Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Stonehenge selfie: No one knows exactly why this English monument was built. The bigger mystery? The identity of this selfie-stick wielding trio.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Tree climber: This guy worked hard to get a great photo of himself in an idyllic spot. Shame the image went walkabout.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Finding Nemo: OK, no one looks great with a scuba regulator shoved in their mouth, but that's no reason not to be proud of this underwater moment.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Tapas time: When you pay good money for jamon, you've got to capture it on camera.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Matching pouts: The photographer who mislaid this handsome image has those piercing stares to answer to for his or her carelessness.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Day in the hills: Finding the person in this image could prove a bigger mountain to climb.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Graduation in green: C'mon guys! You were celebrating with orange juice. How did you manage to lose the photo?
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Be prepared: Fuzzy camerawork suggests a boy scout still working towards that photography badge.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Precious moment: Dad's British bulldog tattoo could be the key to tracking down the youngster in this lovely image.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Family gathering: Shame about the crooked wall art, but that's no reason to ditch this nice family shot.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Wedding party: OK, so the woman of the moment isn't staring at the camera, but it's still a beautiful memory of a special day.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Bored bride? OK, so the woman of the moment isn't staring at the camera. And the man looks a little worried. But it's still a beautiful moment of a special day.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Registry office: OK so the woman of the moment isn't ... you know the rest.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Greenwich selfie: By the looks of the London skyline behind, this photo shows a day out at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.
Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
King of Christmas? Either we're at a traditional British Christmas dinner, or paper crowns are just how this man rolls.

Story highlights

Lost Photo Project hopes to reunite cameras with owners

Photos are all from memory cards found in UK since 2007

CNN  — 

What would you miss most if you lost your camera?

The 36.3 megapixel FX sensor and weather-sealed body? Or the memory card filled with life’s unrepeatable moments?

The UK’s Lost Photo Project hopes to reunite “orphaned images” – and the mislaid cameras that took them – with their rightful owners.

An online gallery of 20 photos launched Thursday, all from cameras lost in the UK in the last 10 years.

The moments captured include brides signing the wedding register, a smiling graduate posing with family, and a man bottle-feeding his infant daughter.

Some contain clues as to location: Three friends gather at Stonehenge, others stand in Greenwich Park.

The project is the work of insurance technology start-up Trov and has been launched to coincide with the Photography Show held in Birmingham, UK from March 18 to 21.

Courtesy Trov/Camerafound
Do you recognize this woman?

Jeff Berezny, Trov’s Global Head of Marketing, told CNN: “We hope that members of the public will recognize a friend, cousin, or co-worker, and alert them and start the process of reuniting photographer to lost device.”

The photos have been selected from thousands submitted to independent Vienna-based crowdsourcing project Camerafound. The two companies will be working together to connect images and cameras to owner.

Members of the public who recognize the people can begin the reuniting process by visiting the website trov.com/lostphotoproject or by emailing lostphotoproject@trov.com.

While today’s cloud technology means that we’re increasingly likely to have our photos safely backed up, this wasn’t the case 10 years ago.

Says Berezny, “For nearly all the photos, we know the date and general location of where in the UK the Good Samaritans found these cameras. Most of the images are undated.”

“The beautiful thing about these photos is that some capture routine moments from people’s lives, whilst others seem to document really significant events which must have made the loss of the camera all the more frustrating to the owner,” adds Berezny.

“The variety makes it really special.”