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Orbs. Love them or hate them there's no getting away from them. Particularly if you're using a compact digital camera and firing the flash during your photography.
For those who have been out of the loop orbs are light coloured (generally) circular patches on photographs. Many claim that these are spirits or the first manifestation of a ghost lacking sufficient energy to fully manifest. When these images have been blown up it is claimed that faces can be seen inside. Further claims relate to size, distance from camera and orbs allegedly interacting with individuals. And there are others who claim that orbs are dust particles, water vapour, insects etc. close to the camera and illuminated by the on camera flash, this gives an out of focus highly reflective image.
And the arguments have continued with each side firmly entrenched. With 35 years of experience of photography and a similar length of interest in Fortean matters I tend to the latter, mechanistic explanation, although as a good Fortean I admit the possibility that orbs may be spirit based but as yet I have seen no evidence to support this latter supposition.
Steve is a ghosthunter and a great fan of the scientific method, as part of this he is currently studying for a PhD in the effects of infrasound and its possible importance in haunted locations.
Steve has never been a big fan of orbs and has carried out various investigations to attempt to dismiss them from the scence, but he has never been able to convince everyone. What he wanted, he realised, was a digital compact 3d camera with two lenses closely positioned. By looking at the combined image there may be orbs, but if the orb is on one of the two images used to generate the 3d picture but not the other then it shows the orb is a particle close to one lens and outside of the field of viewof the other, alternatively if the orb is on both photographs but displaced that shows it is a particle relatively close to the camera. If the orb is present in the same position on both photographs then that may vindicate some of the claims of the orb believers. In then in Autumn of 2009 Steve got the camera of his dreams - a Fuji W1 3D.....
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