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PHOTO ANOMALIES & HOAXES

I get many supposed spirit photos sent to me, most of which prove to be fairly easily explained away as anomalies in the film, mechanical problems with the camera, or simply misidentified objects. Here is a sampling of some of my favorites along with explanations of what most likely happened to produce the effect you see. I'm also including some known hoaxed ghost photos for you to examine to help you appreciate both just how easy it is to fake a spirit photo as well as how clever some people are. (P.S. While most of the pictures here were sent to me personally and are used with permission of their owners, I found a few on the internet which I assume to be in the public domain. If not, let me know and I'll remove the offending photo asap.) Also, I invite you to check out my gallery of what I believe to be authentic spirit photos for a comparison...if you dare!

Among the most common photo anomaly is the "vortex"--those misty, filmy little clouds of ectoplasma commonly mistaken for manifesting spirits. Most are the result of exhaled breath (usually seen at cold, outdoor locations at night) or cigarette smoke, which is why expert ghosthunters always ensure that there is no smoking while hunting ghosts and that one always holds their breath when taking photos on cold nights. The biggest problem is that it isn't difficult to make out objects--usually faces--in the mist. Notice the apparent skull in the left center of the photo; a manifesting face or a trick of the eye? You decide! (Used with permission, Rocky Mountain Paranormal)

Two more examples of "vortexes" (or is it "vorteses?): on the left the camera strap caught in the flash (which is why expert ghosthunters always ensure that the camera strap is removed while hunting ghosts) and on the right, a strand of hair (which is why most ghost hunters are bald). Be amazed how easily these effects can scare the begeebers out of someone! (Used with permission, Rocky Mountain Paranormal)

Left: another frightening vortex--this time sunlight reflecting off a sprinkler in a cemetary. And on the right the most common of all alleged spirit photos, an infamous "orb" (in this case, lens flare. Other causes are dust particles, insects, precipitation.) That's not to say that ALL orbs are nothing, but the majority really are nothing to worry about. I do wonder, however, why they mostly show up only in photos taken at supposedly haunted locations. I never see them anywher else. Hmmm. (Used with permission, Rocky Mountain Paranormal)

This photo was sent to me by a guy taking a few photos of his friends at some resort in Mexico. Notice the fuzzy, half image of what appears to be a man sitting at the table in front of them. No, it's not a double exposure but most likely an article of clothing flapping up in front of the lens just as the picture was snapped. Cool effect though (used with permission).

You gotta love Photoshop and Civil War reenactments. Here our intrepid photographer took a picture of a Civil War era wagon and then waited for someone in costume to walk by, at which point he shot a second photo. Then it was simply a matter of cutting the figure out of the one photo, turning the transparency up, and splicing it into the wagon alone picture. Such fakes are easy to do and look pretty authentic to the untrained observer. The biggest giveaway is the consistency of transparency of the figure; real ghosts tend to be more solid at some points than at other points. In other words, the upper torso might appear nearly opaque while the legs and head may be transparent or even missing. They don't often appear this evenly transparent.

Very cool effect of girl being caught in midstride just as the camera shutter malfunctions, giving her a blurred image. The giveaway on this is the fact that all the people in the picture appear to be blurred to some degree; by not moving, however, they don't take on the semi-transparent effect of the moving girl in the center. (Used with permission)

All right, so you might recognize two of these guys. That's Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of Ghost Hunters fame (along with yours truly in the middle ) apparently interrogating a ghost at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Actually, it's a bit of trick photography (gasp!) produced by having us pose around an empty chair in a darkened room while the photographer (in this case, one Adam Blai--see other samples of his work at www.happyvalleystudio.com) opens the shutter and "paints" the entity with a light wand while we stood very, very still. If only all ghosts were that cooperative!

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