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Psychic Photography is one of the most exciting elements of Paranormal Investigations and Ghost Hunting. But lets face it, No one person can say weather or not a photograph is actual! Unless they were there at the location when the photo was taken. Just a photo alone of spirit energy is hard to stand on its own without some other events present at the time of the photo. For example: Was there cold spots present, E.M.F. Meter readings, odd odors, etc. The list goes on. With these present with the photo, then the photo has more merit.
It is imperative that a set of Standards and Protocols be present with the photographer. Without these, those photos will be up for extreme debate. So please make sure that you have a set of Standards and Protocols with still photography, as well as video.
Now, there is much debate as to weather or not Digital Cameras are good for psychic photography. As far as I am concerned, they are a good source. But, I think they should be used with 35 MM, Polaroid's, throwaways, etc. as well. We cannot afford to close our minds to new technology. We just have to identify errors, like the 35 MM, and note these errors for identification. No piece of equipment can provide results as a stand alone piece of evidence, they all must rely on other equipment as well as your own mind, before they can carry any merit.
Below is a piece written by Team Member Tabrina Williams. She is an artist in Photography and has studied photography for some time now. She processes and develops her own film and is very well trained and experienced in the use of infrared film. She has some very good ideas and insights in psychic photography.
Just remember, the more evidence you collect, and the more events you log that goes with each photo, it gives your photos more merit and less room for debate. We must maintain a high standard in our photographs and evidence collecting. So "When in doubt", don't post the photo for the public. I have some photos that I know are of the paranormal, but I have nothing else to go along with it, so I did not post it. Even though I know in my heart that it is of the paranormal. There is just nothing else to go with it for support.
The day has finally come. You have completed your first investigation and the film in which you shot has arrived at your local photo shop. Bingo! Your heart begins to race adrenaline pumps into your system. There you hold in your hands a plethora of evidence. An orb, ecto mist, a vortex, an image reflected in the mirror. Your first reaction is to rush to your teams lead investigator, your friends, that one guy at work who thinks you a fool hearty lunatic for believing in such silliness, and show them your photos.
STOP! As I am constantly being told, relax. Take a deep breath and go through your photos objectively. I know this is hard, but you can do it. Take a good long look at each of your photos, separate the ones in which you believe you have caught a ghost. Place them in a separate pile, then go through your negatives. Find the ones that match the photos in question. If you have a light table and a photographers magnifying glass, excellent. If not, a well lit, dust free environment and a strong regular magnifying glass will do just as well.
The first thing you need to ask yourself is, did I follow proper spirit photography protocol? We all know the song boys and girls, so sing it with me:
A) If you have long hair, pull it back. B) Remove your camera straps C) No smoking D) Be aware of reflective surfaces E) What was the weather like?
After you have checked this list, ask yourself, what was in my surrounding environment? Were there cars driving by? Were there houses in the background in which light came from the windows? A street sign in which the flash would have reflected? I cannot stress enough the importance of thinking of every possibility, from the glow of an animal's eyes to the foggy breath on a cold night.
Once you have gone through and checked off all the human and environmental possibilities, the next thing I suggest you do is think about your camera. Not to mention your film and the fact that while at the Processing Company, your film could have gone through a bad batch of chemicals. I process my own film and there have been several mistakes I have done, which has caused ghostly effects.
For example:
While threading my film onto the spool prior to the chemical wash, I have bent the film to hard, causing a crease in the emulsion. When the film was processed, it seemed I had a series of vortexes.
Bad developer. This one frustrates me to no ends. I develop my film in class and in doing so, I am mixing and recycling developer with 10 to 15 other students. The end result is limitless. Black streaks, spots, over or under developed negatives. In essence this too can happen in a professional processing lab. So, be aware of these common mistakes.
There is also the possibility of bad fix, which can leave everything from large discolored orbs to simple discoloration.
Film is a very sensitive thing. If old, it will mold, sometimes turning the film a pinkish hue. Always load your camera in low light and if you are using infrared (my personal favorite) have a changing bag at hand or be prepared to load your film in a darkened closet. It is imperative that you load this sensitive film in utter darkness, the slightest beam of light can fog this special and expensive film. When unloading infrared, you must take the same care as if you were loading it into your camera. Once out of your camera and in the safety of the small plastic container in which it came in, I suggest you wrap it in tape to assure there is no light leakage. Yes, I know this sounds anal and paranoid, but at 10 bucks a pop for 36 exposures, I think I am justified.
So, now that you have canceled out human error, reflective surfaces, streetlights, bad film, bad processing, light leaks and the million other possibilities. Let the fun begin. This is of course my favorite part of the whole if not sometimes tedious process.
If you keep records, which I think is very important to the research of the paranormal. Record the dates, weather conditions, time, name of location and solar flares. Now go through your negatives. Hold your negative to a lighted surface, or place them on your light table. It is amazing what you can see in your negatives. Light source, if indeed the photo is fubar due to old or poorly processed film. You will be able to see if your orb has depth or if it is an orb at all. A negative can tell you without a shadow of doubt if it was merely a reflection of your flash, or a sun flare on a window. Also, if you want to go the full nine yards, send in your negative to the company in which the film was manufactured and they can tell you one of two things.
A) It is natural B) It is unexplainable.
I feel this is very important to the cause of paranormal research, to have as much professional backing as one can get, so if you ever meet that skeptic, you have a strong argument.
Now you have your photo and matching negatives. There are wonderful things you can do by scanning them into your computer. You can blow up images, lighten or darken your images to get a clearer view of whatever it is you think you have caught on film. Test them through a series of computerized filters to help you see clearly your orbs or shadows. Not to mention, putting them on your web page.
I know there are arguments out there in the field when it comes to spirit photography between 35 mm and digital cameras. I personally believe you should have many cameras at hand. Digital, 35 mm and even Polaroid cameras. Digital I think is wonderful because as well with the Polaroid you can get instant results. 35 mm on the other hand gives you negatives in which you can send to the various film people to either make or break your findings. I feel it is all about back up.
I use three cameras. A 15 year old 35 mm Cannon, a 20 year old Nikon and a 5 year old idiot proof point and shoot with flash and zoom. I soon will be utilizing my Polaroid as well. I love to use infrared with my Cannon. A side note about infrared and cameras. Before you load infrared into your camera, be sure there aren't any internal lights, some cameras use indicators that automatically advanced your film, this can fog you infrared film. Check you camera manual before using infrared. I love my Cannon, but my Nikon is a wonderful workhorse and can take much abuse. I should know, I have on more than one occasion dropped the old girl while on my adventures.
Being that I am a natural light freak, I tend to use high-speed film during the day and at night I use my point and shoot, due to the fact it comes with a flash. When loading my film, I try to do so when I get to the sight in which we are about to investigate. So you know it was a fresh roll of film and was used only to shoot the sight of the investigation. Some also say it is best to do this for better paranormal results. I like to do so, so there is no question of tomfoolery when it comes to my photos. In the end, know you will shoot many rolls of film and maybe get a few results. I recently turned in 16 rolls of 24 exposures and got back a small handful of results. Don't let this discourage you. I feel that the more you return to a sight, the more they become familiar with you and after awhile, will show themselves to you. I also tend to talk to them while I am out in the field. I ask permission to take their photo and let them know I mean them no harm.
So go out, hunt, research and photograph. Most of all, obey the laws, be safe and have fun.
Retired Team Member M.G.H.S. Tabrina Williams
Digital Camera's in Paranormal Investigations
One of the most talked about subjects on investigators equipment is the Digital Camera. Reports are always noted on the errors that digital camera's have. But to be honest, the digital camera has it share of errors and the same will be mentioned with the 35 MM camera. It to has it's share of errors. It is also true that both include both photogenic and developmental errors. Should a camera be disqualified due to errors? Is so, there would be no camera's in the paranormal field. No, as investigators we must note all errors with any equipment and compare any evidence to such errors to ensure their trueness. It is agreed that the digital has no negative for comparison. But to be honest that is not the only form of validation and if anyone uses just the negative for validating weather or not the photo is of the paranormal or not, then they are presenting a photograph without validity. It is imperative that we support each photograph with as much evidence as possible. We must note any paranormal events that were present when the photograph was taken. This is true for any camera.
One thing that is always stated about the digital camera is that they are easy to manipulate with digital computer programs. This is true, but most fail to report that this is true with any photograph, even from a 35 MM camera. In today's world with high technology, any photograph is open to such manipulations in computer programs.
We have done much research on the digital camera and found that most of the brands that a majority of investigators use are equipped with, believe it or not, 35 MM camera lens, ISO settings for low light conditions and so much more. The argument that the flash only gives 10 feet of flash assistance for the digital camera is true, however, this is the same for 35 MM cameras. One example is the Olympus D360L Digital Camera. This particular model is equipped with a 35 MM lens, adjustable ISO settings for LOW LIGHT conditions and we have found that this camera is an excellent tool for night and low light areas.
Another aspect of the digital camera that comes into dispute is the pixel speed and quality of the photograph. There are many arguments that the digital camera pixels out at magnification. Yes this is true and it does hamper some of the inspections at magnification. However, we use both the 35 MM and the Digital Camera and to be honest they both have their share of problems when reviewing the photograph. Many can go through and give the faults of any camera and deny the use based on those faults. But to do that is to close ones mind. The digital camera has its place in the paranormal field and it is a very sensitive camera and often times shows anomalies that the 35 MM can't show. It is also true that the digital camera shows orb like anomalies that are indeed other elements other then the paranormal. But this has made true investigators more alert and more careful to these anomalies. However, because the 35 MM is less sensitive, we have seen orb like anomalies in the 35 MM that people have claimed to be orbs just because they have showed up on the film of 35 mm camera's. This is a bad stance and all photographs should be examined with skepticism, no matter what camera we use.
We believe that the Digital camera should be used hand in hand with the 35 MM. Together they make a comprehensive team of photographic tools and together they provide incredible evidence. But alone they both stand to be argued for their abilities in the field. I have been a Federal Law Enforcement officer most of my life and have taken my share of Crime Scene photographs with the 35 mm camera. I have stood in the courts as experts have attacked the 35 mm camera based on its many photographic and development faults, so it is highly noted that yes even the 35 mm camera has numerous faults. It is not the faults that we should determine as to weather or not it is a credible piece of equipment, but rather to learn the faults and how to identify them and be able to be honest and not to use photographs when these faults are present. The courts has shown that the 35 mm and the digital camera is a successful piece of equipment and when properly used is a very good tool for evidence. The courts have accepted the digital camera as a tool for collecting evidence and we should too. Remember it is not the tool that we should concentrate on, but rather learn the faults and errors or any piece of equipment and use them as a validation to your evidence and not as an argument as to their place in the paranormal field.
To close our minds to new technologies is to close our minds of the paranormal. We should use each piece of equipment with care and we should learn their limitations and use them accordingly. We also believe that the use of just the digital camera alone is not recommended and it should be backed up with a 35 mm camera. Together they make up a very good and distinctive tool and should be used in the field of paranormal investigations. They both have their faults and they both have their advantages. We as investigators must use them properly and present the photographs honestly.
Please learn the limitations to your camera, weather it be 35 mm or digital and learn the faults that each have. Note these faults and use them as comparison. If you approach all your evidence in this manner you will have stronger cases and less disputable evidence. NO MATTER IF IT IS A 35 MM OR A DIGITAL CAMERA, THEY BOTH HAVE THEIR PLACE IN PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS.
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