Have ghosts ever been Photographed ?

And how to fake your own !

Before we begin he have to ask ourselves the following questions:

If the camera never lies - does the photographer?
Is the camera capable of freezing an image which the human eye can not see ?

A camera, whether it be the most expensive in the world, or the cheapest, they all do the same job, which is to reflect an image on to a light sensitive film through a series of lens.
They can only record what is there at the time the photo was taken - or can they ?

Yet there are several cases of "extras" appearing in photographs, which were not visible to the human eye at the time.
Some of these images are clear, some are foreground images, some of these are background images and some are shadowy or indistinct and on several occasions the "Extra's" have been recognised as a family member, friend or pet.
Some also appear as Orbs, or circles of light.

After all, if a ghost could be photographed, then it would prove with out question that ghosts do exist, and do return to haunt.

One of the first people to use " Spirit Photography" were the Fox sisters, who welcomed the fact that spirits could be photographed,
these photos were then produced as evidence to people who attended their séances.
Genuine Mediums also welcomed the advent of photography in order to prove their claims were also true.

However, this gave a platform to fake "spirit" photography and fake mediums who swindled people out of hundred of pounds.

Towards the End of the Nineteenth Century, it was proved that easily obtainable materials, could even with out being in direct contact with the film, could produce "extra's, and therefore proved that these "extra's" could easily be planted.

After many claims, the enquires were closed and a damning report issued that all "spirit photography" was deemed as fake.
But, still the photography business continued to do well, and even those with no interest in phantoms, ghosts or spirits reported that "extra's" continued to appear in photographs, but this had no effect on changing the contents of the report, and all claims remained fake.

Does the camera ever lie ? Decide for yourself.

The phantom in the photo : National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, 1966.

The Reverend Hardy and his wife where on holiday in England and decided to visit the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.
On their tour, they stopped to take photos of the Tulip staircase, in the Queen Mothers home.
- This particular staircase is well reported to be haunted.
Seeing nothing unusual, they took the photo and continued their tour.

However several weeks later when the negative was printed it showed 2 monks climbing the staircase, with their hands on the banister!
Confused this the Hardy's handed the photograph over to experts who examined it carefully.
When the Hardy's returned to England a panel of psychical researchers questioned them about the photograph.
In all innocence the apparently authentic picture was taken with no thought of and " extra" in mind.

Fake it yourself ! - How to make your own "spirit Photograph"

This can be done in many ways, either by tampering with the negative, or with the final photo.

#1 - The double exposure

The easiest way is to use a term known as double exposure.
This is where a photograph is taken on top of another.

You will need a non-automatic camera, ( one that you have to wind forward yourself).
And a willing participant (or 2) to be your "ghost".

First take the photograph, with your spirit in place. ( to make it really scary - use 2 people ask one to dress in a white sheet, and ask the other person to put his or her head under the arm of the person dressed in white.)
Then without winding forward the film, take the same photo again, this time without the "ghost".

When the photo is developed you what will see is a transparent "ghost", with his head under his arm, on a strong background.
- Remember, not to change the position of the camera once the " spirits" have moved to one side !

#2 - The negative approach

Another easy way, (and this works better with black and white film) - is to take a photo of a spooky place. Derelict Buildings or Graveyards work well.

When you take the film to be developed, ask for the negative back before the film is fully processed.
- Remembering that it is a negative (- so, what is white will be black and vice versa when the film is processed.) Take a black marker and draw in your ghostly manifestation.

Then take the negative back to have the photographed developed.
What you will see when your photograph arrives, is your spooky place complete with a strong "ghostly" image.

#3 - So obvious it has to be fake !

For this method, use 2 old photos, one to be your "Ghost" and the other to be your setting.
Cut out a suitable piece of the photo, A loved ones head for example. Then carefully stick it in to place.
Use some "white out" to give your dead person a cloud of there own.
Then take it to a photocopier and print out your photo. One instant spook !

#4 - The paint program for your PC

As technology moves forward, it is well known that pictures can be faked.
Even tabloid papers are not as genuine as you think !
Experiment with your computer and make up your own "spirit photograph" ....

*~ Back to the top ~*