ONE CHANCE, ONE FLASH... AND A PHOTO THAT DEFINED DEFEAT

AS WORD spread that a No vote was increasingly likely, rumours began that Alex Salmond would not be turning up for the count at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.

Photographers from international agencies decided to head straight down to Edinburgh to capture the Yes Scotland results night event.

Derek Ironside and Ross Johnston, the only two photographers at local agency Newsline Media, separately drove round key Aberdeenshire locations searching for the silver Skoda Octavia in which the First Minister was regularly chauffeured.

Mr Ironside travelled up to Eat on the Green, one of Salmond’s favourite restaurants near Ellon, halfway between his Strichen home and Aberdeen.

A Skoda was in the car park but the photographer could not be sure it was him.

Later on, while scoping out Aberdeen Airport,

eagle-eyed Mr Ironside spotted lights on inside the local flying club.

The building, on the opposite side of the runway to the main terminal, was usually pitch black at that time of night; any activity was distinctly strange. The same entrance was also used to process VIPs flying by private jet.

Suspicions raised, he phoned his colleague Mr Johnston: ‘Come down to the airport. It looks like Salmond might be flying to Edinburgh.’

While Mr Ironside attempted to cover some of the airport’s several entrances, Mr Johnston headed straight to the flying club. On arrival, there was silence. Nothing seemed to be happening.

‘Holy s***, that’s him.’ Mr Johnston was just driving out of the club’s car park when he got a shock and braked. Two cars, including the silver Octavia, were driving along the road. Luckily for the photographer, both missed the initial turning, giving him enough time to jump out, grab his camera and stick on a lens as Mr Salmond’s driver found a parking space.

The First Minister’s assistants, who had not been expecting any media, spotted him: ‘We want you to go. Mr Salmond won’t be posing for any pictures.’ But the photographer stood his ground: ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

Next, the airport police arrived, having spotted Mr Johnston’s car.

His heart sank, assuming he would be forced to move his car and lose his exclusive, but, after explaining the situation, the officer let him get on with his job.

The standoff continued, with Mr Salmond and his wife Moira now sitting in the back of the Skoda in the car park. It was 2.45am, hardly the setting in which the First Minister had hoped to find himself on this most historic of nights.

Mr Johnston knew that Mr Salmond would either have to walk past him to get on to the airfield or drive past to go through one of the gates to his jet.

All of a sudden, there was movement. The Skoda quickly moved to drive round to one of the gates. The photographer took a deep breath and prepared himself for his one chance. In 20 years as a snapper he had only taken a handful of shots through car windows and most had been unusable.

As the car sped past at 2.48am there was only time for one single flash – one photo. Without checking out his shot he immediately jumped in his car to join his colleague round the corner and both spent the next few minutes using their long lenses to take pictures of the First Minister climbing onto his jet.

After the plane headed to the runway, both men returned to their cars, Mr Johnston still unsure quite what, if anything, he had captured. He found three frames: two black and one in focus. The shot in focus was perfect: Mr Salmond was sitting in the right-hand rear seat, looking straight ahead with a tired, dejected gaze.

Within minutes of dispatching the image, their phones started to ring. The BBC and Sky News were keen to run the picture, which soon went viral online. And in this dark, silent corner of the airport, in the middle of the night, the two men celebrated.

Teamwork, local knowledge and intuition had helped them to capture the defining image of the referendum – an iconic photo that would race around the world.