| Chasing phantoms on film |
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Page 2 of 3 Reality check from the other side Researchers from "the other side" - that is, the scientific skeptics - don't think that day will come anytime soon. Investigator Joe Nickell, who works for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, has been looking into purported cases of spookiness almost as long as Taff has. Nickell literally wrote the book on photographic investigation - and so far, he's not impressed. "To date, since the invention of photography, not a single ghost or spirit photograph has been authenticated by science. Not one," he told me. "And yes, I'm sure." Nickell makes a distinction between spirit photography, which were the supernatural studio portraits that became so popular during the heyday of 19th-century spiritualism; and ghost photography, which refers to the weird stuff seemingly caught by accident in somebody's snapshot. Using that definition, Nickell said that all spirit photographs are obvious fakes - while ghost photographs are still fakes, but not so obvious. "They're always directly linked to photographic trends and techniques of the period," Nickell said. "Once the public is able to get cameras, and you get rolled film, you start getting anomalies. ... Usually it's a double exposure of some kind, or maybe a mysterious blurry spot." The rise of digital cameras has led to new types of phenomena. "Today, a lot of so-called ghost photographs don't look anything like people," Nickell said. Some flash photos reveal glowing orbs of light that weren't noticed when the picture was taken. "They're caused usually by particles of dust in the air bouncing the flash back," Nickell said. The light comes back into the camera as an out-of-focus spot, appearing as a bright circle on the picture. Other photos may show mysterious blurs or complex, smoky-looking shapes. "Almost anything that can get in front of the camera, and particularly can be emphasized with the flash on, will produce ghostly effects," Nickell explained. "Someone smoking, or even one's breath on a crisp, cold night, can produce misty effects. Some bright object in the background reflecting the flash can make an area look washed out or misty." Nickell has seen effects created by wandering fingertips, strands of hair, jewelry or tree twigs that get in front of the lens. He said the camera strap is a notorious spook-generator: "That can create what's called an 'energy vortex,' or strands of 'ectoplasm.'"
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