In this writeup, I will delve into my intriguing experience of geolocating a picture.
Below is the picture which I stumbled onto in one of a discord server that I’m part of. The OP posted the picture saying “Here’s a little nice osint challenge”.
Hmmm….. time to roll up the sleeves then.
My initial approach involves conducting reverse image searches primarily through platforms like Google Images and Yandex Images. By doing so, I was able to obtain multiple outcomes featuring buildings resembling the tall building in the above photo. However, due to the generic nature of the building’s design, the search results didn’t yield particularly valuable information.
“In the grand tapestry of life, it is often the seemingly insignificant details that hold the power to shape our understanding of the whole.”
So, I found myself pondering: How on earth can I narrow down this search to a specific country? Right now, these buildings or houses could be hiding anywhere in the world, in any country imaginable. It’s like a game of hide-and-seek on a global scale!
And just like that, after about a minute of intense staring contest with the photo I let out a deep sigh, thinking I had stumbled upon a major breakthrough. You see, what caught my eye was a peculiar thing — a satellite TV antenna! But what made it truly intriguing was its black color. I mean, I have never seen a black TV antenna. That was my cue to jump back into action. As I closely examined the antenna, I could barely make out a logo and some text, but oh boy, it was all so blurry that I couldn’t decipher what it actually said. The mystery deepens, but so does my determination to unravel it!
Adding to the mix, I spotted the Ford Transit Minibus lurking in the picture, a ride I’ve mostly encountered in those snazzy UK-based movies and shows. Of course, it’s also flaunted in the US and several other European countries, but something in my gut urged me to take a wild swing and bet on the UK.
Conducting a Google image search using the query “Black satellite TV dish UK,” I initiated a thorough exploration of the search results. Scrolling through the array of pictures, I eventually stopped my search when I encountered an image that exhibited a certain resemblance to the black antenna.
Returning to the realm of Google search, I once again searched for the term “Technomate UK.” and I found that it’s a Security system supplier in London, England.
Now it was just a matter of reverse image searching the tall building once again but focusing on LONDON as the city. And eventually, I stumbled upon this property listing. And upon visiting the page you can see the tall building along with the building on the right side with vertical white paint strip covering the 3 windows. I searched the address on Google maps (51.6140095, -0.0689472) and using street view I verified that it was indeed the location!
It’s those tiny, overlooked things that can shout the loudest sometimes.
I hope you enjoyed the journey. Thanks for reading!
Good day!
