Missing images

[oven]

After having several hardware related issues (camera, USB connection) Verizion was nice send me a new one. I used the HTC transfer app to transfer the content from one phone to another. Worked except for it deleted about 2/3's of my pictures in the process. (Don't lecture me about not backing up important stuff, as that's what I used to do by plugging the phone into the computer every few days. But since the USB connection went out I have been unable to do so for a few months). I've gathered by now the only way I can attempt to retrieve the images is by rooting the phone, but 1st the bootloater must be unlocked. Do I wipe the data from the phone and ruin any chance of recovering these images in performing any of these actions?