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A Lighthouse Phantom

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bubba1138

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
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Mar 15, 2008
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A friend of mine in Northern Ireland stayed with a couple of people at a lighthouse, she went out for a cigarette on her own and one of her companions took this picture. It was not until it was uploaded that there was a darkened figure standing 6 or so feet from her that she was not aware of at the time. I have seen a daytime photo of this location and there is no structure or shape there. If you follow the link below you will see 2 images, the long shot and a close up where you can almost make out a face and a rope belt - like the classic monk ghosts. This image has not been altered and after looking at the file the information tells me that it has come directly from the camera.

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated!

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg31 ... hantom.jpg[/b]
 
That's quite Creepy!
I'm looking at the figure, and in the close up it seems it isn't really behind the stone wall, just kind of floating there. That leads me to believe this perhaps is something coming from the camera in a coincidently black robed figure shape.

Still, it does strike me as odd, as it really does look like the image of a monk or something similar with head bowed down, and arms tucked into sleeve. Esp. because if the photo was not touched up, there is a blurry face recognizable there. :shock:
 
Thanks for your reply - I have just uploaded a third image where I have turned it into a negative. It is unfortunate that the 'figure' is just on the edge of the wall and does look a little odd, however, if you look at the inversed image you can see the grass coming from the wall clearer and it is in front of the shape.
 
Yes, it looks like it is in front of the shape in all but the positive close up.

What is most bizarre the more I look at this is the grotesque face that is visible. It could just be simulacra, but does anyone else see it?
 
In my opinion that picture kind of looks faked. (Don't take offence.)

But, it is kind of creepy nevertheless.
 
Could it be a shadow on the wall caused by the flash?
 
Hi people, thanks for your time. I think the 'shadow on the wall' option is kind of out, the shape is definitely in the distance and that flash only is good for 15 feet or so in pitch black and I don't think it would cause good strong shadows at a distance. I have examined the image VERY close up in Photoshop and applied all sorts of filters to spot joins etc, but the pixels all match. As I said before, it is VERY unfortunate that the figure seems to be perched on he edge of the wall - it really doesn't help the case. If you look at the original image and not the close up you can see that the shape is standing on the grey path. In all honesty, if you were going to fake it, wouldn't you stick the shape somewhere more obvious and clearer?
 
Why would a monk be hanging around a lighthouse? Any religious history associated with the place? Just wondering...
 
I am trying to find out the location of the place, I know it is old and refurbished in the last 50 years but am not sure if there are any relevant buildings nearby or in its history.
 
I have to say that I feel that's either an outright fake or something genuinely paranormal.

I have limited knowledge of photography, but I can't imagine any normal random phenomena producing such a clear image. Can 2 pictures get overlaid in digital photography like they would in the old film cameras?

It looks a little too clear and out of place to be what you would expect of an apparition, but at the same time why not put in the figure of an old lighthouse keeper instead of a monk?

If it is a geniuine photo and not a fake, it would definately be worth some professional analysis.

And do you know any history associated with the place?
 
Not sure what to say really. I am currently looking into where the place is and what history it has. Maybe I made a mistake in using the word 'monk' - could it be a lighthouse keeper in a long winter coat? I know the lady in the picture very well and she and I often discuss UFO and ghost phenomenon when ever we meet, she is a believer in such things and I can tell you she was as surprised as I was when she saw the image and mailed it to me straight away. She is now, quite honestly, spooked by the whole thing she was there and never knew anything of it.
 
bubba1138 said:
I know the lady in the picture very well...
Click to expand...
Ah! I wasn't sure which figure was 'anomalous'! The one on the right reminds me of the infamous Cumberland Spaceman....

But what we really want to know is the actual location, as this might yield some clues.
 
If you just showed the photo to someone, they'd say it looked like two people having a smoke outside at night. The only thing is that the spooky figure is wearing a dark top and the smoker's wearing a light one - the pants and the heads of the two figures are about equally dark - both figures have their backs turned to the camera. I'd say that's what it is, and the smoker and the photographer forgot that someone was standing there.
 
I have just discovered that there were 5 people in the group staying there that night, she was the only smoker.
 
Ask to see the rest of the photos taken that night - I bet you'll find someone who looks like the figure in the photo - even if not, it's hard to rule out someone from outside the group of five being there. This is a photo of the Blackhead lighthouse in County Antrim - it has two houses that vacationers can rent, one that sleeps five, and one that sleeps seven as well as a residence for the part time attendant who lives on site - and there are other houses within walking distance of the Lighthouse. http://www.irishlandmark.com/properties ... antrim.asp
(long and latitude here with additional views http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/997 )
 
I can see the outline of a face on the figure. :shock:

*will be sleeping with light on*
 
Does anybody know what the big round blob that is in the water at the foot of the cliff in the aerial photos is? It looks like sand pouring out of some kind of discharge tube.
 
Out of curiosity, was she the only one out there at the time?

Could it have been a mate or something out with her?

My opinion still stands, but I'm trying to think of what it could really be.
 
Looks like a ghostie to me- and I can see the face too.

But why would you take a picture of the back of someone outside having a fag??

Just curious.
 
Honestly? 5 women, only one smokes, couple of glasses of wine - caught you! That sort of mentality. That's all I can say - 5 women having a laugh.
 
Hi, I am the lady opposite the strange figure and I'm not an alien!! I went out for a smoke and one of the others came with me. I walked back inside and she stayed to take a night picture of the lighthouse. I didn't even realise I was in the picture until I say her shots. I was unaware of anyone else being there at the time, but it was pretty dark. I have no explanation for this, except to say that when I went into the house, everyone else, except myself and the photographer, were there. I'm not saying it's a ghost, maybe a walker but why would anyone be out walking at after 11pm on a coastal path without a torch or some form of light? It's pretty strange.
 
bubba1138 said:
I'm not saying it's a ghost, maybe a walker but why would anyone be out walking at after 11pm on a coastal path without a torch or some form of light? It's pretty strange.
Click to expand...

Well, you were out there without a torch, and so was the photographer - there is an attendant who lives on site and another rental house at the lighthouse and there are other homes within walking distance.

Also, the photo shows that you'd only started the cigarette - couldn't someone from your party have come out and returned before you finished? The figure is similar in build to yourself - was your sister or some close relative with you?

The figure is on the pathway - it seems surprising that it's the supernatural being that is taking care to stay off the grass!
 
markbellis said:
The figure is on the pathway - it seems surprising that it's the supernatural being that is taking care to stay off the grass!
Click to expand...

No more strange than it being ON the grass.
 
Can't see a face myself there - but, being a smoker, I tend to know when I am on my own outside during that activity at a party. Likewise, you notice a fellow addict with a different brand - or just someone to chat with.

To me, it looks like a genuine spook!
 
CarlosTheDJ said:
markbellis said:
The figure is on the pathway - it seems surprising that it's the supernatural being that is taking care to stay off the grass!
Click to expand...

No more strange than it being ON the grass.
Click to expand...

Think about it for a second - if it's just a local out for a walk, they'd take care to avoid walking on the lawn, since it's a tourist area and probably gets a lot of traffic, and especially at night, since it's easy to stumble - if it's a phantom, why does it have its feet planted on a path? Not floating in the air, not perched up on top of the wall. The physical appearance of the 'phantom' is pretty much the same as the smoker next to her - all you'd have to do is put a dark top on the smoker, move her hands so you can't see them, give her hair long enough to cover her neck, and hey, presto! You've got two phantoms. Since they only noticed the 'phantom' after they uploaded the photo, and not at the time they took the photo - the camera has an LCD screen which displays the image - that would strongly suggest that it's just a case of forgetting somebody that wandered into the frame.

Remember, this is not a lighthouse on an isolated island somewhere - there's another rental house with room for seven on site, an attendant that lives there, and lots of homes nearby, so a person wearing dark clothes does not a phantom make!
 
You should concentrate on the whole photo. The 'close ups' are clearly pixelating, indicating that you cannot rely on detail in them.

In the whole photo you'll see that the subject and lighthouse are clearly lit even though they are beyond the range of the flash. This indicates that there was another light source present. That being the case, a shadow cast by the subject seems the most obvious solution.
 
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2342540545_4aea3b1ee4.jpg
The flash does light up the area - it's just that the figures are beyond the range that would produce a good exposure - here I've adjusted the brightness, contrast and gamma.

It is sort of like the Cumberland spaceman picture, where people interpret someone standing with their back to the camera as being something facing the camera.
 
Maybe so, though I'm not entirely convinced. One other possibility is something just in front of the flash, presumably dangling (or even attached to the flash), throwing a shadow. It might be something caught in a spider's web, for instance, which would explain why you can't see anything above it.
 
norton51 said:
Maybe so, though I'm not entirely convinced. One other possibility is something just in front of the flash, presumably dangling (or even attached to the flash), throwing a shadow. It might be something caught in a spider's web, for instance, which would explain why you can't see anything above it.
Click to expand...
Couldn't be - there's grass visible in front of the figure, and a shadow would not be completely opaque - also an object near the flash would not throw a well defined shadow, since the flash would not be a point source of light, and the area does not have anything for a spider web to hang from.
 
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