Eleven miles away photographers Keith Ronnholm and Gary Rosenquist hadset up campsat Bear Meadows.
Rosenquist picked up his camera and fired a series of photographs in rapid succession.
But Robert Landsberg was not so lucky.
He was too close to the blast.
Landsburg’s body was found buried in the ash with his backpack underneath seventeen days later.
The film waspartially damagedby the heat and by light leaks, but otherwise intact.
The photographs were published in the January 1981 issue of National Geographic.
Robert Landsbergs last photos
Two photographers died that day.
Blackburn was camped near Coldwater Creek, 8 miles away from the mountains north flank.
This region was totally obliterated by landslide and pyroclastic flow.
Blackburns body was discovered thefollowing day,inside his car that was buried in ash up to the windows.
Every window of the car except the windshield was blown out.
The fabric lining the roof of the car had come undone and was hanging weighted down by ash.
Reid Blackburns lost photos discovered in 2013.
Blackburn’s car buried in mud and ash.
Photo credit: The Columbian
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