One year on, lost photos returned to owner
HE had given up hope of ever seeing his camera or the images it contained again.
But thanks to the efforts of a fellow photographer, Charlie Davidson has been reunited with his stunning photographs one year on.
The 48-year-old lost his camera in the River Etive while taking pictures of Buachaille Etive Mor on New Year’s Day last year.
He gave it up for lost as the river was flowing too quickly to risk trying to retrieve it but, amazingly, photographer Peter Sandground found the battered equipment wedged in rocks months later.
Despite the camera being badly smashed he managed to retrieve its memory card and was able to extract some of the pictures.
Some of the images were then published in this newspaper on New Year’s Day in a bid to trace the owner of the camera.
Last night, Mr Davidson said: ‘I could not believe it, especially when the story broke exactly one year to the day after I had lost the camera.’
The oil industry engineer, from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, had travelled to Glen Etive with the specific purpose of capturing the first sunrise of 2017.
He set up a tripod on rocks in the River Etive and then turned around to get something from his equipment bag.
But when he looked back, the tripod and camera had fallen into the river.
Mr Davidson said: ‘The water was like a raging torrent as there had been a lot of rain.
‘There was no way I could have gone in after it – I probably would have lost my life.’
After finding the camera and retrieving the images Mr Sandground contacted the Scottish Daily Mail and also posted some of the images on social media in the hope of finding their owner.
Luckily, Mr Davidson’s girlfriend spotted the pictures online, meaning that he could finally be reunited with his photos and camera.
Mr Davidson said: ‘I never thought I’d see it again especially after a year had passed since I lost it. I had been back to the same area a couple of times some months after losing it scouring the river bank for it with no luck.’
After getting in touch with each other, Mr Sandground sent Mr Davidson a link so he could view his long-lost photographs and also plans to send him his damaged camera as well, a ‘very nice gesture that I can’t thank him enough for’.
Keen amateur Mr Davidson considers Glen Etive one of his favourite places to take photos.
He said: ‘I was in Glen Etive only last week taking photos and no doubt I will return there again soon as I love the area.
‘I am so much more careful when out shooting and I now never turn my back on my camera.’