There are dozens of websites out there that display photograph after photograph of alleged ghosts. At first, many photographs might seem like convincing evidence for the existence of ghosts. However, many supposed ghost photos are outright fakes while others are innocently mistaken for evidence of ghosts. When it comes to real ghost photos, there are several famous ones that after decades of controversy and study, still cannot be explained.
Many Ghost Photos are Deliberate Hoaxes
When it comes to proving the existence of the paranormal, some people will do anything. That’s why paranormal investigators have to be careful when studying photographs that claim to show evidence of ghost activity. For example, a photograph from Japan was circulated via e-mail a few years ago claiming to prove the existence of ghosts but was deemed a hoax by most viewers and the paranormal community.
Photos Mistaken for Evidence of Ghosts
There are many objects that show up in photographs that are commonly mistaken for paranormal activity. Here are several examples:
- Paranormal investigators have long argued over the credibility of orbs. These round, sometimes colorful shapes often appear in photographs. Experienced investigators mostly agree that the majority of orbs in photographs are dust particles or reflections of light. Dust, always present in the air in the first place, gets kicked up into the air whenever something gets moved and whenever someone walks through an area. Yet there are many people who believe that orbs caught on film are evidence of ghosts. Due to the controversy surrounding whether or not orbs are supernatural entities, most experienced investigators will pass the majority of orbs off as dust.
- Bugs are frequently mistaken for paranormal activity. For instance, a video surfaced in 2007 of an alleged ghost lingering in the lot of an Ohio gas station. While the video received a lot of attention and turned a lot of people into believers, the supposed entity is most likely a bug crawling across the security camera screen.
- Cigarette smoke has often been mistaken for evidence of ghosts in photographs. Smoke floats, hovers and dissipates much like the viewer would expect a ghost to do.
- Camera straps have an annoying habit of finding a way into photographs. The person taking the photograph doesn’t notice the strap at the time, but the strap shows up in the photograph later, looking like a floating ghost.
Real Photos of Ghosts are Rare
Compared to the countless number of non-ghost photographs that exist, real photographs of ghosts are much harder to come by. Of course, there’s no way to know for sure whether any of these rare photos are absolutely genuine. Basically, these photos are more likely to be genuine based on the fact that photo specialists and paranormal researchers have never been able to provide natural explanations for the objects that appear in them.
The Brown Lady photograph, taken in 1936 by two photographers for Country Life magazine, is one of the most famous ghost photographs. The photographers were assigned to take photographs of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. One photographer saw a misty figure descending the large oak stairs of Raynham Hall and immediately pressed the camera trigger. The second photographer never saw the ghostly figure on the stairs but upon developing the film, there she was.
A retired clergyman visiting the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England took the Tulip Staircase ghost photograph in 1966. Reverend Ralph Hardy was taking a photograph of the spiral staircase in the Queen’s House section of the museum and upon developing the film, discovered a ghostly figure clinging to the railing
Sources:
Country Life Magazine. Issue: 16 December 1936.
Zaffis, John. "Full Paranormal Presentation". Eisenhower Auditorium, Penn State University. State College, PA. 15 October 2005.
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