Another Ghost Photo

Pure_Argent · 15th February 2010, 02:41 PM

This story on OddStuff states that a man has taken a picture of what is, apparently, a ghost. Here are the pictures:

Photoshop? Cloud? Something else?

Sledge · 15th February 2010, 02:55 PM

Given there are apps to put ghosts in iPhone pictures, I'm happy with that explanation until further notice.

Pure_Argent · 15th February 2010, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by Sledge

Given there are apps to put ghosts in iPhone pictures, I'm happy with that explanation until further notice.

Jeez, there seriously is an app for everything.

Fnord · 15th February 2010, 02:59 PM

The perspective seems right, although it looks as of the image was painted onto the window's glass.

Meh ... there are no such things as ghosts, so it must be an artist's rendition.

Hokulele · 15th February 2010, 03:02 PM

To me it looks like a reflection of clouds in the glass. Compression artifacts and old glass would account for the "face", and everything else, particularly along the left side of the image, look just like clouds.

Sledge · 15th February 2010, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by Pure_Argent

Jeez, there seriously is an app for everything.

There was a thread... I think it might have been the end of last year where someone was sent a photo by a mate that seemed to show a creepy little girl reflected in a window. Turned out to be one from one of those apps. On the plus side, maybe now this sort of editing is so easily done, more people will stop putting so much importance on photos.

ETA: I was googling for a page about the app and found this. Good grief.

3bodyproblem · 15th February 2010, 03:21 PM

lol, the app strikes again. I can't wait till they get one that looks like bigfoot running away.

Christian Klippel · 15th February 2010, 04:11 PM

To me this looks like some poster or painting held behind the window.

Look at the first image, the "total" of the front. You can see that something rectangular shaped is behind that window. You can see the corner of that in the upper half of the window. Compare to the upper halves of the other windows.

Also not the shadows from the womans legs. The sun apparently comes from the upper-right of that image.

Now look at the close-up image. It seems that there is a fold in the "ghost poster". That folding mark matches the angle of the upper border of that "poster". Then notice the shadows cause by the window frame onto that poster. Notice that there are no such shadows in the other windows.

So, that looks to me like someone held a poster or similar up there. The tilt and matching folding-mark give that away, i think.

Greetings,

Chris

arthwollipot · 15th February 2010, 04:52 PM

I've got an app that adds UFOs to pictures.

My first impression though is that it is reflected clouds, and pareidolia. The blue colour in the windows is definitely a sky shade. I can't think of where else that colour would have come from.

Loss Leader · 15th February 2010, 05:08 PM

It's a hoax. The girl in the photo gives it away. It's supposed to be a picture of her that just happened to catch a ghost in it. After all, there was no reason to take a picture of a post office - according to the story, he didn't suspect it was haunted. Yet the girl is barely in the shot. She's way down and to the left, giving room for the ghost in the far window upstairs.

It's amazing how much of the belief in ghosts and UFOs rests on the belief that grown people are constantly snapping pictures of things that they don't expect to be interesting.

Maia · 15th February 2010, 05:31 PM

It really looks like a poster taped on the window. I swear I can actually see tape on one corner of it...

Kilgore Trout · 15th February 2010, 06:03 PM

I find it odd that the top floor windows are a shade of blue, while it seems the bottom floor windows are black. It also looks very much like something (a poster/picture) has been placed between the window and the blind, which would explain the sliver of window blind on the left side.

It also seems that the old woman would be huge from that perspective, compared to the girl below.

MattusMaximus · 15th February 2010, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by Sledge

Given there are apps to put ghosts in iPhone pictures, I'm happy with that explanation until further notice.

Did someone mention a ghost-photo I-Phone app?

MattusMaximus · 15th February 2010, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

I've got an app that adds UFOs to pictures.

Nice, I just nabbed a couple. Thanks for mentioning this!

MattusMaximus · 15th February 2010, 06:54 PM

Did anyone else see the poll on that page? It asks whether or not you believe in ghosts. Right now it's at 66% yes, 33% no.

MattusMaximus · 15th February 2010, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by Sledge

ETA: I was googling for a page about the app and found this. Good grief.

If you thought that was bad, take a look at this and this. Apps that claim to make your iPhone/Touch an EVP-detector and EMF-detector, capable of doing "real paranormal research"

ETA: Part of me just wants to spend the few bucks to test out these apps to see whether or not they do anything, much less what they claim.

Kilgore Trout · 15th February 2010, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by MattusMaximus

Did anyone else see the poll on that page? It asks whether or not you believe in ghosts. Right now it's at 66% yes, 33% no.

I noticed, and the results disturbing, but I wonder about the audience too.

Quote:

Ice rescue dog to join Facebook

Surgical tool left in stomach

Japanese visit virtual graves

Extreme igloo with all mod cons

Man sets hugs record

Minarvia · 15th February 2010, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by MattusMaximus

Did anyone else see the poll on that page? It asks whether or not you believe in ghosts. Right now it's at 66% yes, 33% no.

Oy. Ya know, it would have been more convincing, imo, if the image placed there had been a little less distinct.

alleracsum · 15th February 2010, 08:36 PM

If anyone knows an art historian, pass this photo on to them. I could swear the person looks like something I've seen in some famous Renaissance era painting.

JcR · 15th February 2010, 08:57 PM

Here's Johnny

Pure_Argent · 15th February 2010, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by Loss Leader

It's a hoax. The girl in the photo gives it away. It's supposed to be a picture of her that just happened to catch a ghost in it. After all, there was no reason to take a picture of a post office - according to the story, he didn't suspect it was haunted. Yet the girl is barely in the shot. She's way down and to the left, giving room for the ghost in the far window upstairs.

It's amazing how much of the belief in ghosts and UFOs rests on the belief that grown people are constantly snapping pictures of things that they don't expect to be interesting.

This seems to me to be probably the best bit of evidence presented so far in favor of "hoax". It could, of course, also be the iPhone app, or the poster. Perhaps it is a combination of two.
Thank you all very much for your input.

The Atheist · 15th February 2010, 09:28 PM

Ha. I saw this last week and thought it might be worth a laugh at.

There's so much going on in that photo - different reflections and imperfections in the glass that I'd vote for a simple explanation of pareidolia.

I'm also sceptical that the enlargement seems clearer than the original enlarged - it may have help to "clarify" the image.

Originally Posted by MattusMaximus

Did anyone else see the poll on that page? It asks whether or not you believe in ghosts. Right now it's at 66% yes, 33% no.

Thanks very much!

That's exactly why I didn't post the damned thing.

The same newspaper ran a "Does god exist" poll which came out 70-30 against.

Now we know what all those non-believers believe instead of god.

arthwollipot · 15th February 2010, 11:55 PM

Given the circumstances, I'd be more inclined to suspect cloud reflection and pareidolia than some elaborate hoax.

Never attribute to malice what simple cognitive illusions can explain.

Safe-Keeper · 16th February 2010, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by Sledge

ETA: I was googling for a page about the app and found this. Good grief.

W. O. W.

.

I'm speechless. Really. That's just... oh my god. That deserves a blog post, or a thread of its own here. As a matter of fact, I think I'll start one now.

MRC_Hans · 16th February 2010, 12:53 AM

Originally Posted by Pure_Argent

This story on OddStuff states that a man has taken a picture of what is, apparently, a ghost. Here are the pictures:

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1265285643/539/3295539.jpg

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1265285706/543/3295543.jpg

Photoshop? Cloud? Something else?

To the OP and various comments in other posts:

I think the 'fold' is the string for the blind. Which means that the image is either a little behind the pane, or a reflection in the pane.

The shadows in the image do not fit the direction of the sun. (Of course, ghosts may not cast shadows, but there ARE definitely shadows in the face image)

Someone said that the composition is improbable for a casual picture. I don't quite agree; it is certainly unusual for an amateur photo, as most would take close-up of the girl, making her legs look big and having only half of the sign on the post office in the picture, but I actually see this one as a very nice composition, with the girl moved to the side, so a portion of the building is seen fully.

What do I think the image is? Probably a reflection of clouds, possibly with the face-like feature 'improved' by a picture editor of some sort. The colors and the general shape of the image corresponds closely to the notion of a reflection of a cloudy sky. The face in unusually distinct for a cloud image, but far from impossible. - Or some enhancement was done.

Hans

ETA: If you look closely at the face in the image, it is actually not as good as it seems. The proportions are not good; on the average human face, the eyes are normally on the horizontal centerline of the head. The man in this image has a very low forehead and skull, almost ape-like proportions. Also the pesrpective is wrong: we see him face on actually from slightly above, but the image is actually on the second floor, where we should see the face from below.

JcR · 16th February 2010, 01:08 AM

Kinda looks like a Charles Goldie painting.

JcR · 16th February 2010, 01:49 AM

I see a blind string in that window only, in every picture I see of this post office.

Hokulele · 16th February 2010, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by MRC_Hans

What do I think the image is? Probably a reflection of clouds, possibly with the face-like feature 'improved' by a picture editor of some sort. The colors and the general shape of the image corresponds closely to the notion of a reflection of a cloudy sky. The face in unusually distinct for a cloud image, but far from impossible. - Or some enhancement was done.

Hans

Looking at the enlargement a bit more carefully, I am convinced it is a reflection of clouds. There are two slightly diagonal black lines that look superimposed on the face. I would guess those are power lines being reflected in front of the clouds.

ETA: Yup, you can see those power lines in the larger picture JcR posted.

Maia · 16th February 2010, 07:58 AM

Diagonal lines are visible on what seems to be the surface of the glass, but one question is what they actually are, and another is whether they're even reflecting off the glass or are behind the glass. The image definitely does look like it's behind the pane rather than reflected on the pane.

Photoshop manip is an obvious choice-- and I've done a lot of Photoshop, and I actually worked with it professionally at an NBC affiliate for awhile doing on-air graphics-- but on the whole, the overall look would cause me to stick with the good old-fashioned poster theory. It would be a clever way to do it, because I do think it's a slightly different look than any image manipulation software would give (and Photoshop isn't the only one out there.)

ETA: The Jack Nicholson comp was cute, but remember... you've got to match resolution for all your source material!

MattusMaximus · 16th February 2010, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

W. O. W.

.

I'm speechless. Really. That's just... oh my god. That deserves a blog post, or a thread of its own here. As a matter of fact, I think I'll start one now.

Working on it. Stay tuned.

3bodyproblem · 17th February 2010, 12:06 AM

Oh, the power lines do go over the image, definately not the app. Gotta be a ghost.

DevilsAdvocate · 17th February 2010, 07:24 PM

It looks like clouds.

The reflection of the power lines means it would have been difficult to photoshop. A poster would be a rather elaborate hoax. It would have to be black and white in order to reflect the same sky color as the rest of the windows. If that were the case, it seems the grey shadows, especially in the lower part of the image, would be more blue. In either case, there is no pattern or detail that jumps out as something that could only be from a person or a picture of a person.

The windows are obviously reflecting the sky. The image is a white fluffy shape. So it looks like a reflection of clouds. I looked up other pictures of the post office and they seems to reflect the sky in the same sort of way.

The really creepy thing is that same old bicycle appears in many photos dating back to at least 2007, but not always in the same position. The ghost must like going for bike rides!

Soapy Sam · 17th February 2010, 08:52 PM

The pics may be taken by the same old cyclist.
I note we can't agree on whether it looks like a man or a woman.
It seems to me the phone / power line reflection actually delineates the "person's" left shoulder and gives an impression of a leg of a pair of spectacles.
I wonder how many of us are actually seing "the same" figure?

I say clouds. Nice old building. pity it's empty.

JcR · 17th February 2010, 10:48 PM

Óðinn · 18th February 2010, 04:58 PM

Is the part in the red circle supposed to be part of another ghost -- off to the side, and there was a ghost party going on? Is this ghost flipping us the bird? Or is this an artifact from a colonial painting that got photoshopped onto a blue screen (like the other widows)? Could be a cloud but since there's zero accountability for this photo, I vote photoshop all the way. Why not?

15th February 2010, 02:41 PM	#1
Pure_Argent Resident Gamer Geek Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Lab Posts: 4,929	Another Ghost Photo This story on OddStuff states that a man has taken a picture of what is, apparently, a ghost. Here are the pictures: Photoshop? Cloud? Something else?

15th February 2010, 02:55 PM	#2
Sledge Illuminator Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Swingin' on a star Posts: 3,146	Given there are apps to put ghosts in iPhone pictures, I'm happy with that explanation until further notice.
	__________________ "The perfect haiku would have just two syllables: Airwolf" ~ Ernest Cline "Science knows it doesn't know everything, otherwise it would stop" ~ Dara O'Briain.

15th February 2010, 02:59 PM	#4
Fnord Metasyntactic Variable Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 5,091	The perspective seems right, although it looks as of the image was painted onto the window's glass. Meh ... there are no such things as ghosts, so it must be an artist's rendition.
	__________________ I am being scorned as a fool by people who claim that I am oppressing them merely because they can not force me to believe as they do.

15th February 2010, 03:02 PM	#5
Hokulele Official Nemesis TLA Dictatrix Pither Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: In ur WinCE, hacking ur exploits. Posts: 23,923	To me it looks like a reflection of clouds in the glass. Compression artifacts and old glass would account for the "face", and everything else, particularly along the left side of the image, look just like clouds.
	__________________ I'm ranged and my mana's being replaced with...rage or fury or something. - slingblade

15th February 2010, 03:04 PM	#6
Sledge Illuminator Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Swingin' on a star Posts: 3,146	Originally Posted by Pure_Argent Jeez, there seriously is an app for everything. There was a thread... I think it might have been the end of last year where someone was sent a photo by a mate that seemed to show a creepy little girl reflected in a window. Turned out to be one from one of those apps. On the plus side, maybe now this sort of editing is so easily done, more people will stop putting so much importance on photos. ETA: I was googling for a page about the app and found this. Good grief.
	__________________ "The perfect haiku would have just two syllables: Airwolf" ~ Ernest Cline "Science knows it doesn't know everything, otherwise it would stop" ~ Dara O'Briain. Last edited by Sledge; 15th February 2010 at 03:06 PM.

15th February 2010, 02:57 PM	#3
Pure_Argent Resident Gamer Geek Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Lab Posts: 4,929	Originally Posted by Sledge Given there are apps to put ghosts in iPhone pictures, I'm happy with that explanation until further notice. Jeez, there seriously is an app for everything.

15th February 2010, 03:21 PM	#7
3bodyproblem miscreant Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 6,759	lol, the app strikes again. I can't wait till they get one that looks like bigfoot running away.

15th February 2010, 04:11 PM	#8
Christian Klippel Muse Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ruhr Area in Germany Posts: 773	To me this looks like some poster or painting held behind the window. Look at the first image, the "total" of the front. You can see that something rectangular shaped is behind that window. You can see the corner of that in the upper half of the window. Compare to the upper halves of the other windows. Also not the shadows from the womans legs. The sun apparently comes from the upper-right of that image. Now look at the close-up image. It seems that there is a fold in the "ghost poster". That folding mark matches the angle of the upper border of that "poster". Then notice the shadows cause by the window frame onto that poster. Notice that there are no such shadows in the other windows. So, that looks to me like someone held a poster or similar up there. The tilt and matching folding-mark give that away, i think. Greetings, Chris
	__________________ Humber-physics 101: The treadmill has no ground equivalent. This means that the belt is not the road, but the Earth. ... That means the belt is also a privileged and unique perspective. If not then the treadmill collapses to the real world equivalent of a real treadmill, with different objects at different velocities in the same frame. Either way, no motion.

15th February 2010, 04:52 PM	#9
arthwollipot Observer of Phenomena Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: On the other side of your screen. Posts: 31,793	I've got an app that adds UFOs to pictures. My first impression though is that it is reflected clouds, and pareidolia. The blue colour in the windows is definitely a sky shade. I can't think of where else that colour would have come from.
	__________________ Avaste! Detailed Beauty - Australia through the macro lens The Fighting Skeptic (Arthwollipot's blog).

15th February 2010, 05:08 PM	#10
Loss Leader Opinionated Jerk Tagger Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York Posts: 7,185	It's a hoax. The girl in the photo gives it away. It's supposed to be a picture of her that just happened to catch a ghost in it. After all, there was no reason to take a picture of a post office - according to the story, he didn't suspect it was haunted. Yet the girl is barely in the shot. She's way down and to the left, giving room for the ghost in the far window upstairs. It's amazing how much of the belief in ghosts and UFOs rests on the belief that grown people are constantly snapping pictures of things that they don't expect to be interesting.
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15th February 2010, 05:31 PM	#11
Maia Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1,247	It really looks like a poster taped on the window. I swear I can actually see tape on one corner of it...
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15th February 2010, 06:03 PM	#12
Kilgore Trout Wuse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tralfamadore Posts: 1,412	I find it odd that the top floor windows are a shade of blue, while it seems the bottom floor windows are black. It also looks very much like something (a poster/picture) has been placed between the window and the blind, which would explain the sliver of window blind on the left side. It also seems that the old woman would be huge from that perspective, compared to the girl below.
	__________________ “I don't even know how to count.” -- Sylvia BrowneThis is invisible.“We're playing for blood, the stake is EARTH.” -- L. Ron HubbardThis is invisible.“I don't feel strong.” -- Uri Geller

15th February 2010, 06:45 PM	#13
MattusMaximus Intellectual Gladiator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the midst of a vast, beautiful & uncaring universe Posts: 8,636	Originally Posted by Sledge Given there are apps to put ghosts in iPhone pictures, I'm happy with that explanation until further notice. Did someone mention a ghost-photo I-Phone app?
	__________________ Visit my blog: The Skeptical Teacher Women Thinking Free Foundation (WTFF) Critical Thinking Education Group (CTEG) Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die...

15th February 2010, 06:52 PM	#14
MattusMaximus Intellectual Gladiator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the midst of a vast, beautiful & uncaring universe Posts: 8,636	Originally Posted by arthwollipot I've got an app that adds UFOs to pictures. Nice, I just nabbed a couple. Thanks for mentioning this!
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15th February 2010, 06:54 PM	#15
MattusMaximus Intellectual Gladiator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the midst of a vast, beautiful & uncaring universe Posts: 8,636	Did anyone else see the poll on that page? It asks whether or not you believe in ghosts. Right now it's at 66% yes, 33% no.
	__________________ Visit my blog: The Skeptical Teacher Women Thinking Free Foundation (WTFF) Critical Thinking Education Group (CTEG) Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die...

15th February 2010, 07:04 PM	#16
MattusMaximus Intellectual Gladiator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the midst of a vast, beautiful & uncaring universe Posts: 8,636	Originally Posted by Sledge ETA: I was googling for a page about the app and found this. Good grief. If you thought that was bad, take a look at this and this. Apps that claim to make your iPhone/Touch an EVP-detector and EMF-detector, capable of doing "real paranormal research" ETA: Part of me just wants to spend the few bucks to test out these apps to see whether or not they do anything, much less what they claim.
	__________________ Visit my blog: The Skeptical Teacher Women Thinking Free Foundation (WTFF) Critical Thinking Education Group (CTEG) Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die... Last edited by MattusMaximus; 15th February 2010 at 07:05 PM.

15th February 2010, 08:07 PM	#17
Kilgore Trout Wuse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tralfamadore Posts: 1,412	Originally Posted by MattusMaximus Did anyone else see the poll on that page? It asks whether or not you believe in ghosts. Right now it's at 66% yes, 33% no. I noticed, and the results disturbing, but I wonder about the audience too. Quote: Ice rescue dog to join Facebook Surgical tool left in stomach Japanese visit virtual graves Extreme igloo with all mod cons Man sets hugs record
	__________________ “I don't even know how to count.” -- Sylvia BrowneThis is invisible.“We're playing for blood, the stake is EARTH.” -- L. Ron HubbardThis is invisible.“I don't feel strong.” -- Uri Geller

15th February 2010, 08:12 PM	#18
Minarvia fading orb Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,860	Originally Posted by MattusMaximus Did anyone else see the poll on that page? It asks whether or not you believe in ghosts. Right now it's at 66% yes, 33% no. Oy. Ya know, it would have been more convincing, imo, if the image placed there had been a little less distinct.

15th February 2010, 08:36 PM	#19
alleracsum Scholar Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 60	If anyone knows an art historian, pass this photo on to them. I could swear the person looks like something I've seen in some famous Renaissance era painting.
alleracsum Scholar Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 60

15th February 2010, 08:57 PM	#20
JcR Banned Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Still Looking Posts: 1,244	Here's Johnny
	Last edited by JcR; 15th February 2010 at 09:09 PM.

15th February 2010, 08:59 PM	#21
Pure_Argent Resident Gamer Geek Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Lab Posts: 4,929	Originally Posted by Loss Leader It's a hoax. The girl in the photo gives it away. It's supposed to be a picture of her that just happened to catch a ghost in it. After all, there was no reason to take a picture of a post office - according to the story, he didn't suspect it was haunted. Yet the girl is barely in the shot. She's way down and to the left, giving room for the ghost in the far window upstairs. It's amazing how much of the belief in ghosts and UFOs rests on the belief that grown people are constantly snapping pictures of things that they don't expect to be interesting. This seems to me to be probably the best bit of evidence presented so far in favor of "hoax". It could, of course, also be the iPhone app, or the poster. Perhaps it is a combination of two. Thank you all very much for your input.

15th February 2010, 09:28 PM	#22
The Atheist The Grammar Tyrant Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Within smelling distance of the Grammar Death Camps Posts: 13,928	Ha. I saw this last week and thought it might be worth a laugh at. There's so much going on in that photo - different reflections and imperfections in the glass that I'd vote for a simple explanation of pareidolia. I'm also sceptical that the enlargement seems clearer than the original enlarged - it may have help to "clarify" the image. Originally Posted by MattusMaximus Did anyone else see the poll on that page? It asks whether or not you believe in ghosts. Right now it's at 66% yes, 33% no. Thanks very much! That's exactly why I didn't post the damned thing. The same newspaper ran a "Does god exist" poll which came out 70-30 against. Now we know what all those non-believers believe instead of god.
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15th February 2010, 11:55 PM	#23
arthwollipot Observer of Phenomena Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: On the other side of your screen. Posts: 31,793	Given the circumstances, I'd be more inclined to suspect cloud reflection and pareidolia than some elaborate hoax. Never attribute to malice what simple cognitive illusions can explain.
	__________________ Avaste! Detailed Beauty - Australia through the macro lens The Fighting Skeptic (Arthwollipot's blog).

16th February 2010, 12:03 AM	#24
Safe-Keeper Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 5,631	Originally Posted by Sledge ETA: I was googling for a page about the app and found this. Good grief. W. O. W. . I'm speechless. Really. That's just... oh my god. That deserves a blog post, or a thread of its own here. As a matter of fact, I think I'll start one now.
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16th February 2010, 12:53 AM	#25
MRC_Hans Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: N55.47'36" E12.30'21" Posts: 11,503	Originally Posted by Pure_Argent This story on OddStuff states that a man has taken a picture of what is, apparently, a ghost. Here are the pictures: http://static.stuff.co.nz/1265285643/539/3295539.jpg http://static.stuff.co.nz/1265285706/543/3295543.jpg Photoshop? Cloud? Something else? To the OP and various comments in other posts: I think the 'fold' is the string for the blind. Which means that the image is either a little behind the pane, or a reflection in the pane. The shadows in the image do not fit the direction of the sun. (Of course, ghosts may not cast shadows, but there ARE definitely shadows in the face image) Someone said that the composition is improbable for a casual picture. I don't quite agree; it is certainly unusual for an amateur photo, as most would take close-up of the girl, making her legs look big and having only half of the sign on the post office in the picture, but I actually see this one as a very nice composition, with the girl moved to the side, so a portion of the building is seen fully. What do I think the image is? Probably a reflection of clouds, possibly with the face-like feature 'improved' by a picture editor of some sort. The colors and the general shape of the image corresponds closely to the notion of a reflection of a cloudy sky. The face in unusually distinct for a cloud image, but far from impossible. - Or some enhancement was done. Hans ETA: If you look closely at the face in the image, it is actually not as good as it seems. The proportions are not good; on the average human face, the eyes are normally on the horizontal centerline of the head. The man in this image has a very low forehead and skull, almost ape-like proportions. Also the pesrpective is wrong: we see him face on actually from slightly above, but the image is actually on the second floor, where we should see the face from below.
	__________________ The time is always right to do what is right. (Martin Luther King JR.) Last edited by MRC_Hans; 16th February 2010 at 01:00 AM.

16th February 2010, 01:08 AM	#26
JcR Banned Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Still Looking Posts: 1,244	Kinda looks like a Charles Goldie painting.

16th February 2010, 01:49 AM	#27
JcR Banned Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Still Looking Posts: 1,244	I see a blind string in that window only, in every picture I see of this post office.

16th February 2010, 07:27 AM	#28
Hokulele Official Nemesis TLA Dictatrix Pither Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: In ur WinCE, hacking ur exploits. Posts: 23,923	Originally Posted by MRC_Hans What do I think the image is? Probably a reflection of clouds, possibly with the face-like feature 'improved' by a picture editor of some sort. The colors and the general shape of the image corresponds closely to the notion of a reflection of a cloudy sky. The face in unusually distinct for a cloud image, but far from impossible. - Or some enhancement was done. Hans Looking at the enlargement a bit more carefully, I am convinced it is a reflection of clouds. There are two slightly diagonal black lines that look superimposed on the face. I would guess those are power lines being reflected in front of the clouds. ETA: Yup, you can see those power lines in the larger picture JcR posted.
	__________________ I'm ranged and my mana's being replaced with...rage or fury or something. - slingblade

16th February 2010, 07:58 AM	#29
Maia Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1,247	Diagonal lines are visible on what seems to be the surface of the glass, but one question is what they actually are, and another is whether they're even reflecting off the glass or are behind the glass. The image definitely does look like it's behind the pane rather than reflected on the pane. Photoshop manip is an obvious choice-- and I've done a lot of Photoshop, and I actually worked with it professionally at an NBC affiliate for awhile doing on-air graphics-- but on the whole, the overall look would cause me to stick with the good old-fashioned poster theory. It would be a clever way to do it, because I do think it's a slightly different look than any image manipulation software would give (and Photoshop isn't the only one out there.) ETA: The Jack Nicholson comp was cute, but remember... you've got to match resolution for all your source material!
	__________________ Satan, aka Precious the Cat-- the Comic! Come and read at Stripgenerator! Last edited by Maia; 16th February 2010 at 07:59 AM.

16th February 2010, 09:12 AM	#30
MattusMaximus Intellectual Gladiator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the midst of a vast, beautiful & uncaring universe Posts: 8,636	Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper W. O. W. . I'm speechless. Really. That's just... oh my god. That deserves a blog post, or a thread of its own here. As a matter of fact, I think I'll start one now. Working on it. Stay tuned.
	__________________ Visit my blog: The Skeptical Teacher Women Thinking Free Foundation (WTFF) Critical Thinking Education Group (CTEG) Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die...

17th February 2010, 12:06 AM	#31
3bodyproblem miscreant Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 6,759	Oh, the power lines do go over the image, definately not the app. Gotta be a ghost.

17th February 2010, 07:24 PM	#32
DevilsAdvocate Graduate Poster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,399	Ghost rider It looks like clouds. The reflection of the power lines means it would have been difficult to photoshop. A poster would be a rather elaborate hoax. It would have to be black and white in order to reflect the same sky color as the rest of the windows. If that were the case, it seems the grey shadows, especially in the lower part of the image, would be more blue. In either case, there is no pattern or detail that jumps out as something that could only be from a person or a picture of a person. The windows are obviously reflecting the sky. The image is a white fluffy shape. So it looks like a reflection of clouds. I looked up other pictures of the post office and they seems to reflect the sky in the same sort of way. The really creepy thing is that same old bicycle appears in many photos dating back to at least 2007, but not always in the same position. The ghost must like going for bike rides!
	__________________ Heaven forbid someone reads these words and claims to be adversely affected by them, thus ensuring a barrage of lawsuits filed under the guise of protecting the unknowing victims who were stupid enough to read this and believe it! - Kevin Trudeau

17th February 2010, 08:52 PM	#33
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,959	The pics may be taken by the same old cyclist. I note we can't agree on whether it looks like a man or a woman. It seems to me the phone / power line reflection actually delineates the "person's" left shoulder and gives an impression of a leg of a pair of spectacles. I wonder how many of us are actually seing "the same" figure? I say clouds. Nice old building. pity it's empty.
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,959

17th February 2010, 10:48 PM	#34
JcR Banned Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Still Looking Posts: 1,244

18th February 2010, 04:58 PM	#35
Óðinn Critical Thinker Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 349	Is the part in the red circle supposed to be part of another ghost -- off to the side, and there was a ghost party going on? Is this ghost flipping us the bird? Or is this an artifact from a colonial painting that got photoshopped onto a blue screen (like the other widows)? Could be a cloud but since there's zero accountability for this photo, I vote photoshop all the way. Why not?
Óðinn Critical Thinker Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 349