Nessie spotter to discuss famous photo as 90th anniversary of first image marked

A man who took what is believed to be one of the clearest images of the Loch Ness Monster will kick off a series of talks from famous spotters ahead of the 90th anniversary of the first photograph of the beast.

Richard White took his picture of Nessie in 1997, and he will tell the story of how he got the image at the launch of the Meet The Eyewitness series at the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit later this month.

He said he had been driving next to the loch “hoping” to see “something extraordinary” at the time.

“On a cold, dreich morning, I found myself driving along the loch side, like most folks, glancing at the water at infrequent intervals, hoping I might see something extraordinary,” Mr White recalled.

“Suddenly, there was a disturbance on the surface. I stopped the car and reached for the camera I always carried, a habit from my army days in Germany when the police advised it as a precaution.

“It was a small Olympus with an auto-function, so as I pressed the switch, it fired off the last 10 frames on the film. What I saw was distant and unclear, but undeniably unusual.

“It was only a couple of weeks later when the film was developed that the true significance became apparent. This chance encounter changed my life, and I look forward to sharing this incredible story with visitors at ‘Meet The Eyewitness’ at the end of November.”

Mr White pictured what appeared to be something emerging from the water near Foyers, and for many years it was labelled as the clearest image of Nessie yet, appearing in news publications across the globe.

The series of talks marks the 90th anniversary of what is thought to be the first picture of Nessie, captured by Hugh Gray on November 12, 1933.

The image sparked the modern fascination with what may lie beneath Loch Ness, which has been shrouded in myth and mystery in Scottish folklore for centuries.

As of this year, there have been 1,155 reported sightings of Nessie.

Mr White will give the first talk in the series on Saturday November 25.

Paul Nixon, general manager of the Loch Ness Centre, said: “We’re really excited to start our ‘Meet The Eyewitness’ series, which will take place once a month here at the Loch Ness Centre, the home of the legend.

“At the centre, we are passionate about storytelling, bringing people together and learning all we can about Nessie and the rich history of the loch.

“The 90th anniversary of Hugh Gray’s famous sighting is the perfect time to look back at past sightings and possibly even spot something yourself.”