Shinrei Shashin is a phrase used to describe photos where ghosts or spirits decide to show all or part of themselves when a photo is taken. Ghosts/spirits show up for many reasons including hate for the person having their photo taken, expressions of distress, hate, jealousy etc etc. Spirits make their presence known through orbs, mist, apparitions, and ectoplasm.

The term orb is the popular name given to typically circular anomalies appearing in photographs. In photography and video, orbs appear to be balls, diamonds, or smears of light with an apparent size in the image ranging from a golfball to a basketball depending on the distance of the dust particle to the lens. Orbs sometimes appear to be in motion, leaving a trail behind them. There are two main trains of thought regarding the cause of orbs in photographs. The first school sees it as a fairly clear-cut case of flash or ambient light reflection off of dust, particles, insects, or moisture droplets in the air in front of the camera distorted by the digital cameras CCD lens being unable to focus, i.e. they are naturalistic. The opposing school maintains that orbs are paranormal in nature and spirits, i.e. non-naturalistic and ghost like.

Ectoplasm (from the Greek ektos, "outside", + plasma, "something formed or molded") is a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy supposedly "exteriorized" by physical mediums. Although the term is widespread in popular culture, the physical existence of ectoplasm is not accepted by mainstream science. Other researchers have duplicated, with non-supernatural materials, the photographic effects sometimes said to prove the existence of ectoplasm.

Links of interest:

Ghosts on monstrous.com

Most famous spirit pictures

www.photographymuseum.com/seance.html www.prairieghosts.com/spiritphotos.html www.psychics.co.uk/realghostpictures/spiritphotography.html www.ghostvillage.com/legends/spiritphotography.shtml www.ghostresearch.org/ghostpics www.nthposition.com/photographyand.php www.answers.com/topic/spirit-photography www.angelsghosts.com/famous_real_ghost_pictures.html www.ghostweb.com/ghostph.html paranormal.about.com/od/ghostphotos www.paranormalaustralia.com/ghosthunting www.hollowhill.com/guide/photos101-2.htm www.strangehappenings.org www.castleofspirits.com/Australianghosthunters www.angelfire.com/journal/wordsareair/gettysburgghostphotos.html spiritsearchers.homestead.com/gettysburg.html www.lycos.com/info/ghost-photographs.html