recover pictures after uninstalling iCloud on PC

I've had problems with iCloud constantly asking me to login on my PC. When I try to login, it says I needs a device close by, blah, blah, blah. I DO HAVE a device close by, but it still gives me the sign in. Anyhow, being sick of the sign in nightmare, I uninstalled iCloud on my computer. Now I find that a bunch of photos have gone missing in my iCloud account when I login with a browser. They're also gone off my phone. How do I get them back?

[Edited by Moderator]