I love ghost pics and videos. Ok, I know. They’re super easy to fake. I get it. That does nothing to diminish their allure.
Because some of them are real. How to tell the difference though is pretty tricky. I’m certainly no photography expert, however there are some quick and easy things to look for when you’re scanning a bunch of spooky pics late at night freaking yourself out doing research.
Easy stuff first – Orbs! They’re usually dust. Yes. If you have a pic with potential paranormal phenomena (try saying that fast!) most sites that do photo analysis do not even want to even look at orb pics.
Here’s what dust turned to orbs looks like.
These are faint and far away, but if you look close you’ll see more than just the three I’ve highlighted. But wait, it gets better.
So many ghosts! Nope, just so much dust stirred up from walking on that dirt floor. Your first clue is how many orbs are floating around. With this pic too, the more you look the more you see.
But sometimes an orb appears to be a genuine manifestation of spirit activity. A sizeable chunk of ghost hunting involves the use of technology – EMF meters, laser arrays, voice recorders – to name just a few. If we’re going to accept that discarnate entities have the ability to manifest through some manipulation of energy to affect these devices then it’s reasonable to presume that they could manifest as an orb in a photograph.
So what’s the difference? Look for:
- A singular orb instead of a flock.
- A distinct or unusual shape. Not perfectly round.
When I took the photos above I wasn’t trying to connect psychically with anything. In these two below, I sensed the presence of a spirit and asked them to manifest as an orb. This is what I got in response.
Ghosts? I took these pictures in a location that is notorious for spirit activity – Seattle’s Underground. While these two pics are both singular orbs, and I was getting a response psychically, it is still hard for me to say that yes, these are spirits manifesting. My sense is the top photo has more potential than the bottom picture. But I would not consider either of these good evidence.
Have I seen orbs that I thought looked genuine? Yes, taken by other people. Do a quick search and you’ll find them too. See if you start to get a sense for what is dust and what may be spirits. I have yet to take a really solid orb photo that I’m confident represents genuine paranormal activity. When I do you can be sure I’ll post it. Until then, I’ll keep trying…
Want to see some really good, unexplained photos? Check out here.
Have you taken pics of orbs, apparitions or other unexplained phenomena?
The second photo you intentionally took, the one on the bottom with the toilet, has more than just the one orb over the toilet. There is a string of them just to the left where the pink meets the yellow (about 4 in a straight line) and another single one clinging to the left edge of the poster on the right near the top. So maybe dust?
I have taken many, many photos where orbs have appeared. Some I know are dust, even though I was in a museum (which should not have had that must dust), but others, I feel pretty confident are honest to goodness paranormal entities.
I love it when I capture them on on my camera.
Thanks for sharing. And – Seattle’s Underground? – how cool does that sound?
Patricia RIckrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
I didn’t notice the string of orbs, thanks for pointing them out. I love taking the pics, I’ve got a few that I’ll have to put up in another post. My friend caught a great orb and posted it in a comment on my FB page. Take a look. If you’ve got a pic you want to share I’d love to see it.
The Seattle Underground is a great experience! Entertaining guides, interesting history, well worth the money. Then there is Spooked in Seattle. They also offer a walking tour of Seattle that focuses on the paranormal. I highly recommend it. They’re the real deal. They conduct paranormal investigations and know their stuff.
Last year my husband and I bought a B & B in Vicksburg Mississippi and it is on the Haunted Vicksburg tour. So, I guess we live in a haunted house. I’ve experienced a couple of interesting things. It’s kind of fun.
I’m looking forward to another post.
Patricia
That’s a story I’d love to hear sometime. Or I suppose it’s stories?
I think I’d be too afraid to take photos in a place that’s thought to be haunted, just in case I did end up capturing a ghost on camera.
I took a look at that site of unexplained photos. The one with the hooded monk was good.
I really liked that article too! The Brown Lady is one of my favorites, but that monk was spooky too.