Paranormal Photography
Compared to our E.V.P. section, the Photographs Page is going to be short and sweet. Frankly, there isn’t a lot to say about it.
For years ghost hunters and paranormal investigators have been taking pictures of nothing in the hopes of capturing something. Has it been productive?
NO! It’s been horrible. We’ve found absolutely nothing. In fact, we’ve harmed the field with bad information.
When you take into consideration how many years we’ve been out there taking pictures, throw in how many CONCLUSIVE photos that exist, and how much we’ve leaped to unwarranted conclusions, and making stuff up, we’ve actually gone backwards in the field. We’re in the hole.
Â
Contempt for only 1000
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Let’s say that that’s true. If you look at any photo, there are a ton of things that could be said about it. That goes for paranormal pictures as well.
Consider this. In normal lighting, the average modern camera has a shudder speed of a 1/125 of a second. Let’s assume that in that brief fraction of a moment that you actually capture something interesting on film. What about the other 124 parts of that second that you DIDN’T capture?
If a picture’s worth 1000 words, then for that second, you’ve captured 1000 words of a 125,000 word story. What if the paranormal occurrence lasts for 3 seconds? That means that you only have .002% of the whole story!
If you went to court to present a case, and you had only .002% of the story, the judge would hold you in contempt for wasting his time!
That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m holding us all in contempt for wasting each others time for so many years.
Stop that!
A Swift Kick In The Buttock
I’m not saying that there are no pictures that capture paranormal events. As a matter of fact, I’m 99.9% sure that things are captured every day. Can these pictures be considered proof of anything? I personally don’t think so. They’re not even solid evidence. Even a picture of an apparition is just a small piece of a very, VERY large puzzle that nobody knows how to build, or has ever even seen before.
Pictures will always come in handy. By themselves, you got nothing, but combine them with EMF readings, EVP, or low temperatures at the same moment that the photo was taken… At that point, you have multiple mediums backing each other up. Simply put, they’re only a small piece, but they certainly help complete the puzzle. Keep snapping your pictures! Just don’t get too excited about them, and accept them for what they are… A small piece of nothing.
You may notice that on a lot of the pages on this site, I try to give the reader ‘a swift kick in the ass’ about the silly things that we think, and do in the paranormal research field. I can do this with a clear conscience because I kick myself all the time! Every time I get a picture of a mist or something, I get all excited, and for a short time, I think that I actually have something. After that, I slap myself in the face, and ground myself back into reality.
Reality
I’m going to go through each type of alleged paranormal photograph to give you an idea what’s out there. I’ll also give you an explanation of each of them. When I say ‘explanation’ I mean I’ll tell you what to look for. As for what they REALLY are, I’m not even going to try to explain them. I’m not arrogant enough to claim to know.
Orbs
Orbs… This is one of the most controversial subjects among investigators and ghost hunters. Some think that they’re absolutely nothing, while others believe that they’re actually evidence of the paranormal. Some even claim to see faces in them. I’ve tried to see them, but I gotta chalk it up as pareidolia at its finest.
There are ton of different theories about what they are. These explanations include dust, pollen, moisture, rain, energy, or paranormal entities.
My mind is open to the possibility, but I gotta tell ya, I see nothing in an orb that even remotely SUGGESTS paranormal activity, let alone proves it. When I take pictures of them, I try to figure them out. There’s just not enough data in that picture for me, for ANYBODY, to pretend to form an educated opinion.
It always boils down to dust, moisture, pollen, whatever. Some will say that a paranormal orb will have its own light source because it’s a form of energy. I know of MANY forms of energy that don’t normally produce light, so I gotta throw that theory out the window. I just don’t know what to make of any of it. As for the immediate future, since all orbs, dust, spirit or otherwise look almost identical, they cannot be submitted as evidence of anything. At present, there’s no way to know.
Vortexes… Vortices… Um, glowing squiggly lines
The word ‘vortex’ to me, suggests a tornado or a portal to another place, or something. It doesn’t describe a squiggly line or a camera strap.
Vortices are a goofy subject with me. Go to other websites. Every website has a different explanation of these things, and not one of those explanations are based on anything that you could call a fact.
Most of the pictures that you’ll see are of something long, and slender that appears to be out of focus, which is why camera straps are often the culprit. Some even think that they’re actually orbs that are moving at such a fast speed that it’s leaving a long trail. I have no idea what they really are.
To be honest, I’m rarely impressed by pictures of them. The ones that appear to be out of focus are EASILY dismissed as something too close to the lens when the picture was taken. Granted, that IS a closed minded view, but hear me out. Everyone who looks at this picture will judge it. WE have nothing to prove. YOU DO. As the photographer, can you prove that it ISN’T something too close to the lens beyond any doubt? If you can, then great. If you can’t, then you’ve wasted everyone’s time.
The picture above was taken with a Sony, 6 mega pixel camera at one of my investigations. It’s not too close to the lens. It’s not out of focus. If you look, it even appears to emit its own light. Still, I see nothing necessarily paranormal here. It COULD be, but again, it’s just one frame of whats really going on, so there’s not enough information to go on. It’s GREAT evidence of a squiggly line though.
Mists (Ecto)
Ecto-Plasm, or mist photos are easily faked or accidentally taken, and misunderstood. Oddly enough I find them more interesting than most other ‘paranormal’ pictures.
There are a lot of possible explanations for these pictures. Someone smoking near where the picture was taken can create these anomalies. If it’s cold, and some selfish person decides to actually breathe, this could also create a mist. (Who would do such a thing? Just selfish.) Moisture in the air that may not even be visible with the naked eye may actually appear with the reflection of the flash.
Like I said, there are a lot of reasons why these may show up.
There’s also the paranormal possibility. Unfortunately, there’s no way to positively identify the difference between selfish people breathing, or the possibility of paranormal activity. If it’s not cold outside, and nobody’s smoking, that’s a definite step in the right direction. Fog in itself is spooky. I think that may be why it’s easier for me to believe than the other forms of photos. Don’t let my love for spooky stuff sway your opinion. Be inquisitive, and find the truth, whatever it may be.
Apparitions
As a ghost hunter, or paranormal investigator, this is the best that you can do when it comes to still photography. Some consider it ‘The Holy grail’ of evidence.
As for the picture to the left, I call it ‘Fun With Photoshop’.
There isn’t much to say about apparition photos. They look like the stereotypical Hollywood ghost in a still photo. Sometimes they’re completely indistinguishable from an actual person.
If and when you actually capture one, you’re going to be bouncing off walls with excitement. Be careful.
I offer this warning to anyone who is viewing someone elses ‘apparition’ or to anyone who captures one of their own. People see what they want to see. Look at these photos with a bit of skepticism. It’s pretty certain that people have captured some real ones, but being strict in your judgment is the only way to weed out the crap from the legitimate ones. Once you’ve done that, keep in mind that it’s still only .002% of a much bigger story.
Photoshop?
“Hey Bill, can I use Photoshop to clean up my images like I do with Audacity, or Audition for my E.V.P.’s?“
When you show me your paranormal photos, if you’re new to the field, I will be encouraging. I will do everything I can to help you see the truth in them, and I’ll be nice about it. If you’re an experienced investigator, and you’re showing them to me, they better be pretty frickin’ spectacular, and backed up with other data.
If you tell me that you cleaned them up a little with Photoshop, I’m gonna kick you in the nuts!
Tough Love
I love this shit. Ya all KNOW I do, and I love ya all for reading my bullshit. I want to say that I know that this page sounds a bit cynical about paranormal photography, but this isn’t the “Enjoy Ghost Hunting, and Photos” page. These ‘Unearthing Evidence’ pages of mine are designed to be harsh, and tough on us all. Everyone who knows me, knows that I AM a true believer. It’s just that over time I’ve seen far too much bad information being accepted as facts by those who are far too prone to wishful thinking, or refusing to allow themselves to be wrong. After that, those people go on to teach that bad information to others. That line of thinking has virtually killed the credibility of this field. Too many people are trying to move forward with false assumptions. If someone doesn’t try to break that cycle, we’ll never get out of the proverbial hole.
I TRULY hope you got something positive out of it. If you believe me to be wrong, and wish to show me the error of my ways, or have something to add, leave a comment and let us know!
Discussion ¬