Could these be orbs/My introduction

[NirmalaMaya]

Hello,
I was referred to this site by a chatroom comrade :)

Anyhow, I guess I should explain the background of the photos I will be posting.

I think it is important to point out that it was NOT a wet day out, nor was it snowing, etc. There were no spots on the lens of the camera, nor is it a film mess up because these pictures were taken with a digital camera.

It was a pretty dry day out, very nice weather it was night time and I could go short sleeved.
Anyhow, my cousin and I are both into photography as well as the paranormal. I wouldnt call myself a skeptic because I do believe in most all things paranormal deep down..although I would have to see it to truely and 100 percent believe..if that makes sense :)

My cousin saw a very cool tree so she looked up and snapped a picture of it.

The posted result is not the original photograph, this one is in black and white and the contrast has been increased to show the "orbs" better. If you would like the original picture please supply me with your email address and I will send it ASAP

I would like everyones opinion on the photo. I am not sure if I believe in "orbs" or not, so check it out :)

[Ratman_tf]

It was a pretty dry day out,

Dust particles?

For a picture taken during the day, it looks mighty dark in that photo, with a stark flash effect.

[LTC8K6]

Dust particles lit up by the flash. Same effect with these snowflakes lit up by the flash. They can also be lit up by strong sunlight.

http://home.att.net/~ltc8k6/snow.jpg

[Yahweh]

Welcome to boards, NirmalaMaya :)

The "orbs" in the picture are nothing more remarkable than dust. Believe me, this occurence is more common than you think.

There is an excellent explanation of the Orb Phenomena here (http://psandoval.0catch.com/orbs.html).

Essentially, it comes down to dust particles being within range of the flash, but too close the focal extreme of the camera lens. Small handheld cameras are where most of your orbs will be photographed.

http://psandoval.0catch.com/camera.jpg

[Abdul Alhazred]

I don't get what people who believe in "orbs" suppose them to be.

[CFLarsen]

NirmalaMaya,

Dust particles.

May I ask, why were you taking a picture at night of a tree, with a flash? It seems like an odd item at an odd time of day to snap a picture of.

You can read an article about orbs here:
Ghost photography (http://www.skepticreport.com/mystics/ghostphotography.htm)

(Be sure to click on the link below... :))

[corplinx]

Trust me, Tennessee is "orb" free. You only get those in Arkansas.

[NirmalaMaya]

Hmm. Dust particles lit by the flame makes perfectly good sense..
But why so few? I would imagine there being ALOT of dust flying through the air..I would imagine it looking more like the snow photograph above.
I have another picture where there is only one "orb." Surely that doesnt mean that there was only one dust particle flying through the air at the time the picture was taken? I would think that all the dust particles even remotly around the region of the other ones would like up too...since the light is just as bright in one area as it was another.

[TheBoyPaj]

I have played around with this too, and it only seems to be the dust particles in a certain place which reflect the light enough to make the image. Even in a fairly dusty room, I had to introduce some dust just in front of the camera to make the orb appear.

If it's moving fast enough you can even get a "rod".

[jimlintott]

They look like mundane, everyday internal reflections to me. Either caused from the angle of light reflecting from the tree or there might be another ligh source somewhere, like a street lamp.

When light hits a camera lense at the right angle it reflects around inside the lense. An image of the aperature is often caught this way. With film cameras with adjustable aperatures you often get the tell tale hex shaped orb. Fixed aperature lenses tend to produce round shaped 'orbs'.

It happens in any camera with a lense when the conditions are right.

Sorry, you most certainly didn't capture anything paranormal. In fact you captured something mundane and ordinary. These reflections have enhanced and ruined many photographs for well over 100 years.

[Silicon]

It's dust.


I've taken hundreds of these photos.


Fuji camera explains it very well:

http://home.fujifilm.com/products/digital/shooting/flash.html

"orbs" show up on digital photographs more often than film. Why?

It has to do with the depth of field of digital cameras, which is a function of the size of the light-sensitive plate.

Also, new cameras have the flash much closer to the lens than old cameras. The dust reflects back. Dust close to the camera is lit by the flash. Dust far away, isn't.

Your question of "If it's just dust, why isn't there more" is a silly question. Some places have a lot of dust, some have very little.

You got a photo of an "in between" level of dust.

Things close to camera blur out in a spherical shape, because the lens is spherical.

If you had a hexagonal apeture in the camera (Like on an SLR), you would see hexagonal "orbs". If you put a small piece of camera tape on one side of the lens, you would get semi-circular "orbs".


http://www.skepticreport.com/mystics/ghostsolution.htm


Orbs have been so thoroughly debunked that GHOST HUNTERS aren't even accepting "orb" photos anymore:


http://www.torontoghosts.org/printable/finalorb.htm

[NirmalaMaya]

Originally posted by jimlintott
They look like mundane, everyday internal reflections to me. Either caused from the angle of light reflecting from the tree or there might be another ligh source somewhere, like a street lamp.

When light hits a camera lense at the right angle it reflects around inside the lense. An image of the aperature is often caught this way. With film cameras with adjustable aperatures you often get the tell tale hex shaped orb. Fixed aperature lenses tend to produce round shaped 'orbs'.

It happens in any camera with a lense when the conditions are right.

Sorry, you most certainly didn't capture anything paranormal. In fact you captured something mundane and ordinary. These reflections have enhanced and ruined many photographs for well over 100 years.

Not sure why you apologized, heh. I didnt have a my heart set on capturing a ghost on film ^_^ Im not exactly even sure if I truely believe in them..I just know that I love to be scared!

[Ladewig]

very nice weather it was night time

I would consider gnats, midges, and no-see-ums as possibilities. They are hard enough to see during the day.

[NirmalaMaya]

Woah I thought I was the only one who knew what a no see um was!

[Hazelip]

I do not know with 100% certainty that they are the dust particles they appear to be. It is not my responsibility to determine what they are by reading your story and looking at a single photograph, however.

Make an assertion, test your assertion, and if you find proof, so be it. But, asking us to figure out what you've got there from one photograph and an anecdote, is asinine. All else is pointless speculation.

[richardm]

C'mon Hazelip, she was just asking for opinions.

If this board did away with pointless speculation there wouldn't be much to talk about!

[Ed]

Originally posted by CFLarsen
NirmalaMaya,

Dust particles.

May I ask, why were you taking a picture at night of a tree, with a flash? It seems like an odd item at an odd time of day to snap a picture of.




Indeed. Good catch Claus. I, as the board representitive of the Civilian Arm of the Department of Homeland Security am quite interested in your answer to this.

Quick .... Who won the 1939 World Series?

Which NY Yankee was known as "Rotten Drawers"?

Hmmmmmmmmm...........................

[Ed]

Originally posted by richardm
C'mon Hazelip, she was just asking for opinions.

If this board did away with pointless speculation there wouldn't be much to talk about!

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/graphics/propaganda_information.jpg


Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........................

[Hand Bent Spoon]

I for one really like threads like this. You get someone who isn't a complete 2w, and we can show them how to look at their evidence rationally. In addition to introducing them to rational thinking in general. Besides, it can be a fun exercise.

[VicDaring]

"2w"

HA!

[Rose]

Welcome to the Forum Nirmal, glad to see you made it here. I see you found some good answers to your question. I hope you hang around and enjoy the boards; it's always a learning experience here.

[Keneke]

Welcome to the Forum! I sure do miss Tennessee...

[NirmalaMaya]

Thanks everyone :)

As for Hazlip..You were the one who took your precious time to click the link and even RESPOND to this "pointless" thread. Next time, if you do not wish to view such "pointless" material, I would take it upon myself not to click things I didnt want to view. It only makes you look like the fool. Sorry if I sound rude.

Anyhow,
The digital camera I took the picture with has nightvision..so it can take pictures of the night..that still look like the night ^_^

[bug_girl]

Originally posted by NirmalaMaya
Woah I thought I was the only one who knew what a no see um was!

As If. :D

[Ratman_tf]

Originally posted by NirmalaMaya

Anyhow,
The digital camera I took the picture with has nightvision..so it can take pictures of the night..that still look like the night ^_^

So, was the photo you posted taken during the daytime or the nighttime? Or evening or morning? If it was dark out, did you use this nightvision or a flash?

[NirmalaMaya]

It was night out. And it is a special type of flash that lights up the area enough to see the object in the foreground..but it keeps the sky its original color.

After thinking about it..I think the best explanation IS little bugs. I know tons of them live in trees..the light probably caught their wings or something.

ANyway heres the original picture just to show how the night vision thing worked :)

The original picture is bigger...blah..freaking file size limits.

[NirmalaMaya]

Ed-"Indeed. Good catch Claus. I, as the board representitive of the Civilian Arm of the Department of Homeland Security am quite interested in your answer to this."

I sure hope you arent indirectly trying to imply that I was taking the photos for a reason OTHER than photography.

[CurtC]

NirmalMaya wrote:
After thinking about it..I think the best explanation IS little bugs.No, it's dust. First, the way they're round, it's something really small that's way out of focus. They're out of focus because they're very close to the camera. Even though they're small, they still show up because -- they're close to the camera and the flash is lighting them up brightly.

If they were bugs near the tree (farther from the camera), they would be in focus, therefore would be fairly small dots.

[Ladewig]

If they were bugs near the tree (farther from the camera), they would be in focus, therefore would be fairly small dots.

Gnats and mites can be quite tiny. Also, depending on the camera, it might have opened up the aperture a lot because it was dark. The larger the aperture, the smaller the depth of field, so things between the camera and the tree could appear very out of focus. That said, dust, or other woodland detris like tiny seeds, could very well be the source.

I suppose one way to test the orb theory would be to put a flashlight on the ground with its beam pointing upward somewhere between the camera and the tree. When not taking photos, look at the beam to see if any tiny objects float or fly by.