McMinnville photographs

Record summary

Paul and Evelyn Trent photographed a purported disc-shaped object near their farm outside McMinnville. The images were published in Life magazine and later became among the most discussed American UFO photographs. They matter for research into photographic provenance, witness interviews, enlargement artifacts, and competing analyses of suspended models, distant objects, or genuine unknowns. The photographs’ authenticity as camera exposures is not the same as establishing the object’s identity. Researchers should consult original or early-generation materials and compare the Trents’ statements with later examinations and reconstruction attempts.