Photos of Virgin Mary

[Abdul Alhazred]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/445000/images/_447885_300coffin.jpg

UK Virgin Mary claim over Hume photo (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/447885.stm)

BBC

Blurred images on two photographs taken during the requiem mass for Cardinal Basil Hume could be the Virgin Mary, one of the photographers has said.

The two photographs were taken at exactly the same time during the service.

Terence Wynn, a photographer for the Northern Cross newspaper, took his photograph from the television.

And he said the same image appeared on another photograph taken at exactly the same time - and also from television - by a priest in Hartlepool.


(Closeups of image at link)

I classify this under paranormal rather than religion because I would like a good skeptical debunking from some of you photographers out there.

Of course there's the Rorscharch factor: If it looks like it has a beard it's Jesus, otherwise it's Mary.

However, assuming this image isn't a deliberate fraud, what could have caused it?

Religious discussion OK too, of course.

[Ersby]

Um... where is it?

[Deetee]

This story illustrates the standard of news reporting you can find - "the photographer was unable to attend the service, so "took photos from the television".
And then claims blurred images are not artefacts?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/447885.stm

[MRC_Hans]

From the news story:
"I'm suggesting that this is worth investigation, but on the other hand it may be no more than a trick of the light.

"Having said that, it has been a trick of the light in two places at the same time."
No, because they both took it from television, so it could be a trick of light (or some other disturbance) of the television picture. Light falling on the lens of the TV camara, cross-talk from other signals, a random coincidence of shadows, etc. etc.

In other words: There is only one instance of the phenomenon, and a load of mundane explanations.

Next...........

Hans

[Ipecac]

Yep, I'm betting bleed through from another channel.

It's a bad photo taken of a tv screen. How anyone can take this seriously is beyond me.

[Starrman]

Does that look exactly like a glare from a window in front of the TV to anyone else?

This one is a real stretch. I've got wrinkles in my shirt right now that look more like the Virgin Mary than that glare.

[Diogenes]

The newspaper has now printed the photographs and Mr Wynn says the church should investigate the photos.

What the heck are they supposed to investigate???


" Yep, these appear to be genuine photos .. No, trickery here.. " :rolleyes:

[Suezoled]

I'm not seeing anything that looks like Virgin Mary unless we're looking at a congregation of Virgin Mary Clones sitting around a coffin.

You mean that GLARE on the TV? Get some windex please. Or maybe that image is the person's restless soul come to tell you to that the meek shall inherit the earth... because the rich and obnoxious have already bought up heaven.

[wayrad]

The reflection looks to me like it has a distorted version of the pattern on the features (leaded windows?) on the far right of the photo.

I agree, it's something the TV camera picked up. It's not likely to be glare on the TV screen because the photos were taken off different TVs (assuming we can believe the statement that both photos were identical).

[Explorer]

wayrad said:

"The reflection looks to me like it has a distorted version of the pattern on the features (leaded windows?) on the far right of the photo."

Agreed. The implication of the claim is that this is a draped figure of the Virgin Mary similar to the statue. However, the main inconsistency in the image is in the lower "draped" area. There seems to be an inverted "V" effect, as if the skirt has been hooked up on something. This inverted "V" can be seen reproduced in the photo on the extreme right. There are several of them that can be seen in the textile wall hangings(as opposed to leaded windows). Just how these are reproduced as a single ghostly image on the left of the TV screen is difficult to explain in the technical sense. Perhaps that is the miracle?

[Garrette]

I don't see anything at all remotely resembling a Virgin Mary, Jeebus, alien, or sasquatch. Where the heck is it supposed to be?

Then again, those weird 3d posters never worked for me, either.

[wayrad]

Originally posted by Explorer
wayrad said:

"The reflection looks to me like it has a distorted version of the pattern on the features (leaded windows?) on the far right of the photo."

Agreed. The implication of the claim is that this is a draped figure of the Virgin Mary similar to the statue. However, the main inconsistency in the image is in the lower "draped" area. There seems to be an inverted "V" effect, as if the skirt has been hooked up on something. This inverted "V" can be seen reproduced in the photo on the extreme right. There are several of them that can be seen in the textile wall hangings(as opposed to leaded windows). Just how these are reproduced as a single ghostly image on the left of the TV screen is difficult to explain in the technical sense. Perhaps that is the miracle?

Yes, they could easily be wall hangings. I couldn't really identify them from my monitor's image of somebody's photo of somebody's TV screen...but the pattern does look very similar. I wonder if there's an identical set on the opposite wall? Perhaps we're seeing a reflection of that somehow?

[BPSCG]

Originally posted by Garrette
Then again, those weird 3d posters never worked for me, either. BEGIN OFF-TOPIC TANGENT: Helps to be able to see out of both eyes at the same time. I have amblyopia (i.e., "lazy eye"), caused by my eyes not aligning just right when I was a tiny tater. The brain doesn't want to "see" double vision, so it starts rejecting the signal from the less-dominant eye. In effect, I don't see 3D.

Coupla weeks ago, my mother-in-law was looking at one of those 3D pictures in the comics page of her newspaper, told me how much she enjoys them, and invited me to look. I told her I could never get them to work. She seemed puzzled by this until I had her do the 3D thing, get the 3D image, and then close one eye. When she closed the one eye, she immediately lost the 3D image. END OFF-TOPIC TANGENT

[thaiboxerken]

Originally posted by BPSCG
I have amblyopia (i.e., "lazy eye)

I think that eye needs a good lecture, laziness is not a good quality to have.

[wayrad]

A search for images of the Westminster Cathedral interior turned up the following (second photo down):
http://www.opusdei.org/art.php?w=32&p=2901

Also, according to the Cathedral's main website (which I cannot seem to copy in the URL for without losing what I just typed, but it pops up right away in Google), the cathedral is noted for its use of decorative marble from various regions.

Polished marble is quite reflective.

[wayrad]

Also check the second photo down on this site, which shows a different but somewhat similar feature:
http://www.cafod.org.uk/EVENTS/GALLERY/masslobby/mass.shtml

[wayrad]

Here's the cathedral site:
http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/sguide/sguide_home.html
The patterned thingy seems to be located in the area of the Vaughan Chantry, which is described on the marble page as being flanked by striking black-and-white marble columns. I have not yet been able to find any pictures of "grand antique des Pyrenees" yet, though.

[Explorer]

Yes! I have checked out the interiors of the cathedral too. There are wide pillars of polished marble with very similar patterns to that of the ghostly image. The question is, how is this reflected on to the TV camera lens?

[Ossai]

b]Starrman[/b]
This one is a real stretch. I've got wrinkles in my shirt right now that look more like the Virgin Mary than that glare.
So where are you going to set up the shrine and how much are you going to charge? ;)

[Starrman]

My wife ironedSo where are you going to set up the shrine and how much are you going to charge?

Dammit! My wife ironed the virgin mary right out of there before I could call the pope.

[Camille]

Seems the Virgin Mary has been quite busy lately:

http://www.ghostvillage.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=pictures;action=display;num=10649592 82

And Jesus, it would seem:

http://www.ghostvillage.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=pictures;action=display;num=10617621 14