A Ghost Hunter's Guide

So, you've seen the numerous televised ghost investigation programs, maybe even read of a few. Now, you think you are ready to try your own. Read this before you set out to investigate anywhere!

Behavior

* Do not trespass on any property haunted or not. Being a ghost enthusiast doesn't give anyone the right to break the law.
* Treat the property and the properties of those around the haunted locations with respect. Do not go to these spots with the intent to disrupt, destroy or disrespect anyone or anything.
* Respect any and all spirits that might inhabit the area. Do not provoke them, and do not challenge them to "show themselves."

Safety

* It's suggested that you take a buddy with you to help if you are injured, or to assure that you do not get lost in foreign territory. (Especially in heavily wooded areas.)
* Bring along a cell phone in case you find the need to call for help.
* Do not go into any foreign area in the dark. If night fall isn't too far away, either turn around and come back again earlier in the day, or stay somewhere nearby (if it was a long trip out) and go again the next morning.
* Ask around or research online for information on the haunting. Some spirits are more harmful than others, and you should be aware of this prior to going. * Many sites have state by state listings or forums to aid you in this research.
* It's also a good idea to ask about the terrain in the area. If it's going to be a rough trek you can bring supplies as needed.
* Have your ID handy. If you are questioned by the authorities they might ask you for it. Having it handy makes you look much less suspicious.
* Map. Bring along a map of the area you are going to as you very well could encounter detours, construction or road blocks. If you bring a map you have other routes to get to your destination, and will not get lost. You can purchase a country road map for under twenty dollars at a book or department store.
* Do not go into any investigation under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Equipment

* Spare batteries. Not only will you use a lot with photos and/or flashlights, but energies in haunted locations have been known to severely drain fully charged batteries. Take several pairs of backups along as well.
* Camera. This can be video, digital or traditional film, or any combination of the three. See more info below in the Camera section.
* Notepad and pen. Log your feelings, experiences and any info you receive about the haunting on your investigation.
* Watch. So you can log your progress an judge the time to not be stuck in the dark. Also this helps when logging times there.
* There's other optional equipment like in fared detectors, EVP etc. However most of this in unavailable to most average ghost enthusiasts and probably not terribly n necessary. Most of this detects things mechanically that most of you can detect naturally.

Cameras

* Film cameras are often preferred to digital since you are provided with a negative to aid in verifying or debunking a possibly positive photo. The downside is that unless you have a very deep pocket and a lot of cash, carrying and developing all of this film is a big setback. Often with film you'll be less likely to shoot random photos everywhere and anywhere, and as a result could miss out on some hot-spots.
* Digital cameras. These have a big advantage over film for investigations as far as I'm concerned. You can load a 1GB card into the camera and take photos until you are satisfied you got everything on camera. If the photos turn out negative, you can either keep them or delete them. No money wasted on them. Most digital cameras now have the option for short videos, some even with sound. This is especially nice if you want to see what the alternative media can capture as well. Digital also gives you an advantage of seeing the photos instantly so that you can snap consecutive photos of something odd turns up on a photo.
It's often recommended to remove your camera strap to reduce the possibility of it creating false positive photos. I personally always leave my strap attached, but it's tightly wrapped around my wrist and hand (so as not to drop it should I be bumped or lose my balance) this also manages to keep it out of the way of the lens.

The Investigation

Once you've taken care of the above you are ready to go into the area and investigate. Take your supplies, and carefully walk around the area. Watch your step as a lot of these abandoned places are littered with debris and broken glass, so be aware where you step and what you are stepping on.

Look around and snap photos as needed. You will probably find it easier if one person notes the investigation in the journal and another handles the photographing. Usually I do the photos and my husband does the journaling. He journals down the date we went, time of arrival and departure, weather conditions and anything we felt, saw or heard while there. Note everything down so that when you look over the photos you can compare the photo results to your feelings. If there's a brook nearby, note it down. Note down any sources of electricity and the surroundings. This also is helpful if someone noticed the sound of running water from "nowhere" and had not spied the brook.

Before we leave we discuss some areas that we have determined to be spots of interest. I also check with him if there's a spot he'd like me to photograph for whatever the reason. Usually the reasons are for vibes we feel. I mention to him places I might have had an experience or feeling at and he notes this down before we leave.

Which brings me to the next part. Pay particular attention to your feelings, the animals that might be around there, and the feelings of anyone else in your party. Discuss these feelings before you leave the spot, and photograph them heavily. You'll often find these areas turn up questionable photos.

If you notice on your digital display that you got a possibly positive photo, stay still wait for the camera to become ready for another shot and take another in the very same spot. If that, too looks like a positive photo for a mist, orb etc, take another. Keep doing this until they come out normal. This will help you in determining if the photo is positive or a false positive. Also, be sure to look around at the area after you take what could be a possible positive photo. You got an odd light in the photo. Was there a house behind a tree that might have had a light on? Was there a car in the distance and you caught the headlights in the photo? Look it over and keep this in mind when you look these photos over.

If this is a place of business, and they are not terribly busy, ask the owners or employees of any experiences that they might have experienced. Sometimes you will also learn some fascinating history of the haunting and of the alleged hot-spots. (This also makes your focusing into the active areas much easier.) Note down anything you learn in these interviews in your journal for use and reference later .

Looking Over The Photos

So, you went to your location and snapped your photos. If you used a film camera the next order of business is to drop the rolls of film off to the developer's. However, if you used a digital camera, you can now begin to look through the photos. I often look thorough them in the car as I'm not driving. Admittedly it's difficult to see much on the small LCD screen, but you can usually get a general idea of what you might have come up with. Sometimes I'm aware I caught something questionable in the photos as I glance at them as they flash on the screen afterward.

If you expect to come out of an investigation with at least one questionably positive photo, don't. There are far more times than not that you will find nothing at all on your photos. There's a number of reasons this is, but the short answer is that this is all hit or miss if you get something. Frankly, it's mostly misses. Even the professional investigators often come up empty handed. It's just how it goes.

Things You Might See Turning Up On Your Photos, and Some Mundane Explanations For Them.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every odd thing we caught on photos was real? Unfortunately, we need to take a more mundane and level headed approach to analyzing our photos. Below you will see some possible objects that might appear on photos from haunted locations, and mundane possibilities of what could have caused them. This is only a guide to aid you in determining the possibility of having caught an actual spirit or otherworldly presence on your photo(s.)

Circular Dots, or "Orbs"

Orbs are quite common in photos. In a true positive photo they are said to represent the presence of spirits. In a false positive photo it could be anything from a bug to moisture (rain, snow, fog etc) to dust illuminated by the camera's flash. Also be aware of reflective surfaces like mirrors, windows and other glassy surfaces that could reflect a camera flash as a false positive orb. I had tried to get a nice foggy photo one morning, and while my eyes could see a misty foggy scene, my camera only saw a million orbs. See this page for more on orbs and how to distinguish a possible positive orb from a false positive one.

I've gotten quite a few shots with varied types of orbs in them.

Vortexes

Earlier in the camera section I'd mentioned about removing or securing the camera strap. This would be why. Often vortex photos have been determined to be a camera's strap or a wisp of hair that had fallen in the way of the lens.

Mists or Ectoplasm

Mists can sometimes be attributed to smoke in the photo. To avoid this take photos when no one has been smoking. Clearly, if this is outdoors or in a smoking friendly restaurant you'll just have to deal, and keep this explanation in mind if anything shows up. Another possible explanation for a mist would be a fog or your breath if taken outside on a very cold day.

I've gotten a few photos with misty figures in them. I'm unsure of their validity, though.

Apparitions

These are the rarest form of ghost photography to capture, it's also the most difficult to prove as legit. In the day and age of computer manipulated photos, this is even more possible than ever to fake. There's also a likelihood these are attributed to double exposures.

I, myself have picked up two apparitions in Summerwind. They were not visible to the naked eye, nor were there any people around in those areas that could have wandered into the photo without my noticing. I have yet to get a definitive explanation either mundane or otherworldly on this. The closest I've come to is it was a painting on the wall, but neither myself nor my husband saw anything like that there.

See The Sites Below For More On Analyzing Paranormal Photos

Analyzing Paranormal Photos - A nice site with example photos of each mundane thing.
Debunked Fake Photos - A listing of photos that have been proven as fakes. This will help aid you with photographic examples to compare to your own photos.

No matter your photographic evidence, might you and yours have many happy and fruitful hauntings.