KNBC Top 15 Ghost Photos

[CarlosTheDJ]

Nothing much new for us old lags, but one or two I hadn't seen before.

http://tinyurl.com/2fyrj9

 

[colpepper1]

The ones that float my boat are the dead airman, because it's real or in appallingly bad taste, the back seat mother in law 'cos it has that grainy 60s tabloid quality of ghost stories I grew up with, Wem town hall fire is another that's a darkroom job or a dead person.
SS Watertown is the archetype of spooky simulacra, who knows from that shot?
Anything that looks like a double exposure is a double exposure, IME. Well composed revenants, especially those that appear in a photo of an absent space, staircases and the like, set alarm bells ringing. The Newby church ghost clearly has a sense of humour for wearing a Halloween mask.

Interesting how some spooks have mastered the aesthetics of the medium, being just the right amount out of focus in relation to the background (the dead grandpa over grandmas head a case in point). My fave, the peasant? girls head in the middle of the holiday party isn't included. Shame.

 

[escargot]

The Wem town hall fire one was in the FT soon after it was taken.
Some're new ot me too. I liked the baby one the grave one, although it's obviously a double exposure.

Ghost photos're great. I've taken loads of snaps in lots of allegedly haunted places and never got a sniff of a spook on them.

 

[GNC]

I hadn't seen the 1966 Rev. Ralph Hardy one before, but it looks like there was a painting behind the bannister that had been caught at the right angle.

 

[akaWiintermoon]

The Wem town hall fire one was in the FT soon after it was taken.
Some're new ot me too. I liked the baby one the grave one, although it's obviously a double exposure.

I found when I looked at that one, the baby also looks like it has an arm around it, and hand visible. A kind of face is behing her/him to the right but that's probibly my brain and similcara (spl?) after the arm thing.

I found the first few hard to swallow, especially the geezer in the chair. Pictures took a while to take then didn't they, and why would you be taking a picture of a chair and table anyway?! And the spiral staircase, come, on, it was hardly a decent view of it was it?

Also (I'm not having a rant, honest! ) the sea faces one. Wasn't that discussed here on this very board (The reason for the sailors deaths seem to vary greatly.) and found that sea burrial was illegal at that time and so wouldn't have happened?

Lots of Revs taking photos too!

Still, I'm glad people do come foward with these things. I'd say about 99% of them are fakes, or genuine mistaken belief due to double exposure, mirrors, ect, but that 1% left is very interesting. The one that seemed most credible to me was the girl/fire one. Without having to hear about the history of the building too.

 

[stu neville]

I hadn't seen the 1966 Rev. Ralph Hardy one before, but it looks like there was a painting behind the bannister that had been caught at the right angle.

That one's intriguing because if you look closely, both the hands on the baluster rail are left hands - suggesting two figures. Most commentaries don't seem to pick up on that.

 

[GNC]

I hadn't seen the 1966 Rev. Ralph Hardy one before, but it looks like there was a painting behind the bannister that had been caught at the right angle.

That one's intriguing because if you look closely, both the hands on the baluster rail are left hands - suggesting two figures. Most commentaries don't seem to pick up on that.

You're right! I've heard of two left feet, but this is something new. If two left feet mean you can't dance, do two left hands mean you can't juggle? You'd throw all the objects in the same direction.

 

[Eponastill]

Thanks Carlos, I hadn't seen most of those.

The chap in the chair, and the woman in the back seat of the car, they both so obviously depend on the shapes around them - like the arm of the chair, and the front seats of the car. We're so good at seeing 'sense' into patterns of light and dark aren't we - I mean that's what our brains have evolved to do.

The faces in the sea - what a story to go with it! which surely was made up after the event.
As for the baby at the grave - only the other day we were looking at some old photos of my boyfriend's, and a couple had some people he didn't know superimposed on them.. ghosts?? well no because they were at 90 degrees to the picture he'd taken. That gave it away a bit. Unless the spirit world is at 90 degrees to ours.

I must say I still like the spectre by the altar. I mean if you're going to take a picture of a ghost, make it one that will frighten small children. It certainly used to give me the creeps. Probably still does. I like ghost photos.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

I must say I still like the spectre by the altar. I mean if you're going to take a picture of a ghost, make it one that will frighten small children. It certainly used to give me the creeps. Probably still does. I like ghost photos.

That pic used to terrify me!

I remember getting my dad to hide the book it was in.

 

[decipheringscars]

I hadn't seen the 1966 Rev. Ralph Hardy one before, but it looks like there was a painting behind the bannister that had been caught at the right angle.

That one's intriguing because if you look closely, both the hands on the baluster rail are left hands - suggesting two figures. Most commentaries don't seem to pick up on that.

Thanks for pointing that out! Even if the two hands were the same person's, that would be one long right arm.

If you removed the apparition from this photo, it would just be a very, very lousy photo. Why would the photographer have composed it in this way, and why would he shoot directly into a lighting fixture that's switched on? Even an amateur photographer should know better, I'd think. Of course, I don't know the space - maybe he couldn't back up any further to get the whole staircase, or maybe he took a series of photos of details and particular angles.

I wonder if crediting these photos to a clergyperson is meant to lend them an air of credibility? After all, why would a priest/pastor be staging a faked ghost photo?

[eta: Great photos, though - thanks for sharing, Carlos! There were a couple I'd not seen before, and this (spiral staircase) is one of them.]

 

[OldTimeRadio]

After all, why would a priest/pastor be staging a faked ghost photo?

I hate to say this, as a Christian, but the pastor's the guy I'd suspect, especially if he's desperately trying to produce "proof" for both himself and others that he hasn't wasted his life on "faith."

I mean that in exactly the same sense that we have to regard with cautious skepticism (NOT a priori disbelief) the "perfect" Bigfoot or UFO photograph produced by the Fortean or Paranormalist who's previously spent a third-of-a-century in fruitless searching.

 

[Graylien]

What exactly is the Christian view on ghosts anyway? I thought the souls of the departed were supposed to end up in Heaven or Hell, not wandering around on Earth apparently forgotten by their creator.

Or are the dead supposed to be sleeping until the final judgement? Either way, ghosts don't seem to belong in the Christian worldview.

 

[Werecow]

I must say I still like the spectre by the altar. I mean if you're going to take a picture of a ghost, make it one that will frighten small children. It certainly used to give me the creeps. Probably still does. I like ghost photos.

That pic used to terrify me!

I remember getting my dad to hide the book it was in.

I am unlurking to say I'm glad I'm not the only one. I used to skip pages in books just so I wouldn't have to look at that photo. Gave me the creeps.

Now, however, I find it cheesy. And unless the picture was cropped (perfectly possible), I think it's a fake, as why would you take a picture of an altarpiece off-centre unless you intend to put something in the empty space?

Moving on, the Rev. Hardy picture has always interested me for the mundane reason that I'm more or less local to White Rock, his hometown. Interestingly enough, although it seems more common to show it in black and white, it looks like the original was in colour. There are interesting articles about the picture at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1912 and http://seminars.torontoghosts.org/blog/ ... laursen_20. I think it's an oddly pretty photo, whether it shows ghosts or not.

 

[colpepper1]

Not a ghost pic but an image in an art book that left the same impression as a kid. Used to scare the **** out of me. The scariest devil ever?

The Rider

 

[OldTimeRadio]

A. C. Benson, the slightly-lesser-known brother of E. F. and the Rev. R. H. Benson, as a little boy spent a pleasant afternoon paging through bound volumes of the SATURDAY MAGAZINE in the library of his father, the Archbishop of Canterbury....until he stumbled upon an etching of THE TEMPTATION OF SAINT ANTHONY.

The picture scared him so much that through the rest of his childhood he never again dared open any issue of the magazine, of which he seems to have been very fond, for fear of once again beholding THAT illustration.

Years later, away at college, A. C. decided to go through the SATURDAY MAGAZINES again, volume by volume and page by page, until he discovered the image that had terrorized him so much as a boy.

He found it.

And wished he hadn't.

For it terrorized him as much as an adult as it had as a child!

 

[OldTimeRadio]

What exactly is the Christian view on ghosts anyway?

Graylien, there is no one-size-fits-all Christian view on ghosts.

There are only a half-dozen or so essential Christian beliefs. (The Trinity, the Incarnation, the Blood Atonement, the Virgin Birth and so on.)

Outside of those the Christian is entirely free to speculate....and to disagree. That's the reason I've often pointed out that for me, as a Fortean and Paranormalist, Christianity has a lot less baggage than other religions. (Although that in itself would be a lousy reason to select any religion.)

Thus with End-Times prophecy, you'll find Christians who are Pre- and Post-Millennialists or even Amillennialists (who altogether reject the idea of the Millennium). The majority of Christians believe in the coming Rapture, but many others do not.

The same is true concerning the Tribulation, and whether the Rapture comes before, during or at the end of that period. (Or, again, does not come at all).

Thus individual Christians are free to regard ghosts as angelic or demonic or for that matter non-existent.

As a very general rule, however, you'll find that the more formalistic and ritualistic religions such as the Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans and so on are more open to the idea of non-demonic ghosts than the Calvinistic sects such as the Baptists.

I thought the souls of the departed were supposed to end up in Heaven or Hell, not wandering around on Earth apparently forgotten by their creator.

Yes, but Heaven is more a condition than a place. And it is NOT usually considered a prison, not even one with silk sheets!

Or are the dead supposed to be sleeping until the final judgement?

That was certainly the Old Testament view, before Christ's Sacrifice, but few Christian denominations hold it today. It is in fact regarded as a rather cultic view by the majority. (The concept is known as "soul sleep.")

I believe that "soul sleep" is accepted today by the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventists. The first is regarded as a cult by most Christians but the second as fully Christian.

 

[rynner2]

The majority of Christians believe in the coming Rapture, but many others do not.

Maybe on that side of the pond, but over here in the UK I think that idea has a very low profile.

(Not that I'm an expert: most of my contact with religion is catching Prayer for the Day on R4, and reading the papers.)

 

[volfie]

I hadn't seen the 1966 Rev. Ralph Hardy one before, but it looks like there was a painting behind the bannister that had been caught at the right angle.

That one's intriguing because if you look closely, both the hands on the baluster rail are left hands - suggesting two figures. Most commentaries don't seem to pick up on that.

Thanks for pointing that out! Even if the two hands were the same person's, that would be one long right arm.

It's a time exposure and the person is moving their hand up the rail during the exposure. Note that both hands wear the exact same ring on them. IIRC, you can actually make out three hands, can't you? And three rings.

Time exposures can explain a LOT of those photos. A time exposure is not the same as a double exposure and cannot be "debunked" as easily as a double exposure but most photographers will spot them instantly.

I've made several nice ghost photos using my favorite "victim", my daughter. This isn't the hand-tinted version of this image but this one will give you the idea.

IIRC, the exposure time in this case was just a few seconds (under five) so it doesn't take a great deal of time to set up these photos.

Click on the icon to get to the bigger photo which shows the transparency effect better:

 

[volfie]

And a P.S.: My fav photo of the set was the one of the girl with the burning building behind her. At least THAT one couldn't be a time exposure.

The one with The Elephant Man lookalike on the altar just annoys me.

 

[MaxMolyneux]

Any Info on Pic 12 of the child on the grave?

 

[stu neville]

..That one's intriguing because if you look closely, both the hands on the baluster rail are left hands - suggesting two figures. Most commentaries don't seem to pick up on that.

It's a time exposure and the person is moving their hand up the rail during the exposure. Note that both hands wear the exact same ring on them. IIRC, you can actually make out three hands, can't you? And three rings....

Ah! You're quite right - thanks for that .

Only question, then, is who was climbing the stairs. The good Reverend says he saw no-one, but that's open to discussion.

Still an evocative photo, nonetheless.

 

[norton51]

The Wem photo was an 'accidental' figure caused by a burning piece of wood. The fire brigade made a video which showed the log from other angles. It was clearly the same object.

I'm always umimpressed by transparent ghost photos for two reasons: (1) they can be easily caused (albeit unintentionally) by long exposures and (2) when people report ghosts they usually say they look perfectly solid and normal. The transparent ghost is pure Hollywood.

 

[oll_lewis]

The airman's photo is a little suspect... he is pictured where there was clearly a gap left in the crowd if he wasn't there.

I think what could have happened is they had a group photo before he died and that got mixed up with the one taken after he died.

The mother in law in the car gave me the chills when I was a kid but looking at it again now it could be just normal things in the back of the car that our minds automatically recognise as a face and shoulders from the shape and the coincidence that things like the 'eyes' are in the exact right place to have the same proportions as a face. I also saw what looks like a moustache on the mother in law looking at it this time that I'd never noticed before.

 

[cayra]

Norton51... do you have a link for the Wem video?

 

[norton51]

Norton51... do you have a link for the Wem video?

Alas no. It doesn't seem to be on the web. I did see the film myself, if that helps. Long time ago now so I can't remember the details.

 

[Ringo]

Norton51... do you have a link for the Wem video?

Alas no. It doesn't seem to be on the web. I did see the film myself, if that helps. Long time ago now so I can't remember the details.

Sorry to drag this up but I've been trawling the net looking for ghost images for a new project I'm working on and have been looking at the Wem photograph. It would seem it was a deliberate hoax photograph using the image of a girl from a postcard which was superimposed into the picture. The postcard is an old shot of Wem High Street and shows the exact same gril, exact same clothes etc standing in a doorway.

Link to article exposing hoax

 

[kamalktk]

Norton51... do you have a link for the Wem video?

Alas no. It doesn't seem to be on the web. I did see the film myself, if that helps. Long time ago now so I can't remember the details.

Sorry to drag this up but I've been trawling the net looking for ghost images for a new project I'm working on and have been looking at the Wem photograph. It would seem it was a deliberate hoax photograph using the image of a girl from a postcard which was superimposed into the picture. The postcard is an old shot of Wem High Street and shows the exact same gril, exact same clothes etc standing in a doorway.

Link to article exposing hoax

From one of the comments.
"The girl in the postcard has virtually no detail in her face yet the girl in the Townhall fire pic has lots of detail. How come? You would expect it to be the other way around. You cannot add detail which is not there, you can only lose definition as the image is copied.."

A hoaxster would have had to added a third superimposition (if that's a word) to add in details to the face and such that are not there in the postcard photo. Also, while the dress is the same, the line of the bottom of the flower headdress where it touches the forehead is straighter in the postcard, and more jagged in the fire photo.

 

[Vardoger]

May be the same girl, but it's not from the same photo.

 

[Ringo]

I've seen a few different sites showing the same postcard but in much better resolution.

Here's one showing the high-res postacrd next to the ghost girl. Decide for yourself.

 

[kamalktk]

I've seen a few different sites showing the same postcard but in much better resolution.

Here's one showing the high-res postacrd next to the ghost girl. Decide for yourself.

Now that I will accept. The blurry version not so much.