A local photographer who captured haunting images of firefighters tackling the blaze at Peebles High School has donated the profits of his pictures to the school.

Award winning photographer Gareth Easton was in Peebles when his children, both pupils at Peebles High, called to say the school was on fire.

This week he spoke to reporter and former colleague Hilary Scott, about how he turned his pictures of the pupils running from the burning school, into an image of students with beaming smiles.

INNERLEITHEN photographer Gareth Easton has snapped murder scenes, G8 riots, drugs raids, and even gambled with his own life aboard a trawler by capturing the danger inherent in commercial fishing – which netted him a national award.

Never did he imagine that his next big job would be photographing the inferno of the secondary school both his children attend.

“On the day of the fire I was working in Peebles. Both my children called me separately to tell me there was a significant fire at the High School,” said Gareth.

“I could see the smoke from where I was in Peebles and made my way to the school.”

As the fire ripped through the building, Gareth captured events as they unfolded and wired them out to the national newspapers.

He said: “Sending images to national newspapers of ongoing news stories was part of my everyday working life up until around 2010 when I stopped working as a press photographer.

"Since then I have concentrated on commercial and editorial work.”

As firefighters worked tirelessly into the wee hours tackling the blaze, Gareth pictured the devastation and produced some harrowing images of November’s fire.

The following day the photographs were picked up and used by five national newspapers – The Scotsman, The Daily Star, The Sun, The Daily Record, and the Express.

But Gareth wasn’t just a photographer taking sought after horrific images for the media, he is also a parent of pupils at the school and felt emotionally invested.

“My daughter Olivia is in 5th year and is presently studying for her Higher Photography. She was clearly affected by the fire and distraught by the damage the fire had caused to the Art department and the loss of the school’s valuable photography equipment.”

It was then Gareth knew his next picture would be a happy one, only it wouldn’t be taken by him.

“I decided that I would use the revenue generated from the publication of my images of the fire to the benefit of Peebles High School. The community spirit in Peebles and the wider Tweed Valley has been impressive since the fire.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to fund the purchase of a new Canon Digital SLR camera and present it to the school.

"I hope it goes a small way to assisting the present and future photography and art students at Peebles High School in completing their coursework and moving onto greater things.”

As well as cameras, the school’s Art department lost its entire studio lightening in the fire and Gareth hopes his act of kindness will inspire others to help where they can.

“It has been truly inspiring to watch the community come together. Businesses and individuals have been selfless in their generosity to the school and I hope that continues.

“My passion is of course photography and I hope my small contribution will encourage others to continue to assist Peebles High School as it continues to rebuild after the fire in November.”

Rector of Peebles High School Campbell Wilson, told the Peeblesshire News: “The fire in November was a tragedy for our school. Our resilience and ability to overcome our challenges is only possible because of the tremendous community support we have received. This is yet another in a long list of kindnesses that help us to recover, grow and look to the future with optimism. Once again I find myself extending my gratitude to a hugely supportive member of our community.”

Scrolling through the poignant images of the blaze ay Peebles High School, Gareth has perfectly depicted the harrowing events of that unforgettable day.

But most photos come with a smile, which is just what student Holly Scott captured when she photographed Gareth presenting the new equipment to Mr Wilson, and the 5th year Higher Photography class.

Now that’s what I call picture perfect.