Strange Photos

Strange Photos is one of the collectibles in the Silent Hill 2 Remake (2024). There are 26 of these instant camera photos found in all kinds of obscure places. Finding all the images in a single playthrough unlocks the Pieces of Unarranged trophy/achievement. Below is the complete list of these photos with their locations in the game as well as the explanation of the mystery behind them.

Eastern South Vale
Wood Side Apartments
Blue Creek Apartments
Western South Vale
Brookhaven Hospital
Otherworld Hospital
Otherworld South Vale
Silent Hill Historical Society
Toluca Prison
Labyrinth
Toluca Lake
Lakeview Hotel
Desolate Hotel
Meaning of Strange Photos

Eastern South Vale

#1: "So many people here!" (1)

Location: Katz St., to the left of the entrance to Wood Side Apartments.

#2: “I’ve been happy’’ (6)

Location: Neely St., behind the shop window to the right of The Dance Company.

Wood Side Apartments

#3: “Valentine’s Day’’ (4)

Location: Apartment 102, on a dining trolley by the window.

#4: “Career’s humble beginnings’’ (7)

Location: Apartment 210, on the last window sill in the living room.

Blue Creek Apartments

#5: “Forever together” (16)

Location: 1F stairwell, on the ground behind the stairs.

#6: “How the time flies” (11)

Location: Apartment 212, on the floor in the bedroom after getting the Second Hand.

Western South Vale

#7: “So far from home” (14)

Location: Rosewater Park, after meeting Maria enter the west part of the park and look for the bench to the right of the gate.

#8: “made it!” (20)

Location: Nathan Ave., on a red cabinet inside the garage (requires the Garage Jack Lever found in the back of the Octantis Fuels gas station).

#9: “Ready to kill it!” (12)

Location: Heaven’s Night, attached to one of the mirrors in the dressing room.

#10: “Church entrance” (5)

Location: Moonlight Grove, on the fountain in the souther part of the park.

#11: “Best flavor!” (8)

Location: Reverie Theater, on one of the seat armrests behind Eddie.

Brookhaven Hospital

#12: “Her drawings” (9)

Location: Observation Room 2F, sitting on a desk.

#13: “At least she was there” (18)

Location: Examination Room 1, inside the drawer in the back of the room.

Otherworld Hospital

#14: “No one knows” (2)

Location: Room C5 2F, inside the nightstand's drawer.

#15: “They mustn’t know” (13)

Location: Pool 1F, on a bench in the back.

Otherworld South Vale

#16: “They’re here” (10)

Location: Katz St., in the driver's seat of the car, parked in front of the Lucky Jade Restaurant.

Silent Hill Historical Society

#17: “The new clock” (17)

Location: Exhibition hall to the left, behind the glass in one of the cabinets.

Toluca Prison

#18: “Four months to go” (15)

Location: Death Row, on the shelf inside Cell E13.

#19: “Old man’s always prepared” (23)

Location: Administrative Section, on a desk in the back of the Warehouse.

Labyrinth

#20: “Whole world ahead of us” (19)

Location: Desolate Area, climb up the ladder number VI in the octagonal room with Pyramid Head and find this photo on the cabinet in the next room.

#21: “Your best buddy!” (3)

Location: Labyrinth Center, rotate the cube so it shows the scratched out symbol. Step inside the cube and find this photo on the floor.

Toluca Lake

#22: “Road trip!” (24)

Location: Before you go with a boat, on a floor behind the steps to the right of the building.

Lakeview Hotel

#23: “aftermath…” (21)

Location: Room 104, inside the nightstand's drawer.

#24: “Better leave…” (25)

Location: Venus Tears Bar, on a shelf with bottles behind the bar.

Desolate Hotel

#25: “Still can’t get it right” (22)

Location: Room 302, in the bathroom's sink (move the trolley to get inside).

#26: “SHAPE FORCES THE MIND” (26)

Location: At the start of the metal catwalk leading to the final boss.

Meaning of Strange Photos

The mystery behind the strange photos in Silent Hill 2 was uncovered by Dale Robinson in his Reddit post.

Every strange photo has a number on the backside. If you put the the images in the order according to these numbers, then count repeating elements within each photo and take a corresponding letter out of the photo's writing, you will get a phrase out of 26 letters that spells out:

"YOUVE BEEN HERE FOR TWO DECADES"

The Original Silent Hill 2 was released in 2001, 23 years ago, so the phrase may very well refer to that. Or, as some fans speculate, this may support the loop theory of James repeating his journey over and over again. Or perhaps the doppelgänger theory.