Wayne Adam, a self-proclaimed history buff, has spent the past decade travelling across the east coast of Canada, documenting national historic sites through photographs. His original goal was to visit all of the Parks Canada National Historic Sites, but he soon discovered that there were many more federal heritage designations in private hands that he wanted to explore. For years, Adam has been capturing images of these sites with the intention of creating guidebooks for each province. However, his dream was shattered when his van was broken into in Montreal, and three hard drives containing over a million photos were stolen.
The theft occurred on September 7th while Adam was in Montreal taking pictures of the Christ Church Cathedral. When he returned to his van, he discovered that items had been moved, and upon further inspection, he realized that his laptops, passport, and camera were missing. However, the most devastating loss was the three hard drives containing all of his photos from the past decade. Adam, who had been living in his van while pursuing his photography work, was left devastated and in shock by the loss of his life’s work. He immediately filed a police report and began searching for his missing images both online and offline.
Despite his efforts to locate the stolen hard drives, Adam has been unable to recover them. He has visited pawnshops, electronics stores, and posted on various online platforms in hopes of finding his photos. Adam had considered backing up his images online but was concerned about the cost. The night before the theft, he had contemplated moving one of the drives to a different location for safekeeping, but the next day, they were all gone. Now, Adam is left wondering whether he should continue with his photography, as a part of his heart feels like it has been ripped out by the theft.
In the aftermath of the theft, Adam has been attempting to continue his work, taking new photos in the hopes that someone will find the stolen cache of images. He has spoken with police and sought help from the community, but so far, the hard drives remain missing. Adam’s dedication to documenting Canada’s historic sites has been severely impacted by the theft, and he is struggling to come to terms with the loss. Despite his heartbreak, he recognizes that photography is a part of who he is and is determined to press on, even in the face of such a devastating setback.
The police have obtained some footage of the thief from a store camera, but have been unable to retrieve any further information. Adam acknowledges that law enforcement is dealing with a high volume of similar incidents, making it difficult for them to prioritize his case. He remains hopeful that his photos will be found and is appealing to the public for any information that could lead to the recovery of the stolen hard drives. The loss of his life’s work has been a devastating blow to Adam, but he is determined to persevere and continue pursuing his passion for documenting Canada’s historic sites, despite the setback.
The theft of Wayne Adam’s hard drives containing over a million photos of Canada’s historic sites has had a profound impact on his life and work. The loss of his images, accumulated over a decade of dedicated photography, has left Adam reeling and wondering about the future of his craft. Despite the setback, he remains committed to continuing his work and hopes that his stolen photos will be recovered. With the support of the community and law enforcement, Adam is determined to move forward and rebuild his collection of images, one click of the shutter at a time.
