Cryptozoology And The Paranormal

The Stuart Photograph

In 1951 Lachlan Stuart took this photograph claiming that he captured the humps of the Loch Ness Monster. Stuart worked for the Forestry Commision at the time and was a well respected employee. When he released this photo of the legendary Nessie people were shocked. The photo became without question an authentic photograph for two decades. It wasn’t until over 20 years later that the photograph was questioned. Nessie researchers found out where the photo was taken and journeyed to that part of the loch. To their surprise the water was incredibly shallow, too shallow for a creature the size of Nessie to swim in. It wasn’t until this discovery that it was found out that Stuart hoaxed the photograph. The humps seen in the photo are nothing more than bales of hay covered in tarpaulins.

Peter O'Connor’s Nessie Photo

In May of 1960 Peter O'Connor was camping near the shore of Loch Ness. When he had the urge to urinate he exited his tent in the early morning hours to see a large creature slowly swimming in the Loch. He claims he waded into the water about waist deep and snapped this photo. He claimed he was able to do it stealthily without the creature noticing due to his Royal Marine Commando training. The results are what appears to be an up-close photo of the legendary Nessie.

The photo itself raised some questions. If he was truly waist deep the photo should have been taken closer to the water’s surface. He also claimed it was taken around 6:30am, however at this time in May he sun would be rising and the photo appears too dark for any appearance of the sun. The only light source is from the camera flash which was estimated to be about 4 meters above the water’s surface which only further disproves the claim he waded into water. The creature in the photo also appears to be stationary, but O'Connor claims it was moving.

When the location of the photo was investigated by Maurice Burton (a renowned British zoologist) he discovered three polythene bags, stones tied together with a rope, and a log which “looked exactly like the creature’s head.” From this point on the photo was discredited as an elaborate hoax by a man looking for fame.