Ghost Hauntings Paranormal Picture

The Illusive Ghost Hauntings Paranormal Picture

Admittedly, there are few things in the world of paranormal investigations that compare to seeing a full-bodied apparition. Ghost hunters have been trying to capture conclusive evidence of spirits as long as there have been ghost hunters. Unfortunately, most pictures assumed to show spirits usually can be explained as the result of some type of natural interference that distorted the resulting image.

Some ghostly images captured on film were done so by accident, while others were purposely staged and created to dupe the public. Students of the paranormal must judge each image as it comes and decide for themselves whether the image is proof positive of the human spirit.

Famous Paranormal Image Promoters

William H. Mumber: A Hoaxer

One person who successfully faked paranormal photos was an American named William H. Mumber. He started experimenting with the idea of making spirit photographs in 1860, and he released his first effort to the public in 1862.

Mumber discovered a way to superimpose the image of a second person onto the negative and printed it off so it appeared that a ghost was in the picture as well! The photo was of himself, and he shared the frame with the ghostly figure of a woman standing beside him. His story was that he had taken the photograph, and that no one else had been in the room at the time. According to Mumber, the specter in the picture was of a cousin who had died 12 years before.

True ghost haunting or not, Mumber's paranormal picture was a huge success, and many people flocked to his studio to have photos taken of themselves and their "extras". This was the name Mumber gave to the spirits that, according to him, accompany the living.

Things went well for Mr. Mumber until he tripped up, and one of his clients recognized the "extra" in their photograph as being a living person! He was brought up on criminal charges in 1868.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: A True Believer

Not only was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the author of the Sherlock Holmes books, but he was also deeply interested in spiritualism. Perhaps this interest stemmed from the fact that he had lost his wife to tuberculosis, and one of his sons died from injuries sustained in battle.

Conan Doyle went on a lecture tour to share his beliefs with the public and did show spirit photographs as part of his presentation. His view was that life after death was a very real concept. He shared his opinion in his book, The Case for Spirit Photography in 1922. Although it's doubtful the images in the spirit photographs exhibited by Conan Doyle were truly real, there's little doubt that he believed the images were proof positive of life after death.

Interestingly enough, Conan Doyle himself "appeared" in photographs taken after his death and he was "contacted" on at least one occasion during a seance.

Another Example of a Paranormal Picture Debunked

Here's a situation where a ghost haunting paranormal picture turned out to have a much more benign explanation.

A paranormal investigator was called in when a video surveillance camera positioned outside of the Santa Fe Court House caught a glowing spot. After the investigator had looked at the tape and eliminated the idea that the sun's reflection or hoaxers were responsible for this phenomenon in some way, he put another theory to the test.

He collected several ladybugs and placed them on the camera lens. Sure enough, he was able to duplicate the effect of the "ghost."

Taking Paranormal Pictures

While you may think that the most likely place to capture something supernatural on film is in a castle or a stately home, this is not necessarily the case. Paranormal photographs have been taken in apartments, open fields and gardens.

Some people have taken a photograph while visiting a location without noticing anything unusual, only to find that once they get their photographs developed that there is an extra image as well. In other cases, people who have noticed paranormal activity in their home take photographs in hope of getting an image of something otherworldly. Sometimes they are able to capture something on film that is invisible to the naked eye.

You can find examples of paranormal photographs posted online by visiting these web sites:

• Famous and Classic Ghost Pictures
• Ghost Photographs
• The Knight Shift

Presently, the conclusive ghost hauntings paranormal picture has yet to be taken. There are numerous images circulating that could be evidence that spirits exists, but most are explained away as natural phenomena. For now, the hunt continues.