Readers take snapshot of history

Description

When David Otway took his digital camera with him on a flight from Stansted to Ireland on Sunday, he had no idea his pictures would soon be published across the world.

But then Dr Otway had not realised as he boarded his plane that he would be flying near one of the largest fires in Europe since 1945.

His dramatic images of the massive blaze at the Buncefield oil depot in Hertfordshire were just some of the photographs taken by members of the public and used by news outlets, including the BBC.

His instincts highlight a rising trend in which ordinary people are using digital cameras or mobile phones to capture events, often beating professional journalists.

Dr Otway, a chemistry lecturer who commutes to Cork every week, began to take pictures when he saw "lots of fog and a great black cloud" and a fellow passenger told him about the fire.