Retrieving photos from a deactivated iPhone

I've got an iPhone 3Gs that's been deactivated for a few years. How do I retrieve photos from it? When I plug it in to charge, the screen comes up to make emergency calls but can't get to anything else. When I plug it into my Mac Pro, the Apple Logo screen comes on for about 4 seconds and then goes blank and continues this cycle. Neither iTunes or Image Capture can find the phone...