Man in The Mirror: Brand new "ghost" photo.

[gattino]

AS with all these things the "facts" are taken on trust...you have to believe me and I have to believe the person I'm quoting. In this particular case I have found no reason not to, so I'll just lay the info down as factually as possible.

At around 11.30pm last night, Tues Aug 2nd, someone on my facebook friend's list (though in fact more of an acquaintance) wrote the following status: "Is not one to entertain such paranormal forces. But will be moving out of his new house at the weekend due to unexplained chilling phenomenon."

On being prompted to explain by a friend he said "loooong story". Prompted again he elaborated: "got a ghost on pic, strange noises in the house. Doors unlocking by themselves an today front door was wide open wen i returned x"

Obviously the ghost on pic reference grabbed the attention and I piped up to ask for it. He posted a dark grainy picture, saying to look at the mirror.

He responded to a friend's questions beneath it by saying he was moving out Sunday, wasn't sleeping there tonight but at his mums as " I refuse to sleep ther. tried it the other night an my door unlocked itself".

I took the picture and cropped and brighted the mirror area to see more clearly what we were looking at:

It appears to be indisputably a young, modern, male figure in seated position, arms raised. Being Fortean Times representative on earth for the moment I pursued the most obvious alternatives. His response to questioning was initially one of weary rolling eyed sarcasm, and - it seemed to me - sincere disinterest in whether anyone believed him or not,things were happening and he was mving out and that was that. "Im not one to believe in ghosts thers probably a logical explanation but anyway..im stil not livin in that house, weird things hav bin hapenin. Im outa ther by the weekend." Being assured I wasn;t doubting him he answered the 3 "obvious" questions thus:
1) That it shows an actual other person in the room with him - no it doesn't it was just him, no one else there.
2) As to why he was therefore taking pictures of an empty room in the first place - Because he was proud of what he'd done with it given the shit heap it was when he moved in a couple of weeks ago. As evidence of this he produced and posted 2 other photos taken in succession of other angles of the room. He said he never even noticed the figure until showing the pics to his friend Sammy on Saturday.
3)...the third question only occurred to me this mornng so I've yet to get the answer,but to deal with the possibility of a simulacra I've asked him to tell me what, if anything, is ACTUALLY in the room in the space seemingly occupied by the figure. I'll report any reply.

 

[stu neville]

A bit obvious I know, but whatever it is it's partially behind the reflected net curtain, but has overall continuity - I think that's important, as it implies an image of something objective, whatever it may be.

Good one, this .

 

[rynner2]

Given the angle of the mirror, this can't be a self-portrait.

But what's the gauzy thing draped across the mirror? Another scarf? Or a reflection of a curtain, as Stu suggests?


"But will be moving out of his new house at the weekend due to unexplained chilling phenomenon."

This is the sort of thing that keeps me interested in the paranormal. Just when 90% of the FTMB seems to be degenerating into pure piffle, something like this comes along and revives my interest...

 

[gattino]

I didn't need to wait for his reply ....it only just hit me that in the other 2 photos he posted taken of the room it shows the area reflected in the mirror and where the figure ought to be....and isn't! the net curtain you see is a mosquito net, as he'd created an african theme from materials left over from his 21st party. Here, taken immediately before or after the mirror picture, is what is...or more to the point isn't...in that spot:

 

[rynner2]

the net curtain you see is a mosquito net, as he'd created an african theme from materials left over from his 21st party. Here, taken immediately before or after the mirror picture, is what is...or more to the point isn't...in that spot:

Excellent! This also gives us some scale - the figure appears to be child-sized. The reflected curtain is an accurate reflection of the direct shot, so the curtain wasn't moved between shots.

At first I was more impressed that the chap was so spooked by his doors unlocking that he's moving out, but now the photos seem even more important.

 

[Atch_]

Does your friend smoke roll-ups?

 

[stu neville]

Yeah, that's what I thought when I first saw the figure - but as Ryn says, it looks child-sized. Also, we've pretty much established it can't be a self-portrait as he was alone when taking the pics.

Also, have moved this to Ghosts.

 

[gattino]

If we take it on face value that it is what is commonly called a "ghost" (the only alternative with the information we have is he's simply bare faced lying) it raises all kind of practical and philosophical issues. Like how a camera catches light bouncing off an object which isn't solid and which the eyes can't pick up. You see someone child sized, I see a young adult male sitting down....which begs the question, either way, is "he" - in his own perception - making contact with a solid material object like the sofa/bed..ie does he feel himself sitting on it? If so, and if he can unlock doors why can't he and his like just as easily pick up a pen and write a letter?? OR...is it possible he's alive and well and occupying some other time or space and is wondering who the hell keeps locking his doors, which he's sure he left open.....? The whole subject is so mind boggling.

 

[gattino]

Just got the rollup reference... the position f his arms. Actually my first thought is that he appears to be clasping one of those cushions to his chest.

 

[Atch_]

I ask as not only does the figure seem to be caught in the middle of rolling a ciggie, there is what appears to be a disposable lighter on the bed near to the place the 'ghost' would appear to have been.

We only have the friend's word that he was alone.

 

[rynner2]

I ask as not only does the figure seem to be caught in the middle of rolling a ciggie, there is what appears to be a disposable lighter on the bed near to the place the 'ghost' would appear to have been.

Not that near - the figure was behind the left-hand side of the curtain. (The mirror reversed the view.)

 

[gattino]

As I've acknowledged repeatedly, having his word is all we'll ever have...its impossible to know something is true absolutely without being thre in the moment oursevles..and even then we couldn't absolutely know. On which no proof of anything of this nature is ever possible. All we can discuss is the information available taken at face value until there's equal or greater reason to dismiss that information.

The "disposable lighter" is an interesting observation ....as it may well be one, but it not obvious that it is.. I've zoomed right in on it and all that can be said is there is a black rectangular shape on the bed. And should it be one, that just means the owner of the room or someone he knows does indeed smoke. The connection to the figure is based on an interpretation of what he "must" be doing. You could be right of course...it's a mate of his sitting there rolling one, and caught ina reflection, and he's decided to use it to add spice to his claims of haunting. Which just brings us back to square one, whether to believe the sincertiy of the person reporting the event. That can only be a personal choice. I don't know him well enough to vouch for his unimpeachable dedication to the truth, but have detected nothing to make me think he's prone to lying, or is making anyting up in this particular instance.

 

[gattino]

Close up of alleged "disposable lighter"

 

[jaxxmanuk]

Just looks like a teenage sized person sat on a bed crosslegged but perhaps sat with his/her arms around his legs bring them together and up. I say this based on the two white trainers and the direction they point.

 

[Mythopoeika]

It looks like a young boy having a bit of a giggle.
Quite clear, in fact.
If it's authentic, I think it's quite good.

 

[Mythopoeika]

That is definitely a disposable lighter on the bed. The close-up confirms that for me.

 

[gattino]

Might be...though ti did the opposite for me! I took it as one until the close up.

 

[DieDieMyDarling]

The OP says the person who posted the images seemed quite indifferent to whether people believe it or not, but then also shows the kind of hyperbolic language he used to sell the photos in the first place. The two don't match up.

I don't know the person at all, so I can't really know his character or reliability. But the fact that he's using such striking wording to describe the things that happened in the house, then playing it cool to reactions, would tell me it's fake.

Less is more. You hit people with something big, locked doors, I'm leaving this place, then when those people react to those strong visuals and words, you play it down. If he'd argued it vehemently, people would have been more suspicious. Just my opinion.

Unfortunately there's just too many fakes around these days. Maybe I'm a little too cynical. But the actual photo looks like it was taken with a friend on the bed, and perhaps the photographer thought the mosquito net made it look ethereal, so figured he'd chance his arm.

 

[Moooksta]

My first reaction was...it's an Asian female. My first reaction.

The OP said the photos were taken because the inhabitant of the room had made such a great job of making it nice.

Could it be a way of excusing yourself from 6-month letting contracting? Having found better digs recently the picture taker is claiming it's haunted thus he's moving out excusing himself for the final four months of the letting contract.

Shame you can't contact the landlord.

 

[gattino]

You're relying on my summation of his attitude. You'd be wrong to do so.. I was summarising in a way that explained my basic faith that he WASN'T trying to convince anyone of a prepared story. It's happend, its shocking/weird/noteworthy and worth drawing attention to....but the fact of it was all that mattered, not trying to persuade anyone to believe him or not.

The only way I can clarify that further is to copy and paste all his statements on the subject, and the lines he's responding to. Which people, I've recently found, don't always appreciate you doing!

 

[gattino]

Here is the conversation underneath my brightened/cropped close up of the image. My initial description of him sounding weary and sarcastic was inspired by him addressing me as "mr barrister" as though feeling cross examined and doubted. But on re reading he's actually cheery and factual throughout.

 

[Pete Younger]

To me it looks like someone sitting on the edge of the bed, you can see their knees, he appears to be working on a laptop.

 

[McAvennie]

Yeh, first reaction is that it was someone actually sat on the bed.

However, if we take the originator's word that he was alone when he took this pic then it is pretty spooky and I too would be packing my stuff and leaving... :shock:

 

[gattino]

For whatever further clarity it might provide I've stitched togehter the 3 photos in the sequence he says they were taken.

He has not explicitly said - nor been asked - about any time gap or pause between each snap. But the INFERENCE, at least on my part, is that essentially he has stood in the middle of the room, camera in hand, pointed first toward the bed and gone..

*click* - turn - *click* - turn - *click* and that the 3rd snap has caught in the reflection of the mirror someone who ought not to be there at all, and ought to have been in the first snap if he was.

 

[rynner2]

I thought I'd see if the full EXIF info was still attached to the images, but it's not. Oddly, though, the date of creation and modification is given as 08/03/2011, which is today's date in American format. But the thread was started in late July, so presumably that EXIF info relates to FTMB somehow...?

Is the EXIF info available on the Facebook pictures themselves? (Right click and select Properties.) The full EXIF info should give many details, and as well as the dates it will give the time each photo was taken.

 

[Moooksta]

Now you see all three together it does look like the cushions the figure is sitting on have moved between shots.

If you take the image showing the figure and flip it horizontally (it's a mirror reflection) the cushions seems to have moved position.

 

[gattino]

I've absolutely no idea what EXIF info even means let alone how to find it. The pictures you see on here are ..apart fromt eh very first one which is dark and grainy...downloaded by me from FB, given new names for easy finding, brightened (their levels adjusted), in one case cropped (the close up) and int he final case stitched together and saved as a brand new photo.

I don;t know what thread you're referrring to as starting in "late July". All material on here has been posted by me today, or copied from postings on facebook last night.

 

[rynner2]

I don;t know what thread you're referrring to as starting in "late July". All material on here has been posted by me today, or copied from postings on facebook last night.

I don't know where I got that from now - perhaps I had two different threads open at once and looked at the wrong one.

EXIF info is details of camera, date, time, etc, attached to images taken by digital cameras. I already said how to access it - right-click the image, select Properties. The full info will have two tabs, General and Details.

Try this with the original Facebook images, not on any copies that have been subsequently manipulated, because re-saving does not always keep EXIF info.

 

[gattino]

Yeah I tried..right click ona FB photo and all you get is a lot of save or copy options and the incomprehensible "inspect element".

 

[Pete Younger]

I thought I'd see if the full EXIF info was still attached to the images, but it's not. Oddly, though, the date of creation and modification is given as 08/03/2011, which is today's date in American format.

And you were right, it is American format