How do I convert TC sparse bundle to disk image?

Ok, this question could be cross-listed under a number of threads, so I had to just pick one...
A few months ago, the HD in my MB was clearly dying, so I replaced it with a larger, faster drive. All good, until I realized I had been close to maxing out my Time Capsule before I upgraded my MB's HD, so I upsized that, too.
Fast forward 2 months.
I have a weird problem where iPhoto events start going dark. The database had these previously imported files listed, but the files themselves were nowhere to be found! The event in iPhoto showed black squares where the images used to be, but even looking in finder... No pics!
I want to go back into my old (saved) HD that I pulled from my Time Capsule. I stuck it in an external USB enclosure, and hooked it up. I told Time Machine to use it as the backup, but after it 'verified' it, it didn't show me the archived files. It does show a 'sparse bundle' in finder, which I understand is similar to a disk image. So is there a way to convert the sparse bundle to a disk image? Do I need to plug my old TC HD back into the TC to get to that archive?
Help! Among the lost photos are ones from a trip to Australia and my grandmother's memorial service. I need to get these back!
Thank you in advance.

tgilk wrote:
I've already done the TC surgery once before and the hardest thing was loosening the adhesive on the rubber pad / gasket on the bottom of the unit. After that, I completed the HD replacement in about 15 minutes... piece of cake. There's actually a good tutorial on AppleFritter. But I digress...
It's not too much of a digression. Remember that if you are just firing up the Time Capsule with the old hard drive, you don't have to reassemble it. Just swap out the plugs from the old drive to the new and turn it on. A true PC geek never runs with the cover on.
However, messing around with adhesives and thermal paste introduces a new element of risk. If you know the dates that have good data, and you are comfortable merging the newer photos back in, accessing the data via the Finder on an external enclosure would be faster and safer.
So, can I turn the TM backups off and still enter 'TM' to browse through the backups on the drive? I've ID'd the specific dates of my missing photo events, so as long as I can get into the backup, I will know just what folders to search for in the 'Originals' folders in the backup.
Yes. That is probably one of the most important and least known tips about Time Machine. You can still use it even if the backups are turned off. Furthermore, if you ever start to have problems on your machine, you should turn off Time Machine to avoid further corruption of your backups.

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