Ghost Photography: Do you see what I see?

Photography has been a vital way of capturing our life’s history for almost 200 years. As a young girl, it always seemed like I had a camera in my hand. Whether it was my mother’s old Kodak Brownie, an Instamatic or an 8mm movie camera, I was always comfortable taking pictures. Just in the last 20 years we have all witnessed major changes in how we use our cameras. With the digital age of photography, we now have instant gratification and are no longer dependant on the local “fotomat” or drugstore for developing film. New advances in digital picture quality allow us to take near perfect pictures with the definition previously available only to professional photographers.


For a ghost hunter, a camera is one of the most important pieces of equipment that we can carry during an investigation. The types of cameras can range from basic film and digital still cameras to high definition video cams with infrared capabilities to thermal cameras that detect changes in temperature to produce images. Each of these cameras increases the possibility of catching unexplained events in action and can validate whether or not the activity is paranormal in nature. The most popular ghost hunting shows on television today utilize several different types of cameras in their investigations for this very reason.

Unexplained images can appear in photographs at any time and not just in an environment that you already suspect is haunted. If you travel or visit friends, most likely you are not aware that the place that you are visiting could be an area that has paranormal activity. So what should you look for when analyzing pictures? One way to look at pictures is to pick out the images that do not appear to fit with the scene of the picture. For example, shadows can sometimes appear with bright lights and sun, but not normally in a family photo where the level of lighting is low. Shadows that routinely appear in photos in an environment where paranormal activity has been reported could be a preliminary indication of a paranormal presence. Another trick is to view your photos from a different angle. By turning them upside down or sideways, it will give you a different perspective on the picture than what is expected to be seen. It is always a surprise to see a face, abnormal lights and shadows where you know there were none originally.

It’s important to remember that while any camera can pick up paranormal images you must take into account the conditions of the environment where you have placed the camera. Things like air vents, camera straps, hair, rain, dirty lenses or cigarette smoke can all create unexplained shadows, light orbs, mists and unclear pictures. It is important to take this into account when you are reviewing your pictures for the first time. If you feel certain that there was nothing in the lens area during shooting, you may indeed have caught something.

The fun thing about photography is that any photo you have in your possession whether it is 2 days old or 40 years old can be reviewed for evidence of paranormal activity. By using simple techniques, anyone can look past the ordinary to discover something extraordinary.