A Baffling Phenomenon

There is a growing international community of people united by a common experience of a phenomenon that defies reason. Accounts of this phenomenon may mystify you. The evidence may seem too incredible to be genuine. Yet there is no denying that this phenomenon is real, and happening all over the world, every day, leaving behind literally tons of concrete, undeniable evidence of the fact.

The people who experience this phenomenon, like most of us, enjoy taking photographs of people, places, and events. Most of the time the pictures turn out just as expected. On rare occasions, however, something anomalous happens, and the photograph does not show what the photographer intended!

While composing and taking the picture, the photographer usually isn't aware of anything being out of the ordinary, although occasionally there may be a vague sense of unease: a feeling that something is not quite right somehow. But when the photograph is developed, it is immediately obvious that something extraordinary was happening: the photograph shows inexplicable, ethereal lines and swirls of light and color that could not possibly have been there when the picture was taken.

What is going on here? Some may be quick to offer ad hoc explanations accompanied by much hand-waving, but all those united by this experience know the real answer. It is the only reasonable explanation: THE CAMERA IS HAUNTED!!!1!

My Foray Into the Supernatural

I first learned of this international community of paranormal photographers after a Usenet post alerted me to the existence of a wonderful website called Ghostweb. While browsing the free photo exhibit I was utterly fascinated by this phenomenon that seemed to be occurring all over the world and I immediately wanted to take such photographs myself. Since I had no idea how to go about it, I just started snapping away at random objects around the house with a digital camera. And what do you know, almost immediately I captured my first ghost photo!

Perhaps my freshly opened eyes were particularly keen to these ethereal manifestations, or maybe it was just beginner's luck, but in only a few ten-minute sessions I managed to capture at least four different types of ghosts on camera! After the hunt, I browsed through some old photos and, with my newly honed sense of the supernatural, spotted a picture I'd taken years ago (and almost thrown out!) that clearly showed a ghost.

My first catch of ghosts is presented below. All of the images are absolutely authentic. They have been color corrected, cropped, and resized for publishing on the web, but they are otherwise unretouched. Also note that these are digital photos, so darkroom mishaps and faults in the film cannot explain these anomalies. Clicking on any picture will open a larger image showing much more detail.

I hope you enjoy this journey into the paranormal, and I'd love to hear your comments!

Spirit Orb

This is the first ghost I caught on camera! It shows what I believe to be either a vortex or a spirit orb contrail flying over a Weasel Ball. I am not yet expert enough to tell the difference.
Dr. Dave of Ghostweb believes that these smoke trail like artifacts are produced when a spirit orb moves through the field of view so rapidly that it becomes a blur. I wonder if the orb in this picture is the spirit of a weasel haunting the fur they made the Weasel Ball out of?
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
Classical Vortex | Orbs in Motion | Twin Vortices

Transparent Orb

This picture shows what looks like a small, transparent spirit orb zooming over my keyboard. It's clear proof that these artifacts cannot be caused by solid objects!
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
Slow Motion Orb

Ecto Vapor

This appears to be ectoplasmic vapor streaming through the window. It looks like my dog can see it, too! My mere human eyes saw nothing, of course.
Note: Dr. Dave interprets a similar picture as portraying not ecto vapor but rather the energy trail of a spirit orb passing very close to the camera. Again, since I am not an expert, I am prepared to be corrected on this.
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
Ecto-Vapor | Orb Energy

Supercharged Orbs

Right after the ecto vapor stream had passed, I was fortunate enough to capture these supercharged spirit orbs zooming in front of my dog! Notice how he is again able to see the spirits and dodge them.
Dr. Dave explains that supercharged orbs are like regular spirit orbs except that they emit supercharged energy.
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
Super Charged Spirits | Orbs In Motion | Supercharged Spirits

Patio Ecto

I caught this diffuse ectoplasmic vapor swirling around a swallow's nest above my patio. The nest is just outside the field of view in this shot. The weather was rainy, but there was absolutely no mist, smoke, or dust outside or on the patio!
The nest has been here for years. I try to watch the dogs whenever the baby birds are learning to fly, but they've still managed to catch and eat a couple. Perhaps the ectoplasm is from their spirits still hanging around the nest, never having learned to fly?
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
Dave's Ecto | Triangular Field Ecto | Garage Ecto | Ground Zero Ecto

Barrier Oscillation

This is another picture of the spirit haunting the Weasel Ball. It clearly shows the barrier oscillation as the orb shifts in and out of our dimension.
Dr. Dave of Ghostweb explains how barrier oscillation works: it happens when an object entering our dimension at a high vibrational rate dissipates the excess vibration by bouncing, or oscillating.
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
Barrier Oscillation

Dimensional Overlap

This photo shows two parallel dimensions overlapping. The desk shows right through the two images of the horny toad. According to Dr. Dave, this happens during peak geomagnetic conditions.
Note how the more ethereal toy seems to be attacking the camera! Perhaps in the alternate parallel universe plush toys are evil?
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
Dimensional Overlapping

Bathroom Ecto

One morning when I got out of the shower, I was struck by a sudden chilly sensation. Then as I was toweling off my hair, something invisible brushed against my leg! I yelled and kicked at it, but it had already vanished. When I got the towel off my head, I saw the cat fleeing the bathroom: she must have sensed the apparition too!
So that evening after it got dark, I armed myself with my camera and marched into the bathroom. And sure enough, after turning off the lights, I soon captured this beautiful luminescent ectoplasm swirling over my sink! Could it be the spirit of one of the countless baby alligators flushed down the toilet each year?
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
House Ecto

Mayan Ghost

This old photo turned out to be my best shot yet! When I first took it, I didn't notice anything odd about it, but now it immediately caught my newly-trained eye, as the purple object at the top of the frame is almost identical to an ancient Mayan spirit photographed in Mexico!
On the left you can see the ectoplasmic energy pattern characteristic of the dimensional portal through which the spirit entered my back yard. In the top right corner there is an actual manifestation of a hand raised in an ancient Maya ritual!
Similar pictures from Ghostweb:
Maya Ruins | Gettysburg Portal

Spirit Orb
	This is the first ghost I caught on camera! It shows what I believe to be either a vortex or a spirit orb contrail flying over a Weasel Ball. I am not yet expert enough to tell the difference. Dr. Dave of Ghostweb believes that these smoke trail like artifacts are produced when a spirit orb moves through the field of view so rapidly that it becomes a blur. I wonder if the orb in this picture is the spirit of a weasel haunting the fur they made the Weasel Ball out of? Similar pictures from Ghostweb: Classical Vortex \| Orbs in Motion \| Twin Vortices
Transparent Orb
	This picture shows what looks like a small, transparent spirit orb zooming over my keyboard. It's clear proof that these artifacts cannot be caused by solid objects! Similar pictures from Ghostweb: Slow Motion Orb
Ecto Vapor
	This appears to be ectoplasmic vapor streaming through the window. It looks like my dog can see it, too! My mere human eyes saw nothing, of course. Note: Dr. Dave interprets a similar picture as portraying not ecto vapor but rather the energy trail of a spirit orb passing very close to the camera. Again, since I am not an expert, I am prepared to be corrected on this. Similar pictures from Ghostweb: Ecto-Vapor \| Orb Energy
Supercharged Orbs
	Right after the ecto vapor stream had passed, I was fortunate enough to capture these supercharged spirit orbs zooming in front of my dog! Notice how he is again able to see the spirits and dodge them. Dr. Dave explains that supercharged orbs are like regular spirit orbs except that they emit supercharged energy. Similar pictures from Ghostweb: Super Charged Spirits \| Orbs In Motion \| Supercharged Spirits
Patio Ecto
	I caught this diffuse ectoplasmic vapor swirling around a swallow's nest above my patio. The nest is just outside the field of view in this shot. The weather was rainy, but there was absolutely no mist, smoke, or dust outside or on the patio! The nest has been here for years. I try to watch the dogs whenever the baby birds are learning to fly, but they've still managed to catch and eat a couple. Perhaps the ectoplasm is from their spirits still hanging around the nest, never having learned to fly? Similar pictures from Ghostweb: Dave's Ecto \| Triangular Field Ecto \| Garage Ecto \| Ground Zero Ecto
Barrier Oscillation
	This is another picture of the spirit haunting the Weasel Ball. It clearly shows the barrier oscillation as the orb shifts in and out of our dimension. Dr. Dave of Ghostweb explains how barrier oscillation works: it happens when an object entering our dimension at a high vibrational rate dissipates the excess vibration by bouncing, or oscillating. Similar pictures from Ghostweb: Barrier Oscillation
Dimensional Overlap
	This photo shows two parallel dimensions overlapping. The desk shows right through the two images of the horny toad. According to Dr. Dave, this happens during peak geomagnetic conditions. Note how the more ethereal toy seems to be attacking the camera! Perhaps in the alternate parallel universe plush toys are evil? Similar pictures from Ghostweb: Dimensional Overlapping
Bathroom Ecto
	One morning when I got out of the shower, I was struck by a sudden chilly sensation. Then as I was toweling off my hair, something invisible brushed against my leg! I yelled and kicked at it, but it had already vanished. When I got the towel off my head, I saw the cat fleeing the bathroom: she must have sensed the apparition too! So that evening after it got dark, I armed myself with my camera and marched into the bathroom. And sure enough, after turning off the lights, I soon captured this beautiful luminescent ectoplasm swirling over my sink! Could it be the spirit of one of the countless baby alligators flushed down the toilet each year? Similar pictures from Ghostweb: House Ecto
Mayan Ghost
	This old photo turned out to be my best shot yet! When I first took it, I didn't notice anything odd about it, but now it immediately caught my newly-trained eye, as the purple object at the top of the frame is almost identical to an ancient Mayan spirit photographed in Mexico! On the left you can see the ectoplasmic energy pattern characteristic of the dimensional portal through which the spirit entered my back yard. In the top right corner there is an actual manifestation of a hand raised in an ancient Maya ritual! Similar pictures from Ghostweb: Maya Ruins \| Gettysburg Portal