Ghost Orb Photos

A lot has been written about ghost orbs, and no doubt if you’re reading this you’re aware of the ongoing debate as to what is an authentic orb and which are dust particles or bugs. To contribute to this debate, I’m going to include more information about orbs that I’ve learned while attending workshops in Lily Dale, New York. As an avid photographer and occasional ghost hunter, I’ve come across orbs in hundreds of my photos. While there doesn’t seem to be any clear consensus on the validity of orbs being ghosts, the study of these photos is nonetheless fascinating.

Orbs are those little circles that appear in your photos. They may be solid dots, colored dots or clear circles with a white rim. According to some experts, they may even appear as colored streaks of light and short little repetitive dots. I’ve included a collection of these various types of orb photos in the accompanying slideshow with this article. I will leave it up to the reader to decide whether they think the orbs are anything but dust or photographic anomalies.

For those who believe in orbs, they represent the embodiment of spirits. It is believed that spirits or ghosts travel through dimensions in this form. The appearance of the orbs as repetitive dots in a photo is supposedly those orbs coming to a halt after flying at a high rate of speed into our dimension.

For photographers who want validity as to whether orbs represent spirits or not, there is much confusion. Many individuals who are considered to be valid mediums and paranormal experts have different views on this particular subject. Some adamantly deny that orbs are anything but spirits, while others admit that orbs are spirits, but only particular orbs. The following is a basic outline on the various orb schools of thought.

• Solid Orbs: According to psychic Lorraine Scott, solid orbs are spirit orbs. They may appear in various colors and may be caught on film or digital camera as streaks of light or as repetitive dots in a photo.
• Clear Orbs: Many paranormal ghost hunters deny that ghost orbs or spirit orbs are anything but specks of dust or bugs caught on film. These types of orbs are often caught around people’s heads or in corners of rooms.
• Orb Faces: If you see a face in an orb when magnified, does it mean that you have caught a ghost spirit on camera? For some, there is no denying it. Experts, however, disagree on this subject. Some believe it is a human desire or a trick of the mind to see a pattern (or a face) where there is none.
• Streaks: Personally, I’ve caught odd streaks of lights when ghost hunting. Some of my most unusual photos were that taken in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (see slideshow).

The following tips will help you take better photos, whether or not you’re actually trying to catch orbs on film (or digital camera), or not!

• Always start with a clean lens. Purchase either lens cleaner swabs or sheets for your lenses and use them to cleanse your lenses before each shoot. If you are using a 35mm film camera, taking the camera apart may be necessary from time to time to remove dirt from within the camera. If you’re unsure of how to do this, refer to your owner’s manual or have a professional clean it at a reputable camera store.
• Be aware of your surroundings. Are you walking around outside on a road, or taking photos indoors? Your surroundings play an important part in whether dust orbs will make an appearance or not. If you’re walking along a dusty road, odds are pretty good that you’ll stir up some dust. Indoor shots can cause similar problems if you’re working in very dusty conditions. Before you start snapping away, wait for the dust to settle, literally.
• Check your photos at home, not just in the viewfinder of your digital camera, before deleting them. Often times the most unusual orbs can’t be seen until viewed on a larger screen. If using a film camera, be sure to request a photo CD with your photo order so that you can view them on your computer later.
• Don’t discount orbs in your photos, even if someone else tells you they aren’t “real.” As I previously stated, even the current experts in the various paranormal fields don’t agree on what constitutes a valid orb. Maybe some day there will be a way to verify what is a real orb or not, and you may have the proof in your photo collection. Don’t pitch those photos just yet!