I’ve been wondering what to do with this photo my girlfriend took a long time ago and just want to post it here to see if anyone can figure out what I can’t and she can’t remember. I scanned the original photo but haven’t found the negative yet. She doesn’t remember when it was taken and it’s been seperated from any that were in the same roll and package so it will take some time to fully research it. I’m a pretty accomplished advanced amateur photographer and I don’t think I could recreate this photo if I wanted to. Some of the things that I don’t understand is the lighting. I see the window but what looks like a ghost looks to be lit from the right. If someone just threw a sheet up in the air (which she says isn’t the case) I would think there would be more blurring. She doesn’t remember what type of camera she used either so that doesn’t help matters much. As we try to reorganize things around the house I’ll be looking for any shots from the same roll as I think that would help me try to figure this out. I’m not one to believe in ghosts only because I haven’t experienced any myself and I can’t stomach these “ghosthunter” shows for longer than a few minutes as they run around with their EMF meters and infared cameras hearing and seeing things that don’t come across in the broadcast of the show.
The first photo is as it was scanned. The second is with a little contrast enhancement. The third is a cropped version.
My first instinct is to say that it’s probably someone’s hand, although it looks slightly distorted and covered in crap…it looks like you might have someone’s shoulder in the bottom right of the frame, too. Possibly taken when messing about with the camera, and it went off unexpectedly? Doing that sort of thing seems to result in “spooky” photos. I’ve got a spectacular one of eerie, silhouetted figures surrounded by swirly blue lights because I forgot that my camera was taking a long exposure/night-time shot.
Maybe someone in a raincoat falling backwards while pulling the headpiece. Maybe he fell because he was scared of the little thingy flying in his direction.
Maybe a modern art sculpture wrapped in plastic.
Pretty cool though! This appears to be MUCH closer to the camera lens than the rest of the room or item photographed though, quite possibly less than an inch away On the right there is a an area that might be part of the right hand (thumb ‘hump’) maybe. Whatever that image is that we’re concerned with could be an item that is very, very small like an insect, part of a wing. even a smear of something on the lens itself.
Should add that it could even be mucus from a sneeze?
I would say it a sheet/curtain hanging off a four poster bed. The light bar to the right the ghost seems to be reaching for is the bar of the cross bar at the top of the bed posters. The red smudges on the left are where the flash is blocked/reflected off the poster closest to the photographer. Since most of the light from the flash is blocked (not all, but most) the ghost is mostly lit from the light through the door behind it and across the room. The shape of the poster the curtain is wrapped around gives the body shape where the bones of the arm seem to meet the body.
It was probably a very pretty room where your girlfriend was staying at the time, which is why she wanted a picture. But the dark room, lit only by the far away source of sunlight, the camera flash being mostly blocked and an improper exposure time for such dark conditions caused things to look spooky and strange. And some things to not appear at all.
I don’t know Tah, I don’t think that’s a door. At first I thought it was a window with a sheer curtain and some fringe. If the ‘ghost’ is part of a curtain on a poster bed, then the window would be too low so maybe it’s a lamp. I just don’t think it’s a door.
I do know what you mean about the bright red-pink spots on the left though as if the camera picked up something mirroring either that light source or another one in the room (or odd film). There does seem to be a silverish rod to the right of the ‘ghost’ at the top which might be something to be taken into consideration.
Out of what I wrote you decide to argue the point of whether that’s a door or a window, Huli? 😉
But yes, it’s probably window. Whatever it is, it’s a portal that is allowing bright sunlight into a dark room from a single source and direction and throwing off the exposure of the film.
And the silver bar you’re talking about is the cross bar I mentioned in my post. That is light reflecting off that, too. Probably the flash, but possible some other weak light source in the room or from the ceiling. But it’s further way so doesn’t appear splotchy and red like the close post does on the left.
I think it’s a long gauzy curtain hanging in front of the window, like this. The bar to the top right is the curtain pole, and the curtain has been blown inwards.
