Stolen photos leave photographer at loss

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An Albuquerque photographer is literally at a loss after someone broke into her photography studio earlier this week.

Also at a loss are her customers, now without those memories of weddings and school reunions.

“It has just been very frustrating that 10 years of work is now all gone,” said Sandra Layne, owner of Eyecatcher Creative Photography .

Layne said she did everything she was supposed to.  She backed up all her work on external hard drives and locked the doors behind her as she left her northeast Albuquerque photography studio.

But things were not the way she left them when she showed up at the studio Tuesday morning.

“I have no cameras," she said. "They stole five cameras, six lenses, backdrop holders, a lighting system, computers, computer parts.  I have nothing."

Layne says burglars broke the lock and took $30,000-$40,000 worth of equipment including the computers and external hard drives her pictures were saved on.

"People who have come in here to have their weddings done, to have their portraits done, all of that is missing," Layne continued.  "So there are going to be people out there who are not going to get their wedding albums because this happened."

She said police dusted bins for fingerprints and got a DNA sample from blood that has since been cleaned from the studio floor.

While Layne would love to get all her stuff back, she says the important thing is getting back the pictures that cannot be replaced.

“I do have some insurance that will help cover my equipment, but I don't have the pictures to take care of the people," she added.

Layne said there are anywhere from 10 to 20 clients affected.  Some of those include local schools that are now without pictures.

She said she is hopeful someone may have seen something because the area is well lit at night.

The burglars also took deeds to property she owns in Mississippi and a gun and ammunition.