On November 12 , 1933 , one humankind allegedly photographed something unknown and mysterious lurking in Loch Ness , Scotland . It has now been 90 years since this renowned exposure look to the world , and the delirium it generated is very much still alive .

Creating a legend

It was manifestly a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Scottish Highlands when Hugh Gray took a walk around the now iconic loch located near Inverness . As he relish his saunter , so the narrative goes , Gray noticed something strange in the water . As he subsequently told the Scottish Daily Record , there was “ an object of considerable dimensions ” rising above the surface . It had a farsighted neck opening and stocky body and was unlike anything he had ever see before . gratefully , Gray was armed with his own portable Kodak box camera , so he wangle to take a few shots of the unknown beastie before it go away into the gloomy waters once more .

To be sure , the quality of the photo is far from anything we would gestate to see with today ’s camera engineering science . The ikon is bleak and white , and whatever appears in it is blurred and indistinct . But at the time , the picture was hailed as indisputable cogent evidence of the legendaryLoch Ness Monster , which had been glimpse in the loch for centuries .

Gray ’s story and photograph come at a metre when the devil was already receiving care . originally that yr , George Spicerand his wife were drive around the Highlands of Scotland when they too see something large in the water . They described it as make a huge limbless consistence and a long neck . Their story had piqued the public ’s interest and probably contributed to the excitement create by Gray ’s pic .

These stories transformed Nessie , as it is affectionately known , from a local legend to a global mystery that brought thousands of eager monster hunters to the loch ’s shoreline , each hoping to see something of the animal below the surface . But the pic is far from conclusive , despite what its supporters claimed . To some , it is a giant aquatic beast , to others it could be a swan duck below the water or even a Labrador swimming with a stick in its mouth .

Then , on April 21 , 1934 , the Daily Mailpublished what is called the “ Surgeon ’s exposure ” which was apparently charm by a Dr. named Robert Kenneth Wilson . The photo is probably the most famous image of the Loch Ness Monster with its prospicient neck and top of its body appearing above the water system . Despite the popularity surrounding this photo , Dr Wilson apparently refused to have his name consociate with it , hence it gained the title of the Surgeon ’s Photograph .

For decades , no one analyzed the photo in any slap-up detail . That is , until 1984 when it was featured in an clause in the British Journal of Photography . agree to author Stewart Campbell , the thing in the body of water could only be a few feet long at best , and in all probability shows an otter or boo . Campbell argue that this was likely known to Wilson when he submitted the photo .

However , Campbell was not quite right . As it turn out , the iconic Nessie in the photo was actually atoy submarinefitted with a improvised serpent head . So much for solid proof .

The search continues

Today , thesearch for Nessieis live and thriving . In August this class , the Lock Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit , Scotland , gathered behemoth huntsman from across the world to take part in thebiggest hunt in half a century . The hunting included drone pilot program and observers scanning the weewee ’s surface for any sign of the legend . And what did they find?Very lilliputian .

Time and time again , people claim to haveevidenceof this enigmatic cryptid and it either turns out to be a photo of atypicalaquatic animal or ahoax . What does this exit us with ? Well , some think Nessie may actually be an example oflarge eelsliving in the loch , while others simply throw out it altogether .

So , 90 years of Nessie excitement and nothing substantial to show for it . Still , at least the new fake photos are of a in force quality .