see the object was moving, albeit rather slowly. As he prepared to take a second shot, however, it suddenly accelerated and disappeared into the clouds above.

Niotti recalled that the object was a cone shape that was approximately 10 feet tall and around 20 feet across at its base. He further estimated that he was around 300 feet away from him and that it was very dark grey in color with an exterior that was seamlessly smooth.

He estimated that the entire episode, from his first noticing the object to it shooting into the sky, was a little over half a minute, and during that time, he recalled how there was an “eerie silence” to the atmosphere. He also felt, for reasons he couldn’t fully explain, a little disorientated and confused. Regardless, after taking several moments to contemplate just what he had seen, he got back in the car and set off toward Cordoba.

Initially, Niotti told only several officers whom he was particularly close to. However, they urged him to have his film developed and then send it to the newspapers, which he duly did. The picture and the negative were then examined by photographic experts. Ultimately, the photograph was declared genuine, and pictures of it were run in the Revista Nacional de Aeronautica. What is particularly interesting is that the pictures were examined by a department of the Air Force who then, against the usual procedure, went public with the results.

As we might imagine, there were many differing views on both the photograph and Niotti’s account. One particularly interesting detail that perhaps lends both further credence, though, is the presence of a horse in the field that can be seen in the middle of the picture. And the horse has clearly turned its head in the direction of the object, suggesting that it was more than aware of its presence.

According to the report of Dr. Willy Smith, horses that are used to a rural environment “become totally indifferent to traffic and will not interrupt their grazing for the presence of a car”. With that in mind, the very fact that the horse is looking at the object shows that it is indeed something out of the ordinary.

Three UFO Photographs Captured In 1967

During 1967 – a year in which a UFO wave gripped the planet – several photographs of unidentified flying objects were captured.

On the afternoon of January 9^th, 1967, for example, two teenagers, brothers Dan and Grant Jaroslaw, captured photographs of a strange object over Lake St. Clair in Michigan while in their backyard. ^[4] They recalled the domed object was at a low altitude and moved very slowly. The object remained in view for around 10 minutes, giving the boys more than enough time to retrieve their Polaroid camera.

When the pictures were released by the media, the Air Force contacted the witnesses requesting that send them the pictures for analysis. The brothers, though, (who kept the original photographs in a bank safe) offered them only copies, fearing their originals wouldn’t be returned. Interestingly, the UFO officer stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base was seemingly impressed with the photographs, even calling them “the best (he) had ever seen”.

You can see that picture below.

Around six months later on the afternoon of June 27^th, 1967, in Wichita, Kansas, Jefferson Villar managed to capture a picture of a “bright silver-colored, capsule-shaped object”. ^[5] He claimed that a “strange noise” first alerted him to the object’s presence, which was moving overhead and reflected brightly in the afternoon sun. Villar estimated the object was flying at an altitude between 1500 to 2000 feet and was visible for several minutes. You can see one of the photographs Villar captured below.

The following month, at around 5:30 pm on July 3^rd, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Warren Smith and two friends were making their way home from a prospecting trip when they noticed a strange object moving overhead. ^[6] They estimated the object was around 2000 feet above the ground, but was clearly losing altitude, making the men believe that it was an airplane about to crash. However, as the object headed in their direction, they could see that whatever it was, it wasn’t an airplane. It had, for example, no wings to speak of. What’s more, it wasn’t crashing, but was descending in a controlled if rapid manner.

The object passed over the top of them and disappeared behind some trees. Then, it “reappeared and hovered in the open sky, and something of a much smaller size fell from the craft”. Smith described the object as “circular, shiny, and about 25 feet wide”. It remained in view for around 30 seconds, giving Smith a chance to capture several photographs of it.

You can see one of those pictures below.

The Rudi Nagora UFO Photograph

According to the research files of Michael Hesemann, at around 12:30 pm on May 23^rd, 1971 in St. Lorenzen, Austria, German musician, Rudi Nagora and his wife were holidaying in Austria and were preparing to have a picnic in a quiet spot. ^[7] Rudi parked the car, and left his wife inside while ventured out to find a suitable spot for them. However, within moments of stepping from the vehicle, he heard a strange “whizzing” sound. He turned his attention to where the sound was coming from, which was undoubtedly coming from above him. When he looked up, he was amazed to see a shiny, silver disc moving in a zig-zag pattern.

He immediately turned and ran back to the car, reaching for his camera and informing his wife of what he had seen. He turned his attention back to the aerial anomaly and snapped a total of 12 pictures, only stopping because he had used up the roll of film. He continued to watch the object, noting that it appeared to be moving closer to him. Then, without warning, it suddenly shot straight upwards and disappeared into the clouds.

Once he returned to Munich, he had the roll of film developed, and the pictures were eventually examined by engineer and UFO researcher, Adolf Geigenthaler. He would determine that the pictures were genuine and most showed an unidentified aerial object. It is also worth keeping in mind, that no one has come close to debunking the pictures.

The Hector Delgado UFO Photograph

Another of Michael Hesemann’s cases occurred only months later, in Florida, Uruguay. ^[8] At around 3:30 pm on July 11th, 1971, 29-year-old Hector Delgado was in his greenhouse at home when he heard a sudden high-pitched sound coming from overhead. He later described this sound as being similar to something “produced by an electric motor or a ventilator”.

To begin with, he paid little attention to the noise, instead going about his work, and eventually, the humming appeared to fade out into the distance. Around a minute later, however, it returned. And this time it seemed louder and more intense than before. At this point, Delgado stopped what he was doing and made his way out of the greenhouse in order to see what was making the strange noise.

As soon as he did so, he immediately noticed a silver, disc-shaped object around 650 feet away from him and around 180 feet above the ground. It appeared to descend in a slow, calm “swinging” motion. Delgado stared at the object for several moments before finally snapping himself to his senses and running inside to retrieve his camera. By the time he returned, although the object was still in sight, it was now moving slowly away to the south. He managed to snap several pictures of the strange craft before it disappeared into the distance.

The Balcarce UFO Sighting

At around 6 pm on July 19^th, 1974 in Balcarce, Argentina, Antonio Le Pere was driving when a metal, disc-shaped aerial object appeared out of nowhere and began following his car. ^[9] The craft was barely 30 feet in the air and around 100 to 150 feet away from his vehicle.

After several moments, Antonio slowed the car and reached for his camera on the passenger seat. As he snapped a picture, the object seemingly cut off the chase and ascended into the air, almost as if it sensed Antonio’s actions. Within moments, it had disappeared into the distance.

He would later describe the object as being a brown-copper color with a smooth metallic finish to the exterior. On the top of the object was a domed section, from which came a red glow. Antonio also stated that it was clear to him that an intelligence of one kind or another was controlling the object.

The Colfax UFO Photograph

Just under four years later, at around noon on April 19^th, 1978, in the small town of Colfax, Wisconsin, police officer Mark Coltrane was driving his patrol car before deciding to pull over on a quiet road in order to eat lunch. ^[10] As he did so, a strange crackling sound was overtaking the car radio.

Before he could contemplate what the problem with the radio might be, his attention was captured by a shiny, metal disc-shaped object a short distance away, seemingly ascending into the sky. Coltrain realized immediately he was seeing something completely out of the ordinary and reached for his Polaroid camera.

He pressed down on the button and managed to take two photographs before the object disappeared into the distance. He later estimated that it was in sight for several minutes before it was out of sight.

In a state of slight shock, Coltrane remained where he was for almost two hours, going over and over the surreal moment in his mind, uncertain whether he should report the incident or not. The photographs he had captured, though, were certainly intriguing, with the first one appearing to show lights (which could be propulsion-based) on the underside.

You can see those pictures below.

The Mendoza Family UFO Sighting

A decade and a half later, in Leon, Mexico, another remarkable UFO photograph was captured. ^[11] At around 5:20 pm on July 23^rd, 1995, the Mendoza family – Gustavo Mendoza, his wife, Elena Lemus, and their sons, Gustavo Alberto and David – captured the image while driving from Aguascalientes to Leon while on vacation.

Elena would later recall that while Gustavo was driving, the rest of them were talking when “suddenly a kind of bright flash attracted my attention to the sky”. She looked in the direction of the light and saw “an object that was emitting or reflecting a light in its left side”. At this point, Elena alerted her husband to the aerial anomaly and he immediately brought the car to a stop. Moments later, the two boys shouted out, “It’s a UFO!”

All four of them stared out of the front window at the bizarre object hovering a short distance away from them. Realizing Elena had her camera with her, he quickly urged her to “take a picture”. She immediately raised the camera and took a picture through the car’s windshield. She recalled that as soon as she did so, “the UFO made a slight movement to the left and then turned very quickly to the right, disappearing in a blink of an eye”.

They remained where they were for several minutes following the object’s disappearance, hopeful that it might return. All of them were “very excited” about what they had just witnessed. Then, after several moments, Gustavo realized that they had stopped their car right in the middle of the road. Even stranger, he suddenly noticed how strange the atmosphere was. Not only were there no other vehicles on the road, he recalled they “didn’t feel any wind or hear any sounds”.

Still keeping an eye on the sky, Gustavo started the car and began to drive off, slowly, to begin with, before finally settling back to a normal speed and continuing their journey.

UFO Picture Captured By Mistake

The following year, on the afternoon of October 27^th, 1996, in Erpatak, Hungary, Lajos Kosina and his girlfriend were visiting her parents when they unintentionally captured a picture of an anomalous object. ^[12]

They were in the garden with Lajos was taking pictures of his girlfriend, although no one noticed anything unusual at the time. It was only when they had the photographs developed several weeks later that they noticed what appeared to be a disc-shaped object hovering in the sky in the background.

Despite the bizarre anomaly, Lajos and his girlfriend were largely uninterested in it. It was only when a friend of Lajos saw it that it was eventually sent to the Hungarian UFO Network for analysis. They would conduct computer and optical tests on it. They would state that the photograph appeared genuine, with no signs of fault or hoax being present.

They would also offer that the blurring of the object could be indicative of it hovering or moving at a particularly slow pace. We might question if those present at the time for photograph was taken had simply not noticed it or if the object utilized some kind of advanced cloaking technology making it invisible to the naked eye.

The Yamanlar Mountain Peak UFO Sighting

One afternoon in February 1998, friends, Cem Arat and Mehmet Safak, ventured out to the Yamanlar Mountain Peak near Karagol in Turkey. And they were doing so with the hope of witnessing once more a UFO they had witnessed there two years previously. ^[13]

They had returned to the site multiple times over the two years since the sighting but had always been disappointed not to see the object again. However, on this afternoon, their persistence paid off – and not only did they witness the strange object, but they managed to capture two photographs of it, even though it was moving at a considerable rate of speed.

The photo remained in their possession for the next two years while one of the pair completed their military service. Then, in early 2000 they contacted a local television station, which eventually led to their photographs being examined by a photography expert, Dr. Ahmet Imancer who as the head of the Photography and Graphic Department at the Aegaean University of Izmir.  His conclusions were that the pictures were not part of a hoax and that the pictures were genuine. These findings were also reinforced by an analysis carried out by the Turkish UFO Research Center.

Hungarian Military Pilot Films UFO Over Budapest

According to an article in a Hungarian newspaper, on the afternoon of September 29^th, 2001, over Budapest, Hungary, an unnamed military pilot captured video footage of a “silver disc” whilst in flight. ^[14] The pilot offered that he noticed “a bright metal aircraft that was the shape of a perfect disc” to his left and immediately began to film it, realizing that he would be unable to “match its speed”.

Although the pilot spoke, albeit anonymously, to the press, the Hungarian Ministry of Defense refused to comment on the incident. However, when members of the press offered the pilot’s name privately, they did confirm that he was indeed a member of the Hungarian Air Force.

In a further twist, as the pilot was flying the plane as a “favor” for the government as it needed transporting, he insisted that the video footage was his property and not the government’s. You can view a still frame of the mysterious object below.

The Resolute Bay UFO Photograph

Contained in the research files of Brian Vike is a case that resulted in a very similar object being photographed, this time in Resolute Bay in Canada. ^[15]

According to the report, at around 12:45 pm on November 14^th, 2001, the witness was waiting at the airport for a flight to Nanisivik. As they were waiting, they took several shots of the area around the airport. However, when he arrived back home several days later, he noticed something in one of the pictures that he hadn’t seen when he had taken it.

There in the shot was a brightly glowing disc-shaped object hovering a short distance above the ground. The witness offered in his report that when he had enlarged the picture, he could make out “three columns of disfigured airspace”, which he contemplated might be “drives”. He further offered that the day in question was perfectly clear with great visibility.

Whatever the object might be, of course, remains a mystery, but the picture, which you can see below, appears to be genuine.

The Tommy Woodard UFO Photograph

According to an article in the May 21^st, 2004 edition of The Daily Herald (Utah), on the afternoon of May 18^th, 2004, 22-year-old Tommy Woodard unintentionally captured a picture of an anomalous object over the woodland of Provo Canyon in Utah. ^[16]

Woodard, who is a photo librarian with the Utah Film Commission was in the area taking pictures of potential locations to film at. When he took the photograph in question, he didn’t see the object. However, when he reviewed the pictures a short time later, he was amazed to see a dark speck that, when enlarged, appeared to be a solid, disc-shaped object.

After discovering the object in the picture, Woodard contacted Hill Air Force Base, asking if any planes were in the area at the time. However, after offering that they would be back in touch, he didn’t hear from them again.

While many were impressed with the picture, some, even in the UFO community, dismissed it as being nothing but a bird, a suggestion that Woodard found preposterous.

Woodard would further offer that this was not his first interaction with an apparent otherworldly craft. When he was only 10 years old, he recalled seeing “three blurry gray spheres rotating in the sky” that suddenly disappeared.

The Cockaponset Forest UFO Sighting

On the evening of July 20^th, 2005, two friends were mountain biking through the Cockaponset State Forest in Connecticut close to the Connecticut River. ^[17] With the sun setting and it beginning to get dark, the pair decided to stop to take a quick break. A few moments after they had brought their bikes to a stop, the witness’s friend pointed toward the sky and told the witness to look upward.

Both men were shocked to see three “dark, oblong shaped with some lights” hovering a short distance away. Whatever the objects were, they remained completely silent for several minutes, allowing the witness to take several pictures of them. After a short time, the objects “just floated away slowly”, eventually disappearing into the distance.

Despite taking several pictures, only one of the shots came out clearly. Of course, whether this is simply a fault with the camera or whether some kind of advanced technology was utilized to cause such errors is perhaps open to debate.

The Jersey City UFO Photograph

One afternoon in August 2005 in Jersey City, New Jersey, an anonymous resident had just pulled their vehicle to the side of the highway to purchase some fruit from a fruit stand at the side of the road. ^[18] As they waited to be served, they took a picture of the warehouse over the road.

However, several months later, while cleaning down the flash drive to create more space, they viewed the picture and noticed a bizarre object hovering or moving overhead. They claimed not to have seen anything unusual at the time and had only taken the picture on the spur of the moment. They claimed, had they realized they had taken a picture of the UFO, they would have almost certainly remembered the date.

The object certainly appears interesting, although it is hard to tell if it is a smaller craft that is close to the witness or a larger object that is much further away. It appears to be metallic with a possible dark glass section in the upper section. You can see that picture below.

UFO Photographed Hovering Over A House In Indiana

According to a report made to MUFON, on the evening of January 31^st, 2008 in Indiana, an anonymous resident was making their way to the kitchen in order to get a glass of water. As they entered the room, they noticed what they thought was a helicopter approximately 400 feet away from the house. ^[19] however, when they realized they couldn’t hear any sounds of a helicopter (which they definitely would have at such a close proximity), they took a closer look. They could now see the object was something they had not seen before, and so they immediately ran to get their camera.

They returned and managed to take a picture with their camera before the battery died. At that point, they reached for their mobile phone and managed to take one more. They recalled that the object remained in view for between two to three minutes after they had first noticed it. They claimed that it was “not moving or flashing or anything”, but they did notice a “sort of waviness of the air surrounding” it. They could also see the trees below “shimmering”, although they weren’t certain if this was a consequence of the UFO presence.

Then, without warning, it suddenly “went directly away from me at a high speed”, elaborating that it “appeared to grow smaller and disappear, but curve up slightly as it was doing so”. You can see that picture below.

More Photographic Evidence Than Some Might Think

As we can see, then, there is a plethora of seemingly genuine images of apparently nuts-and-bolts craft from a destination unknown. As we mentioned at the beginning, this sheer number of images that corroborate, albeit indirectly, the many other reports of strange sightings and encounters should make a serious study of the UFO and alien question automatic.

What is interesting about the images we have explored here is the many similarities between many of them. The disc shape of many of the objects, for example, or the metallic exterior that often reflected the sunlight brilliantly. And even the descriptions from the witnesses – the fact that the objects were almost always completely silent, or how they often disappeared with a sudden burst of speed.

The fact is, in our contemporary era, with the endless devices available to us, we can only think that there will be a steady increase in such images surfacing, as has been documented in the opening decades of the twenty-first century. At some point, we might think, the scales will be tipped and the UFO subject will, at last, be open to serious study.

The video below looks at some of the best UFO photographs in history.