Ghosts are notoriously camera shy. More times than not when someone claims to have photographic evidence of a ghost it is usually a Photoshop job, trick photography, or it is “orbs”. Orbs are actually just a light source reflecting off dust, bugs, or precipitation that is in the air and the only way your camera knows how to deal with this reflection are the balls of light that one often associates with orbs. Some photographic evidence of ghosts does exist, however. This photographic evidence has stood up to scrutiny and stood the test of time.
1. Group Photo
A squadron of the Royal Air Force assembled to take a mundane photograph, but after the picture was developed the squad quickly realized that this was no ordinary picture. Standing behind one of his mates was the two days deceased Freddy Jackson. Jackson was a mechanic for the Royal Air Force and served onboard the H.M.S. Daedalus. He had been working when we was killed in a freak-accident by an air plane propeller, but Jackson did not let his death get in the way of him showing up on time for the group photo two days later. Several of the other men in the photo confirmed that it was in fact Jackson’s face in the background of the picture.
2. The Lady of Bachelor’s Grove
This photo was taking at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Illinois. While it does not get the press that Illinois Resurrection Cemetery does, many experts in the field of the paranormal consider it to be one of the most haunted graveyards in the world. So what is so unique about a photo of a women sitting on a stone in a graveyard? According to the people who took this photo the woman was not there when the picture was taken. The photo was taking by Mari Huff who is a member of the respected paranormal investigating group Ghost Research Society, so this helps lend some credibility to the story. In my opinion, it looks to be a staged photograph but I definitely think the photo’s authenticity is worth a debate.
3. Cowboy Ghost Or Mysterious Stranger
In 1996, Ike Clanton thought it would be a pretty cool idea to deck himself out in cowboy attire and have his friend snap a picture of him while he stood in Boothill Graveyard in the famous Tombstone, Arizona. Upon examining the picture Clanton noticed a man in the background of the photo that was not there when the photograph was taken. Clanton was intrigued by this and set out to recreate the photo with a friend standing in the background and discovered it was impossible to recreate the picture without having the legs visible.
4. Spirit in the Woods?
This photo was taken by Reverend R.S. Blance at Corroboree Rock near Alice Springs, Australia in 1959. In the woods with branches in front of her appears to be a transparent women. If a photo like this was taken today one would likely think that it was a fake ghost picture created in Photoshop, but Photoshop didn’t exist in 1959. Double exposure is also unlikely given how visible the areas in front and behind the women are.
5. The Fire Girl
On November 19, 1995 Wem Town Hall in England caught on fire. The fire raged on all through the night until the building was nothing but rubble. As firefighters battled the flames, a local citizen, Tony O’Rahilly, decided to snap some pictures of the event. In one of his photographs there appears to be the clear image of a little girl standing in front of the inferno. No one remembered a young girl being at the scene and there was definitely not a young girl in the burning building. Some believe this is the ghost of a young girl named Jane Churm who, in 1677, accidentally started a fire that destroyed many homes in the town. Jane also died in the fire. Perhaps the photo is just smoke creating the amazing illusion of a girl or perhaps it is a real ghost.
6. Ghosts Don’t Call Shotgun
The year is 1959. Mabel Chinnery had just spent the day at the cemetery visiting her mother’s grave. To finish off a roll of film she snapped a picture of her husband who was seated in the front seat of the car awaiting her. She had the pictures develop. While looking at the photographs she makes a chilling discover. In one of the photos her deceased mother is sitting in the backseat of her car.
7. Monk In Church
In the summer of 1954, Reverend K.F. Ford was taking pictures of his church that is located in England. While snapping pictures he accidentally captured one of the most famous and perhaps undeniable pictures of a ghost ever taken. In the picture is what appears to be a monk with a ghastly face. The photo has been examined and it was determined that it is neither a double exposure nor had the negative been tampered with.
8. His Favorite Chair
Have you ever had a favorite chair or perhaps a preferred spot on the couch that is just more comfortable than the other areas of the couch? So did Lord Combermere. Lord Combermere unfortunately got hit with a horse drawn carriage in 1891. During his funeral his family hired a photographer to take some family pictures. His burial took place over 4 miles away and while the family attended the funeral the photographer prepared the camera. When the plate was developed it appeared that the apparition of Lord Combermere was sitting in his favorite chair. Perhaps the coffin wasn’t comfortable enough.
9. Brown Lady
This photograph is considered by many to be the most famous “ghost” photograph. It was taken in 1936 at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England and still today cannot be explained. The photogenic ghost is thought to be that of Dorothy Townshend who lived in Raynham Hall with her husband, Charles Townshend, in the 1700s. Legend has it that Dorthy was a mistress to Lord Wharton and Charles found out about it. He then imprisoned her in a remote section of the Hall until she died from his abuses. Legal records show she died in 1726, but many believe this to be a sham, as Charles wanted people to believe she was dead, so he could punish her for her infidelity.
10. Stairway to the Afterlife
In 1966, Rev. Ralph Hardy visited the National Museum in Greenwich, England. While in the Queen’s House section of the Museum, Hardy snapped a photo of the beautiful staircase. Upon developing his photography Hardy made a shocking discovery. One of his photos showed a ghostly figure climbing the staircase. The figure was not in the photography when Hardy took the picture. The photograph and the negatives were examined by experts, some of which were from Kodak, and all have concluded that the negative was not tampered with nor is it a double exposure.
Are these ten photos proof that ghosts exist? Is this proof of an afterlife? The problem is that there is always room for a hoax or accidental fake when one does not have multiple witnesses and insurmountable evidence. These ten photos are absolutely amazing, regardless. Some of these pictures have undoubtedly given even the most hardened skeptic goose bumps and I don’t believe they should be simply written off as fakes and ignored. These photographs should continue to be examined and researched.
Author: Jonathan Kaulay Copyrighted © paranormalhaze.com
Many of these photographs are famous for being hoaxes. Too bad you present them as real.
No, they're presented as famous, which they are, I don't see any thing in the article that claims they're “real”.
“Are these ten photos proof that ghosts exist? Is this proof of an afterlife? The problem is that there is always room for a hoax or accidental fake when one does not have multiple witnesses and insurmountable evidence.”
-From the conclusion of article
Just because you don’t believe in ghosts doesn’t mean that these stories can’t be fun and do not have any value. In fact, these stories have enormous value in the subject of folklore, which is a subject studied at a university level. The author here didn’t claim ghosts to be real, he just presented pictures and the legends behind the picture and allowed readers to make up their own minds. This did not seem to be a piece arguing in favor of the existence of ghosts in my opinion.
I was reading the Encyclopedia Britannica about ghosts but couldn't find any reference to them being real. I am always suprised at the need for humans to describe shadows, lights and other unexplained images as ghosts. People see what they want to see and if you chose to see a ghost then I feel sorry for you.
Just because you don't believe in ghost does not mean that these stories can not be fun and do not have any value. In fact, they have enormous value in the subject of folklore, which is studied at a university level. This wasn't an article arguing in favor of the existence of ghosts, but just relayed pictures and the legends behind the pictures.
…. sorry for you that your mind is so closed to possibilities other than what you 'perceive' to be reality … check your history … men and women in all disciplines and fields of 'knowledge' have left themselves open to alternate considerations after life ends on this earth: thank goodness!
your lack of skepticism is naive at best. you don't claim they are real, but you do present the images as compelling data on the subject of ghosts and the supernatural. they are neither compelling nor credible
Interesting. but difficult to get past all the typos. Sorry to be this person but the misuse of “women” and taking instead of taken drives me nuts.
This is all real and we are all doomed! I say doomed!
Every ghost picture is a fraud, it's as simple as that. it's stupid to think that a camera could ever see something that we could not(for sure a very old camera). Camera film is notorious for producing ghost images when exposed more then once, infact, it's very easy to do. All of these are very old pictures that would have used an old camera with film. many of them dont even look like ghosts, just looks like someone is standing there.
it's rather unfortunate that The Discovery Channel shows so many things on ghost. people begin to actually believe this crap.
lets just say if cameras really could see ghosts…why havn't i seen any in my pictures? they should be full of them. afterall. there are a lot more dead people then alive people. and if ghost can only be seen when they want to be…why are they hideing? perhaps afraid of ghost busters?
This would be far more credible if there weren't so many typos and grammatical errors. A little editing goes a long way. Not that anything on this subject is verifiable to begin with……
I'm so happy I'm not one of these people who are irritated with this post. Being so negative, how do you guys live your life? I think it was an interesting post, wether I believe in ghosts or not, wich dont. I still enjoyed your pictures and comments. F all these other people who obiously dont have alot to do but bother with posts that annoy them…
I do not know if these are real or not but i definitely believe. I have my own picture of a ghost that i took 5 years ago. As creepy as it is, its really an amazing thing to have. So its possible and i dont see how these cant be,
A lot of the time when you take pictures you don't tend to notice background clutter and people until later and don't recall seeing them.
When I worked at a commercial photography studio we did a huge catalog shoot for a Christmas calendar which involved a huge countryside scene built in the studio. Despite having the studio full of people, no one noticed the big aluminum ladder sitting up against the fake tree until the film was processed.
So some so called ghost pictures tend to be just cases of not really noticing anything but the subject of the photo.
Now some of these other pictures, well, spooky.
About 10 years ago my mothe came over to visit with me and my girlfriend. During that visit I took pictures of the visit. When I got the pictures back from being developed there was this one photo that stood out the most. In the picture was my girlfriend and my Mother and lo and behold, my deseased Grandfather! You could see his hole head and face and his arm reaching out to my mother, his daughter and he's looking right at her. I just recently gave my Mother this photo and she wept. She could see her Father once again.
I believe in Spirits and Ghosts.
The word is TAKEN, as in “this picture was TAKEN by a magical elf who knew how to manipulate photographs,” what are you like 6 years old?
good for you..now hush it up before some1 sends you to an asylum
“The photo was taking by Mari Huff who is a member of the respected paranormal investigating group Ghost Research Society, so this helps lend some credibility to the story.”
This sentence alone shows the bias of the poster of this article. Asking the Ghost Research Society to independently verify whether a picture with a ghost in it is a hoax or not is surely equivalent to expecting Isreal to lead an independent review into why Isreali forces felt it necessary to commit an act of piracy in international waters. The observer in both cases is biased, and the existence of this group can only be justified if they DO go around finding ghosts in pictures rather than looking too closely at how said ghosts were inserted into them.
No 5 especially, the ghost girl in the fire, is known to be a hoax. The image of the girl is taken from a postcard of a street that has a girl standing in a doorway looking at the photographer(1). The fact that Tony O'Rahilly, the man who took the picture of the fire, went to his death insisting that the picture was real means nothing – hoaxsters decieve people, that is their purpose in life. A hoax would not be a hoax if the hoaxster admitted a week or so later that yes, in fact, they were just pretending.
For more information about this, and to see how far such hoaxsters are willing to go, all you need to do is watch Penn and Teller: Off the Deep End. This show is about magic, how it's done, and exactly how much time and energy most magicians are willing to spend setting up tricks that look simple to people who don't know how they're done. The climax of the show comes when they cause a submarine to vanish from the floor of the ocean (2).
As for 'expert' evidence, who doesn't know about the case of the Cottingley Faries? Two young girls took pictures of fairies in the garden from 1917 onwards. Various 'experts' examined the pictures, and all agreed that the fairies could not possibly be fakes or cut-outs from books. In fact, in the early 1980s, both girls, now obviously old women, agreed that the fairies in the pictures were just that (3). This confession leads to suspicions of a questionable 'I want to believe' attitude perpetrated by the 'experts' who examined the pictures which shows that experts cannot always be trusted to be impartial.
Finally, as other people have already pointed out, a photographer does not always see everything in the background when taking a picture. It doesn't matter how careful they think they're being, ultimately, “That wasn't there,” is nothing more than a translation of, “I didn't see it there.” Wishful thinking, naivete, and the ability of individual human beings to play on the emotions of the vulnerable, the newly bereaved, or the ever-hopeful is where ghosts truly come from.
Sources/More Information:
1=http://swns.com/famous-wem-ghost-photograph-is-revealed-as-a-hoax-after-55-years-181320.html
2=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491099/
3=http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/cooper.htm
Maybe you shouldn't be so negative about those “rude” comments either. I enjoyed both the anti and pro comments, as they are part of a complete and interesting discussion. (not to mention the article itself)
Since I started saying anything..: it seems that the author believes and/or wants us to believe and create the mistery, rather than take a neutral position. Thus, the article made me kinda shivery. Luckily I read the comments of the smarter ppl and got to my senses.
Just to have said it, I agree with you. But “it's stupid to think that a camera could ever see something that we could not(for sure a very old camera)” is plain wrong
Simple proof: point your TV remote at the lens of your camera and look at the screen while pushing down a button. I should also mention the beautiful pictures of the universe taken in the infra-red, ultraviolet, X-ray spectrum, and what-not.
How an old camera would react to this I don't know. You obviously wouldn't see it through the “scope”-thingy, but you could maybe be seen on the flim. That would explain some of these photos. (The light you'll see from the remote on the screen of your camera is a bluish white light)
I don't know if ALL of them have been proven to be hoaxes, but some of them are easy to explain anyway. The picture of the monk could just as well be the shadow from a pillar behind the photographer coincidentally laid on top of some sort of drippy stain on the wall.
some look totally fake but the girl on the balcony in front of the fire looks real this is soo sad
i believe its possible why not.it would be stupid to think its not.in the 50`s people would call us a fool if we said that in the 60`s we will send the first man on the moon.and we did.so i why we coulnt catch a spirit on camera? of course if this presence wants to be seen if its not the case it wont show.
so the picture of the little girl in the fire was fake..im glad then i was feeling bad for this little girl what an horrible death and so young i was thinking i feel better now that i know its not true.but how stupid to fake the appearance of a ghost now i know why people dont believe in those photos
These pics are pretty cool. I don't think these are fake from my own knowledge & experience and that of the
experts. I've had my own encounters with….lets just say the Very, Very strange,unusual and bizarre. And
sometimes I question myself if “I'm sure it really happened or not”. I do believe there are things that have happened in the past that still continue today. First there were the stories from people who saw things they couldn't explain such as in the “Holy Bible” in the book of “Ezekiel” and in the “Kebra Nagast” describing
Vamadas (UFO's) having aerial battles and destroying entire cities.Wow!! Then in the 20th century cameras came down in size and price so that we now have photos of these UFO's flying around and some of them abducting people. For centuries there have been these tales in about every country and the tales were
recorded in every way known to them from cave paintings, chiseled in stone, in paintings on canvas, drawings,
photographs and now on film and video tape. We have eyewitness accounts from every walk of life and every
profession. It's great that there are people who will risk others questioning their sanity, making fun of them and even being terminated from their jobs. We've had presidents, senators, congressman, Army & Air Force personal, Airliner and civilian pilots, doctors, policeman, teachers, maybe your neighbors or friends and yeah even a Billy Bob and Bubba up in the backwoods. There are things we don't understand and very likely never will.I don't know if ghost, spirits or UFO's do exist but it's on record that people are seeing something and I'm
keeping an open mind until the truth is known and made public knowledge.However I do believe the CIA and top secret military personal and secret government organizations have physical proof about the UFO's. Think about how suddenly technology just exploded with all types of machines, cars, aircraft, rocket engines and electronics just in the first 45 years of the 20th century. Why after thousands of years we had nothing but
the most simple of tools to work with then BANG an almost miraculous leap in knowledge and understanding with sudden leaps in mathematics, chemistry, biology, medical tools and procedures and the many types of propulsion. I just can't understand how we remained what it seems to me as almost being asleep and then all at once we were awakened with all these new ideas for these inventions and the ways to build them. I'm very curious about these things as are most of my friends and professors at my college. I would like to know what others at this site think about it. I want everyone to just wake up and do what it takes to learn the truth. No
more of this blindly following the elected a”sholes in Wash,DC.People you know your not a sheep, so quit
acting like one.
RegentRoy
mystery*
how come every ghost photograph is in black and white?
Yeah it is believed to be faked. It was in a paranormal news article on this site actually a couple weeks agao about how the hoax was done.
The difference is that going to the moon was feasible, just unimaginable. Whereas ethereal spirits are not feasible in the slightest. A belief in ghosts, poltergeists, demons, possessions, are all products of mans ego. How often have you heard stories of non-human animals being ghosts? How often have you heard of someone claiming that their goat was possessed by a demon?
It is out of fear, fear of that all black eternity, that inspires people to see imaginary things. It is just as likely for a fox to be a ghost as a human, yet no one (that I know of) has ever taken a photo of a “ghost fox” or claimed to have seen one. It is the fault of the human mind that created these intangible, unrealistic, ideas.
Frankly to believe in the supernatural (whether ghosts or gods) is illogical. There is no factual basis for any of these claims, and to believe that these things exist is an act of confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, and being willfully ignorant.
First it's called evolution, it is pretty much why we are what we are. Second it was the invention of agriculture that furthered humans abilities. Third, you make inane claims saying “it happened in the past, and people believed it then, so it must be true.” You do realize that humans have been taking psychoactive drugs (Psilocyban and Marijuana) for a long time. Those drugs, especially the psilocyban, will guide you to seeing things that are not there, it will guide you to have a deep spiritual feeling, that doesn't mean those feelings are real.
You lament about UFO's, which anything in the sky you don't recognize is a UFO, but you are claiming that they are extraterrestrial in origin, which is pretty cockamamie. Yes there are other life forms out in the cosmos, many most likely, but the chances of them being able to get here (especially since the nearest earth-like life sustaining planet is many millions of light years away) are slim. They would have to travel a very long distance to what, abduct a cow or fly in our atmosphere? It's insanely illogical, especially if they have the technology to travel at, or beyond, the speed of light, they would have technology that we call cameras and satellites. They wouldn't need to, nor would they be likely to, waste their time and resources just to play around on this little rock.
mallus won't believe these types of stupid stories……
yeah i agree u. hope i won't ever see those things in real life
If you want to see a bone chilling ghost photo, look up Ravenna Ohio ghost photo. It will scare the pants off of you!
Who says the paranormal ought to be logical? “Logic” under some situations is valuable. but it isn't the be-all and end-all of everything. The supernatural aren't really “logical” because if they were, they wouldn't be “supernatural” anymore. It can be understood only in the realm of faith and one's personal experiences. This is the problem with atheists here. You always try to look at things and fit them within the narrow, limited confines of your so-called “logic”, and dismiss them outright if they defy your narrow own preconceived notions.
Poor Photoshop. Always blamed by some desperate skeptics for spirit photos nearly a century old. tsk tsk tsk….
i think they are cool. and hope thier is an after life
Pretty sure the entire article begins with the claim that by most ghost photos are a hoax… He never claimed any of these were real, he just presented them as the most famous. You must not pay attention, or you just fail in general (which is what I believe). Stop trying to sound smart and go do something productive. kthx.
many of this photos are fake
is it real???
Except for one thing – if you choose to believe in the possible existence of something for which there is absolutely no testable, verifiable proof (and there isn't – please don't claim there is) then the burden of proof lies upon YOU, and not on those who do not share your belief.
Which, of course, is the crux of the whole “Is there a God” debate as well… but I digress.
I agree. Sweet Jesus, that's what spellcheck is for!
Ma sve je ovo sranje i foto montaza <><> !!!!
The one of Lord Combomere looks NOTHNG like a “hoax” my apartment was haunted for years and I caught a similar photograph as this one of man sitting on my sofa, The can be large, small, distorted proportion, as in this picture…where you can identify it is a man in a suit, but the proprotion is wrong. This one looks like it could possibly be a reflection from something, a glare, but for the reason of the body's disproportionate shape and size, yet still looking like a person…I'd say it is “authentic!” and the best thing to do if you have unwanted spirits, check the history and call a priest to bless the building!
Nice to see there is a “FRESH OPEN (Intelligent) MIND on here!”
You can't see a bullet until it hits you…there are PLENTY of things we can't see, feel, hear, smell, touch and that science can't explain. Many of these people here have not experienced the paranormal…are CLOSED MNDED and would jump out of their skin if they came across a situation where an actual ghost popped out in front of them!
AND…the main reason people choose NOT to believe in ghosts is because most people are AFRAID of the UKNOWN and this is something they cannot accept the “possibility” of being real so they call it FAKE or a HOAX because they have either never had an experience, and are afraid of such things–which is most understandable!
The can move into your “sight” and be gone in the blink of an eye, they can move things around, make you think you are loosing your mind or imagining things and even when you finally “GET IT” you diismiss it as your imagination or find some other reason to blow it off, no matter how incredible it is! And even after the phenomena happens time and time again…you will continue to do this because you just can't imagine in your wildest nightmares it could be REAL and happening to YOU!
But then when you do finally realize, it's ghostly…THEN WHAT?????!!!!!
and that is what people are afraid of!
These are not ghosts of dead people.Demons are pretending to be such thing.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed….sounds kinda like crazy sci fi talk to me. The brain fires off electrical impulses all the time, but that's not possible how can electricity get in or brain? What happens to all that energy when people die?
You know what you are correct how can we even try think there may be an explanation for these and other things we don't understand if it's not in our government approved text books? We need hardcore proof of everything we can't see, hear, taste or touch, or there is just no way any of it could actually be. Thusly, the world is flat and good luck with whole breathing thing.
oh yeah, by-the-way, you can digress all you want but, my beliefs don't require my to carrie any burden. Proof is your misfortune.
as shakespeare said, there are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in your philosophy…and so it goes with ghost photos. i am a professional paranormal investigator, and as such i have seen many things faked, as well as many things to which i cannot explain. in this realm there are as many skeptics as there are believers. i have never told any potential investigation subject, that i believe his/her claim of anything before i and my team conduct an investigation. and when i am presented any kind of “evidence” before hand, i always have the item analyzed by as many experts as possible. then we accept it or dismiss it. but when we are talking decades old “evidence”, we also try to prove or disprove it as well. as p.t. barnum said so aptly, you cannot please all of the people all of the time. and in this field of investigation, it all biols down to what you believe, or not, and how much room you have to accept new ideals.
while y'all are considering my last post, think of this; most average joes of the olden days didn't waste their time or money on hoisting fakes on the public for several reasons. most film was expensive to buy, and process, most of the photographic equipment common to that time was the kodak brownie-box (or similar type) cameras, which by todays standards are about as appealing as a connestoga wagon (my first camera was a kodak brownie box camera, by the way). but back then this type of camera was fairly common and somewhat sophisticated. however, very few people knew how to develop film, and even fewer people possesed leicas or other very expensive photographic equipment for the time. so just additional information to ponder, and consider when you are looking at ghost photos from the good-ol-days.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, that is true. It can, however, be converted from one form to another.
How does electricity get in your brain? Chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. You get get chemical energy from the food you eat. How does chemical energy end up in the food? Plants convert light energy from sun into chemical energy. And if you eat animals, then animals eat plants and store that energy in their own body. And when people die, bacteria act upon all that stored energy, and convert it into other forms. The use of energy in biological systems is cyclical.
I support skepticism and I also support having a mind open to possibilities–ghosts or no ghosts, I would rather think before I judge.