90 % of ghost pictures are photo shopping, fake or debunked

Ashley - My Favorite Cat

Ashley - My Favorite Cat

Great, convincing ghost photos are very rare. Here’s how we might succeed

GHOST STORIES can be frightening… ghost voices in EVPs can be intriguing… but what people really want in the way of haunting evidence are photographs. Photos and videos of ghosts provide the most dramatic evidence for the existence of the spirit world, providing we can be certain that they have not been Photo shopped or otherwise hoaxed. That’s why so many ghost hunting groups are so eager to point to the orbs and “ecto” in their photos — they desperately want that hard evidence. Unfortunately, orbs and “ecto”, in my opinion, stand as rather poor evidence for ghostly activity since so many other things, such as dust and water vapor, can account for them.

So how can we succeed at photographing ghosts? Here are some ideas.

GO WHERE THE GHOSTS ARE

This seems like an obvious point, but how do we know where the ghosts are? Well, at any given moment, we don’t, really. They could be all around us, for all we know.But our best bet is to go to locations where ghost activity has been reported.

Many PI  like to hang out in cemeteries with their cameras and recorders. Although I’ve YET TO hear some  a good EVP from cemeteries, I haven’t seen many convincing photos or video taken there. Just because people are buried there, why should ghosts linger in cemeteries any more than in other locations? (I think the ghost hunting groups just like the spooky atmosphere.)

A better bet would be houses, buildings and other locations where people have actually experienced ghost activity – better yet, where ghost have actually been seen. 

EQUIPMENT

The type and quality of the photo equipment you use can be important. Most people are using digital cameras these days, and although you don’t need an expensive model, the higher the resolution the better. Cameras of low resolution can produce images with a lot of digital artifacts, especially in low light situations. This artifacting can produce elements in photos that might look paranormal, but aren’t. (Even if they are paranormal, the blocky resolution makes them more difficult to confirm.)

Use cameras of at least 5 megapixels of resolution.

WHAT TO SHOOT

Fortunately, large-capacity memory cards for digital cameras have become quite affordable, allowing us to take lots and lots of photographs, even with high-resolution cameras, before they have to be emptied. So take lots and lots of photos, especially in the areas where ghost activity and apparitions have been reported.

HOW TO SHOOT

Set up your camcorder on a tripod and let them run unattended. You can also try this method with still cameras equipped with a function of snapping a picture on its own every few seconds. Make sure your fellow ghost hunters aren’t creeping around this area very much.

WATCH WHAT YOU SHOOT

Avoid shooting into mirrors or other reflective surfaces, especially with a flash. Flash reflections can result in too many questionable images that can be caused by smudges and dust on the reflective surface.

Some researchers believe that ghost images are more readily caught in a reflective medium like a mirror. (In fact, the ghost research group I belong to got one of its best images this way.) But if you do want to shoot into a mirror, do not use a flash. If there’s not enough light available, put the camera on a tripod or other stable surface to avoid blurring.

DAY OR NIGHT?

Here’s something that occurred to me as I was considering this article. Should we use flashes at all? (It’s the flash that produces those questionable orbs and ecto.)

Should we even be doing this research at night in the dark? This is when most Ghost PI g conduct their research, but why? Watch any episode of Ghost Hunters and they not only conduct their research at night, but also switch off all the lights. Again, why? Because it’s spookier? Is there any evidence or research to show that we are more likely to capture ghost photos, video or EVP in the dark than in the middle of the day?

In fact, the opposite might be true.  What’s one thing  most pictures of a ghost on TV or PI experts have in common? Most were taken during the day or in normal light conditions.Not at night. Most when you are alone , quiet place , far away places, cabins, where murder took a place, house build over a grave, or in busy house in regular neighborhood. 

So, ghost hunters, why don’t we try that as well?

BE LUCKY

The one other thing the photographs in that gallery have in common is this: they happened by chance (with only one or two exceptions, I think). The photographers were not out trying to photograph ghosts. They were just taking pictures for some other purpose, and the ghosts happened to show up in the photos. In fact, that’s how most  these experience occur – when we least expect them and on their terms.

Ghost phenomena are fleeting and mercurial. We cannot control when they will happen or how. By definition, we cannot control our luck in capturing a ghost on camera or video. The best we can do is go where the ghosts are, be patient and be persistent. We may never get a photo of an apparition, but if we do, the effort will have been worthwhile. My advise to be ready always keep the camera and EVP recorders with you at all time.

courtesy of  Stephen Wagner
Paranormal Phenomena Expert

Thank you for reading 

Steve Ramsey.

Related Images:

By Dr.Steve Ramsey,PhD

Greeting from Calgary, Alberta - Canada. My name is Saad Al-Hashimi. Known as Steve Ramsey PhD, I am the founder and the director of the Paranormal zone- Haunting Dimensions. That deals with an investigation, debunking, and healing/cleansing since 1986. Having had many unexplainable experiences from a young age at a possible "haunted" house where plenty of things seemed to happen that I couldn’t explain, since that time and I am looking and searching for an answer. After continuing to have many experiences that I just cannot explain, I have since become a firm believer that GHOSTS do exist. I continued for a short while as a member of a few other paranormal groups until I was very fortunate to become involved with a local fast growing organization where I felt very comfortable to start my own paranormal investigation. My best experience has been Indio California, Okotoks Alberta, Baghdad city , and many other places in Greece and North Canada. (yes I do believe spirits can hurt you so you have to be careful not to provoke or challenge a spirit ). I won’t tell you the whole story now but you are more than welcome to ask me on a ghost hunt. I am now looking forward to meeting many more people, all looking for that ‘experience’ that could possibly convince them that there is something more to life than we first thought. So please feel free to email me drsteveramsey@gmail.com I have been involved in several paranormal groups over the years. Paranormal Adventures is different and exciting in ways I couldn’t possibly get before. When people ask if I believe in ghosts, I say I am a skeptical believer. I have had many encounters with spirit forms and believe what I have seen to be real and unexplainable. I always look for a normal mundane reason why at the same time. My area of expertise in the field of science. I have Ph.D. in Public Health from the USA, Master degree in Medical Ultrasound and BSc Degree in Diagnostic Imaging from Charles Sturt University Australia, BSc in Physics, and Radiology diploma from Iraq, Pharmacy diploma. Radiography diploma from London Ontario, Diploma in Natural Health from Quebec, Canada. Radiation physics from Australia, I studied the infra and ultrasound in the animal kingdom.P resented more than 20 lectures in Iraq, Greece, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Canada and I am the peer reviewer for the radiographer journal in UK, Netherlands, and South Africa. Earned the 3rd award for excellence in ultrasound - Canada 2005. I am also armature archaeologist, painter, calligrapher, and used to run acting theater play in Iraq- Baghdad, wrote, directed and acted in more than 27 plays. So debunking come naturally in my science and technology back round, and not like other debunking people around you who use Google for their search and call them self-debunkers, It doesn't work that way. In the near future, I will run live internet ghost hunts with night vision cameras giving users at home the chance to watch the spooky footage on, in my nights out. I look forward to seeing you all soon on one of our many events! I loved reading ghost stories and sitting on my own in the dark watching horror films. However. I Can decode dreams, and I see spirits in my dreams. I like to look at things from a scientific point of view and try to rule out all rational possibilities before concluding that events are paranormal. However, I do try to keep an open mind on all investigations. I started taking part in investigations since 1986; my first investigation usually any house, apartment that I move in or my friend's places. For many of my true paranormal stories you can read them at www.linkedin.com I will try to copy and move all my articles here in this site in near future. Thank you for reading and God Bless you all. Steve Ramsey PhD. Alberta

%d