Photography Truth

We would like to bring as much truth to the profession as possible. One of the most important pieces of evidence is photos. But, it is also one of the most misconstrued pieces.The more fake photos that pop up on the web, the worse it makes the professionals look. There are already many skeptics close to this field, and posting a lot of fake or non-paranormal pics on the internet makes the research of professional, dedicated groups less credible. Here are some tips to make sure your evidence is true and credible.
The most commonly touted of these images are of orbs. Most people don't understand that orbs are naturally occuring. The vast majority of the photos that have orbs in them are not paranormal-related and are elements of the environment, such as dust, mist, bugs, etc. Some folks lay claim that if an orb has color then it is in fact paranormal. They even go as far as to say that it is a ghost or spirit and that they can see a face in them. This is pretty far fetched considering that orbs are forms of energy, not the whole elements of a spirit or ghost. And just because an orbs has color deosn't mean it is paranormal-related. Typically, if it has red or orange, it is not paranormal. Cool white, light blues, greens and yellows are something to look closer at.

Orbs
OK, so what are orbs?
Simply put, orbs are forms of energy; balls of energy. They do, however, occur in relation to spirit activity. The theory is that in order for an entity to manifest (show itself) it needs energy. The entity draws energy from any source it can. Energy has heat, which is why temperture drops occur when an entity attempts to manifest. Another side effect of this manifestation is orbs. But, they are parts of the manifestation, not entities as a whole.

3 types of naturally occuring orbs
1) Reflection from an objectMost people in search of paranormal activity take the photos at night and require the use of a flash, which is the culprit so to speak. This is usually easy to spot due to its undeniable charactersitics. What happens is that the flash is reflected off an object, producing many circular bursts of varying intensity. 2) Refraction of moistureThis is a very common capture in outdoor investigations. This is simply the flash refracting on the moisture. These are usually irregular shapes and will vary in contrast or transparency. They are easily mistaken for paranormal orbs.3) Refraction of DustThese are most common in buildings, and more so in older ones that are unoccupied. These very fine particles aren't visible to the eye alone. What happens here is simply that the flash refracts off the particle, usually producing a perfect circle. They are very easily mistaken for paranormal due to their close resemblence.So how can you tell the difference between real and environmental orbs?Well, we use one very simple tool that you always have with you: a flashlight. What we do at times when we see orbs on our digital camera monitor is to simply shine the flashlight in the exact line of path the photo was taken. If you see fine particles floating in your flashlight beam then chances are you have captured one of the natural orbs. If you're using a video camera with the built-in light, you can do the same. If you see orbs floating by the camera monitor while your filming then just look at the path of the camera light; you can almost always see the moisture or dust particles floating through the beam of the camera light.
So how do I know if I've captured a real paranormal-related orb?
A "real" paranormal-related orb will have 3 distinct characteristics: It will have a defined outline, it will give off its own light and when examined closely it will appear to look much like a cell under a microscope.Open your photo with an editing program, such as Photoshop and zoom in to where the orb is. If it's real you'll be able to see these 3 elements.

Ghostly mist, "ectoplasm"
This has to be second place next to orbs in the most common mistaken paranormal pics. The problem I've always had with this one is that it's very easy to avoid. The majority of photos out there that display this alleged phenomena are actually just showing cigarette smoke. Either the camera person or someone nearby is smoking. Most people don't realize how far cigarette smoke can travel while maintaining it's density. This smoke can drift into your photos without being visible, especially at night. The flash refracts off the smoke giving you the illusion of ectoplasm. This is very easy to spot because there's either a trail showing where the smoke is eminating or there will be dense cloud in a condensed area. You may also notice streaks or waves in the smoke. Avoid this by not allowing any of your investigators to smoke during an investigaton. This includes you as well.

Energy Rods
This one is a little harder to spot to a novice, but very easy to a professional.There are many photos with these circulating around the web. The problem is that 99% of them all are just camera abnormalities. The usual cause is either a hair on the lens or a camera strap in the way. They can be all different colors and shapes and can even appear to have a wave pattern to them. I've never seen an energy rod that couldn't be explained. This is one phenomena that I personally do not believe in.

Apparitions, Full-Bodied Apparitions

The apparition is the "Holy Grail" of paranormal research. It is the single most sought-after paranormal evidence. It is every paranormal investigator's dream to catch one of these on video. Now capturing them on camera is a different story. While it certainly is exciting and impressive when one is captured, there are things to watch out for.

Matrixing

Matrixing is the ability of our eyes to be able to recognize or form familiar shapes within a certain view. One familiar form of matrixing for most people to recognize is looking at clouds and finding different familiar shapes. Everyone has done it. For example, finding the clouds shaped in the form of a country, an animal, a person, God, Satan, etc.

Matrixing is an essential part of our vision system. It is what helps us identify the things we see. It is the exact way we see what we see.

Now that we understand how matrixing is essential to our vision, we need to understand how it can work against us in paranormal investigations.

Paranormal investigations are always conducted at night. The darkness adds another element that works against us. There are natural occurring shadows that our eyes can fool us into thinking are moving or are in the shape of an apparition. Dim lights and IR lights adds yet another element. If you're conducting an outside investigation then you have trees, bushes, animals and other natural things that can fool us. This all adds up to increasing the chance of seeing a false apparition.

Now taking photographs in the dark using the flash throws us another set of potential problems.

Pixelating

Pixelating is when the photo looks smooth at normal view, but when zoomed-in, you can see individual pixels. And as we all know, when viewing evidence in the form of photos, we always have to zoom in to get a better look. The problem is that when we do, the pixels that become more evident trigger the false matrixing effect... then we begin to see different shapes and possible apparitions. If the photo is taken outside, you now have the environment to work against you.

As you become more experienced with paranormal investigation and recognize the elements that work against you, you'll gain a sharper eye for discovering matrixing and pixelating. My advice is just take tons of photos everywhere, then analyze each and try to find the things that work against you.

Just remember that if you put your evidence out there for the world to see, make sure it's authentic... or it'll be ripped apart. You have to be your own worst critic.

Good luck out there!

Bryan Watson

TPS Investigator

www.theparanormalsociety.org