I did this for two reasons: 1)Photography of any kind is fun, and 2)I want to piss a few people off.
I've always had a deep interest in anything that cannot be explained. After everything I have seen or read, I've concluded that most paranormal photography has a simple, normal explanation. This is my opinion. You have the right to agree or disagree.
So, how do you explain it?
Although my knowledge of photography is somewhat limited, I know that bad lighting is the cause of most supposed "ghost pictures". Variations in lighting can do some interesting things, especially when a flash is used. The flash can reflect off any random object in view.
I once took a picture of a really neat gravestone that looked like a tree. <Click here to see the picture.> When my pictures were developed, there was a cloudy, translucent, colorful shape right next to the stone. First, I thought that something had spilled on the film either in developing or manufacturing. I looked at the negative, and this mark was in such a shape that, if it had been spilled liquid, it should have been in the other pictures.
I eventually sent a copy of the picture to a friend who knows quite a bit about photography. He first noticed that I had obviously used the flash. Then, he asked me, "Were you wearing a bracelet, or maybe a few rings at the time?" knowing that I always wear a lot of jewelry. Most likely, what happened was that the flash had reflected off my jewelry, creating a spectrum. That is his theory, at least. Is it a ghost or a reflection? I don't know, but it's a great picture.
Another cause is double exposure. For those of you who are unaware, a double exposure happens when two pictures are taken on the same film. You can do this at home even with the cheapest camera. It makes objects from one picture transparent and super-imposed onto the other.
This one is really simple, and if you don't believe me, try it for yourself. Take the camera strap and dangle it in front of the camera. Let it swing around. This creates a common "ghost image" that I've seen too many times. You get little white streaks and squiggles that are somewhat transparent/cloudy looking.
This happens when you're dumb enough to open up the camera and expose the film to light. If you're lucky, you might have a couple of pictures that (partially) survived. Yes, there are people who are gullible enough to believe that pictures like the one above are real "ghost photography".
