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I Saw And Photographed The Loch Ness Monster In 2006

Justin Case

Junior Acolyte
Joined
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i had an experience at Loch Ness in 2006. I chose not to go public with it for fear of ridicule.

This account is a pseudonym.

There was one other witness and she took a photo. The experience was unpleasant (not bad, but definitely strange and we knew no one would believe it) so we put the photo on her computer and never discussed it again. We broke up years ago. Just last week, I found the picture on a CD ROM from when I cleared off all my files from her computer. It was somehow misplaced in a sub folder. Seeing it again has unnerved me.

I am not sure what to do. I think I want to talk about it but I don't want my real name attached. Also, I don't know if I am allowed to show the picture since I wasn't the photographer.

I would appreciate any advice.
 
Please post it here.
Use the 'Upload a File' button at the bottom to add a picture.
Thanks.

In what way was it unpleasant?
 
i had an experience at Loch Ness in 2006. I chose not to go public with it for fear of ridicule.

This account is a pseudonym.

There was one other witness and she took a photo. The experience was unpleasant (not bad, but definitely strange and we knew no one would believe it) so we put the photo on her computer and never discussed it again. We broke up years ago. Just last week, I found the picture on a CD ROM from when I cleared off all my files from her computer. It was somehow misplaced in a sub folder. Seeing it again has unnerved me.

I am not sure what to do. I think I want to talk about it but I don't want my real name attached. Also, I don't know if I am allowed to show the picture since I wasn't the photographer.

I would appreciate any advice.

It would be a good starting place if you were to give a full account of precisely what happened with as much detail as possible - changing names if required.

The photograph may prove interesting, but you have described a reaction to an unspecified 'experience' of which the picture will be only a potentially corroborating piece of evidence.
 
This is my full account.
I am writing this under a pseudonym. I am an American working in a field involving considerable professional scrutiny. The one time I discussed this, at a family holiday party after a few drinks, I was laughed at and ribbed for the next few years, so I can only imagine how my present employers might react!

In March of 2006, I visited Loch Ness with my then girlfriend. It was the last week of the month (either the 28th or 29th). We were at Inverness for business purposes, hers not mine. We decided to visit the famous castle on the water and as we drove from Inverness we saw something in the water.

The time was late afternoon, I would say between four and five. We'd been day drinking which made driving on the other side of the car even more interesting than it already was! It also somewhat compromises the specific details such as precise location and time.

When my girlfriend began exclaiming that "there's something in the water," I laughed and said she was joking. Finally I realized she was being serious and pulled off to a layby somewhere near the Clansman hotel (I remember because we went in afterwards to the gift shop to tell everyone what we had seen). As soon as I pulled over, my girlfriend was pointing at the water and I saw it.

I can't really judge size on water, its not my specialty, but it was HUGE. It looked like a whale. I would say it was gray like an elephant with a neck that was swinging side to side over the water. That was really what it looked like, an elephant waving its trunk. There was a huge commotion in the water behind it. The thing was just massive. It was swimming back toward Inverness the way we came.

My girlfriend was fumbling to get her camera out of luggage in the back seat before the monster was gone. She was tipsy and we were both shaking. She finally got it out of her bag and took a picture through the car window. We were so shaken up that neither of us thought to roll down the window. She tried to take another snap but her memory card was full, and as she fumbled to delete sightseeing pictures to make more room, it was gone. It just sort of went down while it continued swimming toward Inverness.

In retrospect I wish we had taken photos of the water afterward which was quite disturbed, but it wasn't until I began reading up on the subject that I realized it might have been of value. We took the picture to the gift shop and the lady at the counter told us to go the exhibition center to show it, but we got cold feet and just went back to the hotel at Inverness and drank some more. When we got back to the States, we put it on the computer and pretty much never looked at it again or even talked about the experience. It was almost like we felt guilty.

My girlfriend and I long ago broke up and I have since married, and the one time I told my wife (it was the holiday party at her family's house), the response was so embarrassing that whenever she jokes about "that time Justin saw Nessie," I just sort of laugh it off.

I just found the picture last week on a CD rom containing files I removed from my ex's computer before I moved out following the breakup. It was in a folder with 90s alternative rock mp3s! I hadn't looked at it in years and while the quality isn't great considering it was just a point and shoot she'd owned for a couple years, it still made my heart skip a beat. Seeing it again caused me a sleepless night because I am sure I saw something that isn't supposed to exist, and over the years I sort of talked myself out of it (too much beer that day, etc). Now its all back again, and I feel a little shakey. It wasn't a pleasant experience, even though there was no threat of physical harm.

I am not a Loch Ness Monster enthusiast and know as much as the average person. I didn't care about it and certainly wasn't looking for it. Same with my ex. All I have is the photo, taken through the passengers side window (slight camera reflection) showing a dark body and neck low over the water. I am afraid to publicly post it in case I am penalized since I wasn't the photographer and don't own the copyright. Things ended badly and I can't imagine it would be a pleasant conversation if I reached out to her. But I want t to share it and don't know how.
 
I'd say post it here, or to a hosting site. Since it doesn't show your ex or presumably anyone else I can't see any real objection. If it shows what you say, it should surely be posted somewhere..
 
Thank you for the account - I am now interested.

If you are reluctant or unwiling to post it for legal reasons, I suggest a another course of action. If you send me a direct message, I will give you my email address and you may email the image to me. You have my word that it will be deleted immediately after inspection and will not appear here or anywhere else. I will then see whether my impression of the image matches your description and assure the membership here that this is not a wild goose chase.

You may note from my profile that I am a moderator/staff member here; you may be assured of my discretion.
 
It could of course be worth money if it shows something. That could be an issue. Needless to say, we'd all like to see it. You should do something with it rather than leave it on a CD to vegetate.
 
I'd say post it here, or to a hosting site. Since it doesn't show your ex or presumably anyone else I can't see any real objection. If it shows what you say, it should surely be posted somewhere..
It has her reflection. Not much, mostly just the camera, but I'm so nervous about her finding out and making a stink on social media or something and my employers catching wind. As mentioned before it didn't end well, and there were financial entanglements that neither of us felt satisfied on.
 
How about turning the picture into a drawing?
There are graphics filters on bitmap editors that can do that.
 
Unless you're making money from the image I can't see what comeback there could be against you. The image exists, its in your possession, its not of her, you're not selling it.

I'm sure there are subtle legal technicalities, but they'd apply to all of the billions of images that exist on the net.
 
Out of interest if you were unnerved by the photo and very reluctant to post it (which, surely, you must have anticipated would be requested) what was your motivation for registering and posting here?
 
It might be worth altering the image in some way before posting it, to deter those who might attempt to steal it off the web. Trouble is, most changes can be reversed. But one possibility is to post a reduced size image - although it can be blown up again, it will then have lost some of its original detail, and anyway the thief need not be told what 'shrinkage' was originally applied!
 
Out of interest if you were unnerved by the photo and very reluctant to post it (which, surely, you must have anticipated would be requested) what was your motivation for registering and posting here?
I've no doubt it must be cathartic to share such an experience with people who will take it seriously. Perhaps it's Justin's time for that release. I can understand that.
 
It might be worth altering the image in some way before posting it, to deter those who might attempt to steal it off the web. Trouble is, most changes can be reversed. But one possibility is to post a reduced size image - although it can be blown up again, it will then have lost some of its original detail, and anyway the thief need not be told what 'shrinkage' was originally applied!
I think Yith's suggestion is the best way forward. If he's satisfied it's of interest, we can further look into the legalities of posting the image. We're all brimming with curiosity, of course, but it seems this has to be taken a step at a time.
 
I've no doubt it must be cathartic to share such an experience with people who will take it seriously. Perhaps it's Justin's time for that release. I can understand that.

this ^^^^^
 
I sympathise with your concerns Justin. Especially about whether she's cause trouble for you on social media, and having a job that's twitchy about that sort of thing.

Is she identifiable from her reflection?

I'd take Yithian's advice, which is sound.
 
It makes me think of the reeds whispering "Midas has asses ears". The barber just HAD to share!!
 
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Well, the chances of Justin's ex picking up the photo on here are likely to be low, unless she's interested in this type of subject. Loch Ness monster photos can be quite popular though, so there's a chance someone else might find it here and share it, that could cause trouble.

So, again, either Yithian's offer, or put it up in some closed group where it can't be copied from, and from where Justin could vet who saw it. Like FB or something?
 
I'm going to need to give it a little more thought before sending the photo to anyone. I might sound paranoid and maybe I am. It's just a very weird position to be in. But this has been cathartic, as another person noted previously.
 
This is what the photo shows.
 

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I like it! But if the LNM is heading towards Inverness, you must have been driving down the north shore of the Loch. (For some reason I'd assumed you were on the south side. But now I've checked your account again, and the Clansman Hotel is on the north side.)

We're not suspicious here, but we do like to dot the i's and cross the t's when it comes to details! :)
 
Not to get off on too much of a tangent but I'd like to know more about the feeling of uneasiness that accompanied the event. Someone noted that feelings of guilt are common following an encounter. Since I've yet to experience anything of this nature, I'd really like to hear more about that unsettling feeling, if you don't mind revisiting it.
 
An "unsettling feeling" has accompanied a number of lake monster sightings. Janet and Colin Bord outlined some reactions in their book Alien Animals [p. 42]:

[F. W.] Holiday wrote to [Tim] Dinsdale: 'When people are confronted by this fantastic animal at close quarters they seem to be stunned. There is something strange about Nessie that has nothing to do with size or appearance.' And he later wrote that his personal feeling was 'a mixture of wonder, fear, and revulsion.' . . . Mr. George Spicer, who with his wife in 1933 saw a monster cross the road in front of his car and make for Loch Ness, told a reporter: 'It was horrible -- an abomination.' We wrote earlier of Dick Jenkyns who from his lochside home had a protracted view of a creature very similar in shape to George Spicer's. He commented: 'I felt that the beast was obscene. The feeling of obscenity still persists and the whole thing put me in mind of a gigantic stomach with a long writhing gut attached.'
 
I'm really curious to see the photo too, but I'd say don't post the photo. Social media is so unpredictable, and even though there's probably a small chance your ex would catch wind of it, once it's on the Internet, it can go anywhere. I think it's wise to be so discrete.

It's very interesting that an "unsettling feeling" is actually a typical response in Nessie sightings, but I guess it actually makes sense. In just about any situation where something happens that's "not supposed to happen," acknowledging the taboo which everyone else needs to deny can be terrifically uncomfortable. In extreme cases, one can be ostracized. Because of your need to remain credible for your job, and perhaps your emotions involved in your break-up, it makes sense to feel unsettled, and to want to relate your experience to people who won't automatically dismiss you.

Having said that, it is very important to "dot the i's and cross the t's" -- and there's no disrespect intended in such requests. The open-minded yet logical bunch on this forum is what makes it such a great site to peruse and participate in.

Thanks for participating, Justin Case.
 
This is my full account.
I am writing this under a pseudonym. I am an American working in a field involving considerable professional scrutiny. The one time I discussed this, at a family holiday party after a few drinks, I was laughed at and ribbed for the next few years, so I can only imagine how my present employers might react!

In March of 2006, I visited Loch Ness with my then girlfriend. It was the last week of the month (either the 28th or 29th). We were at Inverness for business purposes, hers not mine. We decided to visit the famous castle on the water and as we drove from Inverness we saw something in the water.

The time was late afternoon, I would say between four and five. We'd been day drinking which made driving on the other side of the car even more interesting than it already was! It also somewhat compromises the specific details such as precise location and time.

When my girlfriend began exclaiming that "there's something in the water," I laughed and said she was joking. Finally I realized she was being serious and pulled off to a layby somewhere near the Clansman hotel (I remember because we went in afterwards to the gift shop to tell everyone what we had seen). As soon as I pulled over, my girlfriend was pointing at the water and I saw it.

I can't really judge size on water, its not my specialty, but it was HUGE. It looked like a whale. I would say it was gray like an elephant with a neck that was swinging side to side over the water. That was really what it looked like, an elephant waving its trunk. There was a huge commotion in the water behind it. The thing was just massive. It was swimming back toward Inverness the way we came.

My girlfriend was fumbling to get her camera out of luggage in the back seat before the monster was gone. She was tipsy and we were both shaking. She finally got it out of her bag and took a picture through the car window. We were so shaken up that neither of us thought to roll down the window. She tried to take another snap but her memory card was full, and as she fumbled to delete sightseeing pictures to make more room, it was gone. It just sort of went down while it continued swimming toward Inverness.

In retrospect I wish we had taken photos of the water afterward which was quite disturbed, but it wasn't until I began reading up on the subject that I realized it might have been of value. We took the picture to the gift shop and the lady at the counter told us to go the exhibition center to show it, but we got cold feet and just went back to the hotel at Inverness and drank some more. When we got back to the States, we put it on the computer and pretty much never looked at it again or even talked about the experience. It was almost like we felt guilty.

My girlfriend and I long ago broke up and I have since married, and the one time I told my wife (it was the holiday party at her family's house), the response was so embarrassing that whenever she jokes about "that time Justin saw Nessie," I just sort of laugh it off.

I just found the picture last week on a CD rom containing files I removed from my ex's computer before I moved out following the breakup. It was in a folder with 90s alternative rock mp3s! I hadn't looked at it in years and while the quality isn't great considering it was just a point and shoot she'd owned for a couple years, it still made my heart skip a beat. Seeing it again caused me a sleepless night because I am sure I saw something that isn't supposed to exist, and over the years I sort of talked myself out of it (too much beer that day, etc). Now its all back again, and I feel a little shakey. It wasn't a pleasant experience, even though there was no threat of physical harm.

I am not a Loch Ness Monster enthusiast and know as much as the average person. I didn't care about it and certainly wasn't looking for it. Same with my ex. All I have is the photo, taken through the passengers side window (slight camera reflection) showing a dark body and neck low over the water. I am afraid to publicly post it in case I am penalized since I wasn't the photographer and don't own the copyright. Things ended badly and I can't imagine it would be a pleasant conversation if I reached out to her. But I want t to share it and don't know how.
Hi Justin .. Click on 'post reply' on this forum first then when that screen comes up, click on 'upload a file', that should automatically take you to your pics page (or a line that you can click on for your pictures), move your mouse or cursor over the pic and right click on it on 'save picture', change the file name to something like Nessiepic1 (for example) .. come back here to post your reply, right click again in your reply box and click on paste .. job done .. send me a PM if you have any problems ..
 
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