Ghostly Face—Can You See It?

[gattino]

I took this photograph from the window of a bar in manchester on the evening of Friday 13th (!). The motion blur of people passing in front of them (the flash was off as they were too far and it would have bounced off the window) was enough to catch my interest and not delete the image as it reminded me of a comic book character moving at superspeed. It was only when I loaded the image on to the computer that I noticed.....

...some combination of the blur and light reflecting of the window, presumably, has come together to form a rather eerie human face. It's not my reflection! It's the large white foggy area beneath the man in the white shirt.

What's intriguing is that half the people who look at it see it straight away, plain as day and are freaked out by it...and the other half can't see it at all, even if you mark it out for them. They try staring and squinting and concentrating but remain oblivious to what - to the other half of us - is clear as anything and twice as creepy! If you do see it, and the more you look at it, the more "real" and detailed it seems as an actual face. Clearly we know its a simulacra, and the brain searching for patterns etc..but still...you can't help wondering!

 

[markbellis]

It's probably because it's lettering for something that's being reflected in the window - most people are trying to read it.

 

[liveinabin]

I can't see anything other that a 404

 

[gattino]

There was no "404" - but then again there was no face either so that doesn't say much! The first poster is certainly right that lettering or a logo (there was nothing on the window but you can see a slight geometric pattern forming the left "eye" - ie the one right of image - and the culprit is likely to have been on the door a few feet to the left of the window) are a part of the combination, along with motion blur nd light reflection, that physically make up the "face", but nonetheless a striking face is formed. It, nor indeed any lettering, does not appear in a second photo taken a second later.

If you still can't see it here are teh features marked out as a guideline, before returning to the original pic
http://new-pix.fitlads.net/large/PvGVZU ... LILyvA.jpg

 

[Peripart]

There was no "404"

Gattino, I think that what Liveinabin meant was that "404" is the error message you get if you click on the link in your first post. I got it, too, although the second one works fine. Any chance you could tidy up your link, so it's possible to see the undoctored picture?

 

[gattino]

D'oh!

I've never noticed error messages had 404 on them so assumed that's how he was reading the shape of the face!

Yes the link appears on a friend's facebook...hold on...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=9 ... =649608571

 

[spiritdoctor]

I think it looks like a reflection that has a part which looks a bit like a face but the proportions are wrong and the face is distorted.

Seeing faces in random images is called pareidolia (apparently).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

It is supposed to be present in young babies helping them to recognize faces but if half the people you show it to can't see it then it suggests that half the population don't have it ?

 

[Peripart]

Ah, thanks for the new link! Quite a nice simulacrum, but that's probably all it is, IMO. Looks a bit like the mask from "V For Vendetta", doesn't it?

 

[decipheringscars]

That's actually a cool photo - I mean as a photo, not as a "ghost" photo.

If anything, what I find creepy (not really) is the guy looking at you. He and the one other guy aren't really blurry, which means they're both standing still - and he's standing very still seemingly ignoring his friends to stare at you. Did you know him? Anyway, it's pretty cool how the way his right arm is it looks like he's leaning on the blur of a person passing by as one might lean on a rail or counter.

 

[henry]

canal street?

 

[LaurenChurchill]

If anything, what I find creepy (not really) is the guy looking at you. He and the one other guy aren't really blurry, which means they're both standing still - and he's standing very still seemingly ignoring his friends to stare at you. Did you know him?

I'd stare at someone taking a photo of me too

What i really want to know is if vests are a a regular item of clothing over there. I THOUGHT the whole 50's-Famous-Five thing was a bit old-fashioned but...

 

[henry]

uncanny - when i first posted to this thread i couldnt really see the face - even after checking out the reference image side by side

now i come home at 2.40am an i see it clear as day

i havent been drinking by the way - i just seemed to stop about 3 months ago, which is a fortean phenomenon in itself as i have a 20foot bar instead of a kitchen...

 

[henry]

an its reminding me of the poster from this crummy film i saw on a press showing recently:

 

[Peripart]

What i really want to know is if vests are a a regular item of clothing over there. I THOUGHT the whole 50's-Famous-Five thing was a bit old-fashioned but...

What you call vest, I'd call tank-top, but you're right to question it. I think it's supposed to be something called "retro chic", but it's not the sort of thing I'd go for, myself.

 

[GNC]

What i really want to know is if vests are a a regular item of clothing over there. I THOUGHT the whole 50's-Famous-Five thing was a bit old-fashioned but...

What you call vest, I'd call tank-top, but you're right to question it. I think it's supposed to be something called "retro chic", but it's not the sort of thing I'd go for, myself.

I thought she was referring to the waistcoat on Mr Starey.

 

[Peripart]

Ah, well, you see - and I don't really want to derail this thread - I thought that too, at first, but then decided that the Famous Five reference pointed more towards the silly knitwear. Lauren - adjudication. please!

 

[Timble2]

I don't know what anyone else sees but I can see an Ice Warrior (vintage Doctor Who alien)

 

[LaurenChurchill]

Ah, well, you see - and I don't really want to derail this thread - I thought that too, at first, but then decided that the Famous Five reference pointed more towards the silly knitwear. Lauren - adjudication. please!

I was referring to Mr Starey but there's a guy behind him with a drink and the same kind of clothing, if my memory serves me correctly (and it probably doesn't). Not sure what you mean by a tank top but that's what I'd call a woman's sleeveless top with wide shoulder straps (not spaghetti straps). And seeing as you are mostly men in here I bet you have no idea what I mean by spaghetti straps :lol:

 

[cassandra78]

I'm with you Lauren. Young men who frequent pubs here can often be seen wearing waistcoats as in Mr Starey or knitted Tank tops as in Mr Starey's friend, Mr Famous Five. Tank tops are usually reserved for student types who are trying to look intellectual, waistcoats are last season's office/smart wear.
We call the womens' wide shouldered vests...vests.

And I see no face. Even after looking at the other pic.

 

[lockers]

It looks to me like one of those projection things - shining an image onto the road. I really do not think it is a reflection in a window. The bit of the projected image that looks like a face coincides almost exactly with a person standing / moving. I reckon what looks like a face is part of this projected image reflecting off that person.

I bet if you go back to that area, you'll find the bar in question projects something out onto the street.

 

[Mr_Seaweedski]

From the height of the 'ghost' image and angle, assuming it is a reflection in the window, I recon it is just someones T-shirt. What were you wearing that night? The white face seems to have a red square round it and looks like a fairly solid print of a face. I keep trying to make it into 'Che' Guevarro, but can't, but you know the type of T-shirt!!!

 

[Yithian]

I took this photograph from the window of a bar in manchester on the evening of Friday 13th (!). The motion blur of people passing in front of them (the flash was off as they were too far and it would have bounced off the window) was enough to catch my interest and not delete the image as it reminded me of a comic book character moving at superspeed. It was only when I loaded the image on to the computer that I noticed.....

...some combination of the blur and light reflecting of the window, presumably, has come together to form a rather eerie human face. It's not my reflection! It's the large white foggy area beneath the man in the white shirt.

What's intriguing is that half the people who look at it see it straight away, plain as day and are freaked out by it...and the other half can't see it at all, even if you mark it out for them. They try staring and squinting and concentrating but remain oblivious to what - to the other half of us - is clear as anything and twice as creepy! If you do see it, and the more you look at it, the more "real" and detailed it seems as an actual face. Clearly we know its a simulacra, and the brain searching for patterns etc..but still...you can't help wondering!

Are we able to get a re-post of this image, please Gattino?

 

[gattino]

Blimey, where did your dig this up from. But yes, thanks to the wonders of Facebook....

 

[Shady]

There appears to be a man sitting in the space that the blur is, maybe it is just a blurred image of him

 

[Naughty_Felid]

It's a reflection of a logo on a sweatshirt.