Black Hills Paranormal Investigations

On February 25, 2010, two of my friends and I went ghost hunting. At our first place, Pine Lawn Memorial, we did not get any real good pictures, but we did see a shadow figure and heard a lot of strange sounds. We were there from about 8pm to 8:30pm.
At about 11:30pm we were at Dark Canyon which was one of the first places that was hit in the 1972 flood and is suppose to be haunted by the spirits of people who lost their lives there. We've been here a few times and have had a lot of strange things happen. One time, we were using a cell phone as a flashlight. When we were done, we closed the phone and the back light dimmed but it never turned off until we left. We've seen a few shadow figures here too. One of them we saw as we were leaving, a shadow ran across the end of one of the bridges and went down under the bridge.
Here are some of the pictures that we got from dark canyon on Thursday (I put a lightened version of the picture next to the original. No altering has been done to the original)-

This is a picture taken with no orbs
[x]|[x]
This one was taken seconds after the last one, in the same area. You could not see the moon from where we were and the light in the bottom right corner is from a reflector
[x]|[x]
Here's another one of the orb pictures
[x]|[x]
This is the strangest of all the pictures. There was no mist or smoke. The air was dry and cold. We didn't see anything before we took the picture, but this is what showed up. At the top of the picture, you can see a face starting to form. On the camera, when we zoomed in to look at the picture, we could almost see the eyeballs and earlobes.
[x]|[x]

After Dark Canyon, we went to the cemetery on the west side of Rapid and took some pictures outside of the cemetery.
There is nothing in the first picture that we took
[x]|[x]
In almost the same spot, we got this picture with orbs. You can clearly see that some of the orbs are behind the fence if you look at the lightened version
[x]|[x]
Right after the last one, we got this one. It was not snowing and there was no wind. The sky was almost cloudless.
[x]|[x]

There are many more orb pictures. I just put up the ones that I thought were the most amazing. The camera that was used to take these photos is a Canon PowerShot A470 digital camera.

Shayla,

First off, welcome to the forum. Take some time to explore our site and check out some of our evidence posted on our website at www.bhparanormal.com if you have not done so already. This is a group of good common sense people here and don’t be afraid to post or ask any question.

I took some time to view your pictures you posted and sadly, I see nothing but explainable reasons for your orb and mist pictures. One of the problems people run into while taking photographs outside is having those photos contaminated with dusty conditions, rain, snow, bugs, lens flare, moisture, etc., etc. Especially if you are taking photos at night, the flash tends to light up objects you can’t see close to the lens and before you know it you end up with pictures of orbs and mist.

In cold climates such as where we are, especially at night, there is minute moisture particles’ swirling around on light currents of air. When you go to take a photograph, the flash on the camera will light up these particles and they will show up on your camera as an orb. Some will look to shine as if an internal light lights them but this is nothing more than the flash reflecting back off the particle. In essence you are capturing a reflection of your flash. Because the particle is very minute, the distance from the lens will give you differing views of orbs. It is a perspective thing.

As far as the mist goes, I would venture to say this is someone’s breath that you captured. I have seen cases where you think the breath vapors have dissipated when they have actually attained the temperature of the surrounding air, making them virtually invisible, but they are still there in moisture. When you think it safe to take a picture, your flash will capture the moisture still swirling around. In fact this is one of the biggest mistakes many of us make while taking photographs at night.

I commend you on your approach to investigating. You tried to give us a run down of the circumstances of the location and conditions. You gave us information of the equipment used. You actually took time to compare your photographs in a reasonable manner. And, you provided your photographs for peer review. On top of all of that, you took some very good photographs.

Please do not be disappointed in my review of your evidence. We also provide our evidence for peer review and I can tell you it can get vicious. I believe this is counterproductive because the criticism is not constructive, basically they provide no explanations for their review. I hope I have done that adequately.

Hang in there and good luck; you are well on your way to being a ghost hunter. If you have any questions about anything please let us know. This forum is a good resource for bouncing ideas off each other.

Mark

_________________
Researcher/Investigator BHPI
"Nemo Me Impune Laccessit"

So Mark, please explain to me what the reason would be if I were to have these same pictures taken, only in warmer weather? Also, at the second cemetery, we took many pictures of nothing before the orbs started showing up. In the picture with the fog, how do you explain the face? And if it was just from our breath, why was this not in any of our other pictures that we took that night? We never stopped breathing and I don't remember actually seeing my breath. It wasn't really that cold. So far I still believe that my pictures are real. They might not be proof of spirits, but you haven't really proven that they're not spirits.
Also, I found this web page that I thought seemed interesting [x]. The photos taken at the haunted house in New Hampshire interested me the most, and I would like to know your take on it.

I forgot to mention that when we took the photo with the fog, we were inside a car with the window rolled down. The car was not running and the fog seems to be coming from the front of the car.

Shayla

First off, welcome to our forum. I am pleased that you have chosen us to post your photos and get our take them. We are a friendly group and enjoy discussing all things involving the paranormal.

Having said that I have to agree with MarkS. Unfortunately I do not see anything within photos that we would consider paranormal. The orbs are more than likely ice crystals floating by. I know you said there was no wind at the time but that does not discount air just flowing around. We have also had photos of this nature. The same goes for the mists. You might not have remembered taking a breath, and maybe you did not, maybe one of your friends had.

As far as seeing a face in the mists that is a common phenomena known as "matrixing." Our brains try very hard to make unidentifiable object something we can relate to. There are many articles on this and I encourage you to check them out.

I also checked the website you posted. A big congrats on doing your homework! There were tons of orbs and this group even posted the handfulls of dirt/dust they used to conduct an experiment. Kudos to them!

As MarkS stated there are many different natural things that cause orbs. Also the proximity to the lens and the intensity of the flash all contribute to bringing these orbs into the photo. If you look at old photos before the inception of the digital era, orbs were not nearly as prevalent. I think this has to do with the new flashes the digital cameras utilize versus the old flash bulbs (for those of us who are old enough to have used them).

Unfortunately the orb phenomena is a hugely controversial subject among paranormal investigators/enthusiasts alike and I don't see it being resolved anytime soon.

Like MarkS I am in know way trying to "shoot you down" so to speak. I am simply speaking from my understanding and experience in this area. Please keep hunting, you never know what you may come up with.

_________________
Simply Mo
Case Manager/Investigator-BHPI
When you come to a fork in the road, take the fork

Shayla,

These anomalies show up in warm and cold weather. Often in warmer weather you are dealing with pollen in the air and bugs, not to mention moisture in the air on humid days.

I understand where you are coming from when you talk about some pictures not having the orbs then in others the orbs seem to appear. I have noticed this often in some of the pictures we take in locations. Some of the pictures don’t have anything, and then you see quite a few. This is because we move around and stir up the air currents and these small particles get disturbed and start floating around and before you know it, you have orbs. I don’t know if you have seen this effect before, but if you are sitting in your home and the sun is shining in a window and you see the little dust particles floating around, they just seem to float, but when you wave your hand through them they get agitated and start really moving around. Now, imagine you are in an environment, inside or outside, and you start snapping pictures. Those photos might turn up nothing, but as you and your group begin moving around this disturbs the calm air and now when you take photos you start getting orbs in your photos.

Take a look at the persons site you mention and he is throwing dirt in the air and if you look at some of his pictures the orbs captured are identical. As far as some of the other pictures of orbs on this site, I do know that there is a natural phenomenon known as ball lighting. It is very rare, but it does occur and has been documented. This can be what some manage to capture and if you do it can give off a glow or inner light, but it is natural.

Shayla, I will agree with you that your pictures are real and do not look to be faked or photo shopped, but this does not mean they are paranormal in nature. Yes, they are pictures of orbs caused by natural means, i.e., moisture, dust, etc., etc. I have seen a number of these photos and I have taken a number of these photos in and out of so-called haunted locations, and they all look the same. So, if I were looking at it scientifically, I would have to come to the logical conclusion that this is a natural occurrence.

As far as the phenomenon of seeing a face in mist, this is called Pareidolia. Basically, it is your brain trying to find symmetry in certain stimuli. The best example I can give of this is when you lay in the front yard and look up at the clouds and see different shapes, such as, dogs, bunnies, faces, etc., etc.

As the photographer of these photographs you have the onus on you to prove to me and the rest of the world these photographs are something more than they are. I can give my opinion, but respectfully, I don’t have to convince you of anything only give you a reasonable explanation of what it could be.

Keep up the research.

_________________
Researcher/Investigator BHPI
"Nemo Me Impune Laccessit"

This is the criteria I use for determining an orb from dust, pollen, etc.

Dust orbs...normally are thin, whispy and mostly transparent. A ring around the outer part of them is also a give away that they are dust/pollen, etc. If they appear to have a 'smiley face' then they are dust/pollen. If they appear only when using the flash on your camera then they are dust, etc.

Paranormal orbs are much more opaque and appear three dimensional. They self-illuminate or have a glow to them. They can produce a shadow if seen during the day and at night they can illuminate the area around them. They do not have to have a tail on them but sometimes do. They will get the tail from motion.

As far as cameras go any digital will easily highlight the particles in the air. That is what they do best...bring out everything causing many more dust orbs.

_________________
Mark R -
Lead Investigator-BHPI
"An rud nach fiú é a lorg, ní fiú í a fháil"
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