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The Basics!
What a ghost isn't:
In order to learn what ghosts are we must first know what they are not. Below is a list of things to research before
going on an all out hunt.
There are reasons that old houses are thought to be haunted and it isn't their history... Old homes, buildings,
churches and other places are just that old! Even new homes and places can have phenomena that can be thought to be caused
by ghosts. Below is a list of things investigators should be able to spot right off when doing an investigation
and then rule them out.
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| diagram shows different natural things in environment mistaken for haunting phenomena |
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| bad .plumbing causes banging in walls |
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| bad wiring can cause eletrical disturbances in appliances and lights |
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| as a house gets old its wood beams begin to settle |
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| old appliances can act up like furnaces |
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| open windows and fireplaces can cause drafts that can be misinturpruted as cold spots |
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| critters in our homes can make really scary noises that can be misconstrude as haunting activity |
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| ourselves: our imaginations can get the best of us when we are alone or in the throws of fear |
Now that we have the basic things to rule out lets go on to the next thing to look for!
Things in the environment that can cause haunting phenomena but are not ghosts:
There are thought to be many causes for haunting activity that have nothing to do with the afterlife. Haunting activity
may be caused by eletrical disturbances in the environment that can be either man-made or caused by nature. Water tables under
homes can cause electrical disturbances when the water hits exposed electrical lines. Fault lines can cause shaking and
can even produce ball plasma that look like orbs. High power electrical lines can cause electrical energy to build
up over time and can even effect the brain of a person causing hallucinations.
A mixture of these disturbances can be the cause for many haunting phenomena that people experience.
below is a list of some of the causes:
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| high power tension lines can create large amounts of electrical energy in the environment |
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| earthquake faults run under houses and neighborhoods and can create shaking and eletrical phenomena |
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| water table under ground can cause problems with electricity |
Well now that you know what can be ruled out and what can cause a haunting with out it being a ghost I think
you are ready to learn how to hunt a ghost...
How to Hunt and Investigate Ghosts!
So you wanna be a ghostbuster? Want to catch orbs
and apparitions on film and camera? Want to hear voices of the dead on tape? Well here's how...
How do I hunt a ghost?
Equipment and Protocols for Use:
ELF Sensor: Measures the electrical fields in the area.
Geiger Counter: Checks the amount of radioactivity in the area.
Cell Sensor: Measures man made and low frequency
electrical fields.
Motion Detector: Infrared beams catch any disturbance in an environment.
Other Equipment:
Nightvision: Used to see faint light sources.
Borometer:
To read the moisture content of the air.
Infrared Thermometer: To measure environmental tempratures and to look for
cold spots.
ElectroSensor: Measures electricity in the atmosphere.
Compass: To look for electromagnetic shifts.
Tape Recorder: For Electromagnetic Voice Phenomena.
Video Recorder: To record events and phenomena.
Conducting an Investigation:
When conducting
a paranormal investigation one must approach the subject with an open mind but also with a feeling of skeptisism. Its good
to bring along people that are not easilly influenced by stories and things that go bump in the night. Objective people can
back up any evidence collected by the people involved.
When in the field remember to rely on gut feelings, Take readings
with the EMF sensor and the field infrared thermometer, watch the compass and if there's a ghost of a chance you could snap
a photo of a ghost.
Set up equipment that is stationary before the investigation begins. Video Cameras on tripods,
tape recorders for EVP, Motion detectors should all be in places that are out of the way. Make sure wires and other things
that could cause a person to hurt themselves are out of the way or are clearly marked with bright tape.
Always carry
extra batteries for equipment because in haunted places electrical energy is drained at a very fast rate.
When doing
EVP or taking photos to ask the ghosts if they want to show themselves or be heard. Since ghosts are supposedly dead people
you'd want to treat them the same way you'd treat a person you just met.
Always get permission before you go off and
start snapping photos at some place a friend told you is haunted. Never enter some one's property before you have been officially
invited. If possible its best to join an official ghost hunting group before trying any of the above.
Remember to
have fun and be objective to your experiences
Keep and open mind and remember... There's more out there then meets the
eye.
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| equipment |
Cell Sensor EMF Sensor:
The sensor's are able to detect extremely low frequencies in the electromagnetic environment. A spike between three and
four mgs could be a sign of ghost activity since this is out of the range of man made sources and to high for natural emf.
Infrared Thermometer:
IR theremometer can register cold spots and temp changes in the environment.
aGhost Photography: 101
This is extensive as there are many ways to photograph ghosts. From standard 35mm cameras to the most expensive infrared
digital cameras. Since most of us doing this are just the average Joe we will go mostly into the basic standard
type of photography that seems to work best.
Disposable Cameras
A standard kodak or other basic disposable camera is a must for a ghost hunter. 800 flash kodak or black and white work
very well. You will find that many of these types of cameras are able to capture Ecto (mists), Orbs, and light phenomena.
They are also key when doing an investigation since they come sealed and can not be tampered with prior to the investigation.
| Disposable Cameras |
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Infrared Ghost Photography
First of all, any camera at any given time can capture a ghost on film. We have examples on: 35MM, SX-70's,
110 Instamatics, Polaroid Instamatic Land cameras and even video tape recorders and digital cameras. However, a good 35MM
SLR camera is by far your best bet since you can vary the ASA setting, shutter speed and exposure time. Infrared film even
betters your chances still further since this type of film is very sensitive to a broad span of invisible light; much broader
than the visible light that our naked eye picks up.
Always use two 35MM cameras. One loaded with black and white high-speed infrared film and the other loaded
with ordinary black and white high-speed (ASA 400) print film. Then you can compare the two different prints when they are
developed.
If the phenomena is of an invisible nature, then it will only appear on the infrared film; however, if
it's a strange shadow, light reflection or flash bounce, then it should appear on both films. Therefore you can use the ordinary
high-speed film as a control mechanism for verifying your own results!
For those who wish to try infrared film, I offer these tips. First of all, use only black and white infrared
film and not color ektachrome. It's much easier to discern if you have captured something on film if you only have to deal
with blacks, whites and greys. Besides that color ektachrome only comes in 36 exposures and is slide film and not everyone
has a slide projector. It's also much easier to place the developed prints side by side for close-up examination.
Other tips are as follows:
1) Infrared film is very tricky to use and highly sensitive to heat and therefore it must be kept refrigerated
before use. About one hour before loading, take out the film and allow it to warm to room temperature to prevent possible
fogging of the film.
2) Since this type of film is highly sensitive to infrared light, it must be loaded and unloaded in TOTAL
darkness, not subdued light. A pitch-black closet will do quite nicely, and while a photographic darkroom is even better,
do not use a red safety light since it also gives off infrared radiation. Put the exposed roll back in the original film canister,
tape it shut and mark properly for the film developers. If you are not going to have this developed immediately, place the
exposed film back in the refrigerator. I also suggest not keeping the film in the camera for more than a few days, but if
this is not possible, place the entire camera in a cool location. A basement is often an ideal place.
3) Since infrared film has no set ASA (film speed), you must decide in which lighting conditions you intend
to work. When shooting the film outdoors in bright sunlight, a setting of 100 ASA should be sufficient. However, if you intend
to use it indoors or at night, then the setting should be at least 400 ASA. Be sure to inform the processor as to what ASA
setting you have used so the film can be developed accordingly. DO NOT let anyone open the canister in the film store, (that's
why you taped it shut!). It must be opened in TOTAL darkness, otherwise light will ruin the film and all photographs on the
roll!! Also pay strict attention when you are purchasing the film. If the clerk does not take the film you intend to buy out
of a refrigerator, DON'T BUY IT!!! It most likely has already been heat damaged.
4) Kodak recommends that black and white infrared film be used with a Number 25 red filter. This is only
advisable under certain conditions. It is good to try a variety of filters and no filter at all since all filters restrict
certain light and color spectra from reaching the emulsion layers of the film. And since we are attempting to photograph spirits,
we don't know if they operate within these certain frequencies or spectrums. You still get varied responses but this is the
best bet for capturing images on film that I have found.
5) Try not to use a flash when you photograph since this will only tend to give you strange light reflections
and a flash bounce which might be mistaken for ghostly images. Use a steady tripod, cable release and time exposures. Doing
all the above should provide you with much better photographs!
Works Cited: by Dale Kaczmarek
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| infrared film |
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| Infrared Black and White image of Toys R Us ghost in background |
Digital Photography and Video:
With todays digital cameras the technology has brought a new tool to todays ghost busting kit. Digital devices cameras
and video use what is called a CCD or charged coupled device. This device allows for the digital camera to see even better
into the higher infrared spectrum allowing us to capture images that seem to be in a seen but were unseen by the unaided
eye.
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| charged coupled device |
3D Ghost Photography:
If you own a pair of red and blue 3D glasses you can turn off the lights and see these images in 3D.
Stereo color imaging:
Take into Adobe Photoshop and create three layers of the same image. Change the color of the top layer to blue change
the transparency to 65%. Take the second layer and change it to red change transparency to 85%. Off set the image using zoom
and the move tool and shit the red layer left or right... match the images color to the lenses. This is important because
if the line colors don't match the lens color, you get duel images that can make the stereo effect difficult to see.
You can also swap eye colors. This is useful if you are left eye dominate.
The "Inter-View" angle controls the stereo effect. The larger the number, the more 3D the image will appear. However,
if the number is too large, your eyes will be unable toconverge the image.
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| 3D image of Glen Haven Cemetery showing orbs |
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| Orbs and Ecto |
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| Ecto photo sand canyon crash sight |
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| Flame Apparition Acton Cemetery |
Stereoscopic 3D imaging:
Stereoscopic 3d imaging is when you take two side by side photos at a slightly askewed angle. You can use two cameras
or you can use a stereoscopic camera which has two lenses.
The eye is then tricked when the images are placed side by side you cross your eyes and as you slowly bring them back
into regular view the two images create a third 3D image in the middle. When a person focuses on the center image the image
becomes 3D. If you cross your eyes for the photo of the lady in front of the house you will see it is in 3D.
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| stereo scopic image |
Electronic Voice Phenomenon:
EVP are the disembodied voices of the dead. Using the white background noise of modern electronic devices
the dead are able to record their voices and communicate with the living.
Studies have been conducted on EVP since the beginning of the 1900's.
EVP How to:
- Take a simple voice recorder, digital or tape and go to the location. You can use a stationary unit
or a small hand held unit both should produce good results.
- All members or parties at the location should sound off on the tape for voice recognition. This will
help prevent trickery. Also tapes should be unused and a video or still image record of this should be made as well as a written
log.
- When recording EVP you can just walk the location with the group and as people talk hope you get
responces from the environment. You may also talk to the dead directly. Either way produces good results.
- If addressing an entity allow some thirty seconds of silence after a question has been asked. This
gives the entity time to respond.
The Alphaland instructions
What you will need:
1: A radio receiver that can pick up the Medium Waveband.
It must not be a digital
type as these tend to include special circuits that are designed to cut out the interference you actually need.
2: A tape recorder with a new C60 or C90 tape .
3: A good quality microphone.
4: A set of headphones (not essential).
5: A quiet room
as far away from television sets,
microwave ovens or any other sources of possible interference.
6: An open, inquiring mind.
This will not work
at a party like a seance, believe me I have tried!!
7: A notebook and pen
to log your results and the
position on the tape.
8: If possible make sure the sky is clear. Bad weather
effects reception.
Lets begin
Make sure you are not likely to be disturbed and make your self comfortable.
Plug the microphone into the tape recorder and place
it about two feet away from you and the tape recorder.
Tune the radio into 1450-1475 kHz. Or until White Noise is
produced from it's speaker.
The ideal position is to be as far away from any recognisable station as possible. (Ideally
you should not hear any voices or music at all)
Now before you start, relax and try to clear your mind.
I
always stare or gaze at one object in the room for a few minutes and try to turn off all the internal chatter and worries
from that day that we all have in our heads.
Remember that any movement or sound will be recorded from
now on, so if you can hear some faint sounds now, you should go and get rid of them before you start.
So now you are ready.
Take a few deep breaths and
switch on the tape recorder.
Reset the counter if you have one to zero and introduce your
self.
I usually say something like, 'Hello this is Michael Wheeler-Wyatt transmitting on 1475khz, is there any one who
would like to talk to me?.
Now wait for about a minute and stop the tape.
Put on your headphones, which should be connected to the tape recorder (remember to
set the volume control, so you don't deafen yourself!)
Rewind what you have just recorded and play it back.
Listen carefully. Nothing.
Don't be surprised.
Your ears have probably never heard one of these paranormal voices so you will have to get use to what they sound like.
You should be listening out for a short message.
The 'Microphone Technique' you are using here usually produces
sharp, fast words of one syllable immediately after the experimenters announcement. expect a name or one word.
it may take six or seven attempts of listening to the same
section of recorded tape before you can hear anything.
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| Listening for EVP |
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| Soundwaves Capturing EVP |
Orbs What are They?
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| The above picture is of an orb taken in to PS and glowing edges shows clear defined parts of the orb |
Okay so what is an orb if it's not a ghost?
The Likely Explanation:
Well orbs could be dust or light refraction, as we believe they are in most cases.
Light on a small object like dust can refract and cause bubble like spheres to appear in pictures after its light is magnified.
The smaller object near the camera can look so large as to be a real light-emitting object in the picture. This is the widely
accepted view of what orbs are.
The not so Accepted Explanation:
Orbs may be self-conscious self-contained balls of energy. Literally living
energy balls. There are videos of orbs behaving in an intelligent manner on flight paths. They have been caught on video moving
through walls and appearing out of apparent thin air. In other words they could be ghosts.
The above link shows an orb on a flight path.
The Probable Explanation:
Orbs may just be a natural energy within the environment not yet detected only
because modern science is not looking for them. The environment may be producing these energy spheres as a biproduct of natural
background electromagnetic energy. This would explain why they are seen at haunted locations where EMF have been detected.
They may not be ghosts but be a sign of high background energy in an area where ghosts may use this energy to manifest. Or
the energy itself may be the cause of the haunting.
MORE TO COME!
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