Catching Ghosts on Camera

In order to capture incontrovertible evidence of ghosts, paranormal investigators try to learn how to catch ghosts on camera. Since no one knows, conclusively, what exactly a "ghost" is, it is extremely difficult to capture such an apparition on film. However, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of catching a ghost on camera.

Learning How to Catch Ghosts on Camera

One of the primary reasons there's such little scientific evidence of ghosts is that hauntings are unpredictable. A homeowner could experience a week of solid paranormal activity, but the following week, with a full team of investigators and recording equipment on the property, very little takes place. The reason this happens is because no researcher has yet successfully determined which conditions serve as a precursor to paranormal events.

Identify a Likely Haunted Location

If you want to capture a ghost on camera, you first need to improve your odds by selecting a location that is considered extremely haunted. In order to select the best location, carefully consider the conditions that typically predict paranormal activity, and choose a location that has one of more of those characteristics.

Some of the current hypotheses that many paranormal groups share regarding what tends to trigger hauntings include:

• Previous occult activities seem to increase the occurrence of paranormal events.
• Historical events that include intense human emotions usually trigger future paranormal activity.
• Human remains, such as blood or bones, are often found hidden at haunted locations.
• Sudden death by accident, murder or suicide often seems to trigger future hauntings.

Proper Camera Setup

At most haunted locations, there are particular spots in the building where people report the most experiences. Interviews can help you determine where those "hot spots" are. Bring along several digital still cameras with a motion detect feature, and also several digital video cameras. In each hot spot, place each camera on a solid tripod. Place each tripod in the corner of the room so that it has a view of the entire room. Set each camera with the following settings in order to reduce the potential of capturing erroneous data.

Protect Your Batteries

Investigators who are untrained in electronics sometimes recognize that their camera batteries wear out faster at haunted locations than they otherwise would, and they attribute the energy loss to spiritual manifestations "draining" energy from electronics. While this could be true, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding camera batteries. Batteries contain chemicals that react in order to hold electrical charge and deliver current to the battery terminals when electricity is needed. When batteries operate in cold environments, this chemical reaction is slowed, increasing resistance between terminals. This reduces battery efficiency and makes batteries run out of power much faster. The best way to prevent this from causing a problem is to either bring extra batteries or run a power cord for each device.

Configure the Camera to Prevent Orbs

When you use a digital camera in an environment that is typically haunted, like an abandoned house, you are likely to be taking photos under dusty or wet conditions. Inevitably, a ghost hunter will end up with dust or moisture on the camera lens or even on the sensor. In time, paranormal investigators will notice small translucent circles that appear as "orbs" on photos. As is all too common within paranormal research, the investigator often assumes the orbs are spirits.

You can avoid this trap by taking the following precautions:

• Before every field investigation, carefully change your lens in your home or office where it's relatively dust-free.
• Always store lenses inside a clean, dust-free and moisture-free container.
• At least once every few months, send your digital camera in to a local camera professional for a sensor cleaning.
• If your camera lens persistently captures spots, replace it with a new lens because foreign matter has likely gotten trapped within the lens itself.

Considering the harsh environments where most ghost hunters find themselves, it's critical that you carefully protect your electronic equipment.

Don't Let Light Fool the Camera

If you are a paranormal investigator and you don't know what lens flare is, just review some of the photographs on some of the paranormal society websites and you'll find some excellent examples. Lens flare is when light from any position ahead of the camera skims across the lens and creates spots, streaks or a ghostly glare or "fog" in the picture. It occurs even more often in a dark environment where there's any source of light ahead of the camera. Is there a window in the room? Make sure to draw the shades so that headlights from cars passing by don't introduce anomalies. Even more importantly, purchase a lens hood for your camera, which essentially provides shade for the lens and eliminates this problem. The best setup is a camera with a lens hood, set up in the corner of the room with a table lamp lit behind the camera.

Typical Real Ghosts on Camera

Think it's impossible to capture a "real" ghost on camera? It isn't. Plenty of paranormal investigators have captured objects clearly moving on their own in the middle of an empty room, or a faint, but clearly defined human apparition walking past a video camera's field of vision. Reviewing the thousands of images and video posted on paranormal society websites across the Internet, you are sure to find the usual orbs and streaks of light, but you will also find impressive examples of real ghosts caught on camera. By allowing your equipment to record for long enough in a paranormal "hot spot", and then carefully reviewing your evidence, you too can capture real ghosts on camera.

Source: Ryan Dube