Photo retrieval from hard drive
Unless the hard drive was damaged, you should still be able to get your things off. You'll need:


A set of adapter cables (similar to the USB enclosure @crasic recommends), which will run you ~$10 on Amazon or hopefully similar at CompUSA or Fryes or whatever. The advantage of the cables over the enclosure is that the cables are cheaper, and you don't need the permanence the enclosure provides.
Another Mac, preferably, or a Windows PC running something like Paragon.


Once you have these, plug the SATA-to-USB cable into the appropriate slots, then do the power. Try not to move the disk while it's in use, as this could damage the moving parts. Get what you need, and MAKE SURE TO EJECT THE DISK before unplugging it.

(Despite the ominous warning, it is reasonably hard to mess up a good drive unless you're super careless. Don't worry too hard, just don't do anything stupid.)