Capture Ghost and Spirits on Camera

To capture spirits on camera you don't have to go out and buy expensive equipment. A normal 5 mega pixel or higher camera with a decent lens (even the built in kind) will do. Wal-mart sells these cameras for under $100. You don't want a low resolution camera (5 MP or less) because it will effect the quality and detail of your photograph. A film camera, such as a 35mm, can be used as well. The downside is that buying the amount of film you will need adds up and gets costly. Ghost captured on film are considered more credible because you have the actual negative to back up your claim. Its much harder to fake a negative than it is to edit a digital picture. However, everyone uses digital cameras these days because they are more effective. You can take hundreds of pictures on one memory card instead of spending $5 to $10 per roll of film which gets you 24-36 photos. A digital SLR camera is a good choice but it is very expensive (at least $900 and up). If you have a paranormal group it would be worth it to save up some money together and invest in one.

Before you start taking pictures you need to get familiar with your camera. Try out every setting and take pictures in different environments. Find out how long your batteries will last and turn off the start up/ shut off sounds some cameras have. Learn how to clean and properly maintain your camera. If you are buying your camera new I would go ahead a purchase the warranty on it just in case it breaks and you need another one for an investigation.

A good camera bag is a must. Inside you should carry your memory cards, batteries, camera strap, camera cleaning kit and your lenses. Try to buy one with a lot of pockets. Get a memory card case ($5) to prevent your cards from getting scratched. I once had a friend lose all of her pictures because the card was damaged from being in her pocket! Don't let that happen to you.

If you are indoors, set your camera up on a tripod. This is to ensure that you don't move the camera while taking a photo which could cause weird light patterns. If possible set your camera to take pictures periodically so you don't have to worry about taking individual pictures. Make sure you put your camera in a spot where people won't be walking in front of it all the time. Try positioning your camera up high so that you can get a better view of the whole room.

Avoid taking pictures facing a mirror or any reflective surface. This could contaminate your photo. If a picture must be taken do it with the flash turned off. Try to provide natural light in the room because the flash will just ruin the photo.

Taking pictures in the dark will always produce more orbs than shooting in the daylight. The reason is because of dust. Its much more visible at night in the light of the flash. If you are outside, don't think that everything you see it a ghost. I'm sure you've seen the pictures of ghost hunters at night in a graveyard surrounded by hundreds of orbs. They claim there were all ghost and the graveyard was haunted. Its people like this that give ghost hunters a bad name. If you have people walking around outside they are going to inadvertently kick up dust when they walk. The only way to rule out dust from night photography is to get a single orb, a clustered group of orbs or an orb that is a different color than the rest in the picture. Orbs that have "tails" can be a good indicator of ghostly activity.

Ectoplasm is a little harder to explain. It can show up as mist or a transparent cloud. If you took my above advice and still are able to capture this on film then consider yourself lucky. Ectoplasm doesn't show up as frequently as Orbs.

A few other key tips to remember:

Make sure your camera strap doesn't get in the way when you are taking pictures.

Don't allow anyone to smoke around your camera. Smoke can be carried by wind and then show up in your photo.

Always be ready to take a picture when you feel a cold spot or feel as if something is in the room.

If you set a camera up on a tripod try to have one with you to carry around as well. You never know when you might need to snap a picture.