On the linked interview with Tom on News for the Soul, the host mentions a ghost bird caught on tape while she is playing the piano. These vids can be found on YouTube.

Now, I am not meaning to refute her claim, as I have had actual "ghost" sightings myself. However, I watched the tape, and being a visual effects artist and working with cameras for decades, I would have to say, in this case, what I am seeing is merely dust particles refracted close to or on the lens itself.

If you ever noticed a small dust fragment (a point or string-shape) that was sliding down the surface of your own eyeball, that made it look like an apparition was drifting right in front of you, it's basically the same effect, only on the lens of the camera instead of your eye.

It happens with cameras very easily if the lighting is at just the right angle, this combined with exposure, focus and f-stop. Esp. in enclosed spaces with a bit of movement going on to stir up the particles.

I actually shot a whole series of photos using this technique, on purpose. Very beautiful "other-worldly" imagery resulted shot after shot.

Now I could just as easily be incorrect and it could be a ghost bird, but I thought I'd share this info just the same.

deg

Thanks Deg,

I appreciate you technical experience providing a PMR answer for the "Ghost Bird" seen in the video. Until all such "normal" explanations are adequately reckoned with, I remain skeptical. Often there are "problems" with video "evidence" unless the video is taken under stringently controlled conditions -- a situation that hardly ever exists. Optics and signal processing technologies both have lots of loose variables in many real world situations -- a tricky business at the margins.

Tom C

Heya Tom,

Right you are. It's interesting, there is another thread in this same section dealing with the phenomena of "orbs" caught on film, of which you provided a link to a website dealing with them...

IMO/E (in my opinion and experience), same effect. I can produce everything that I see on that site quite easily, and have, as I already mentioned.

Not saying there is not something paranormal going on (hey, there could be eh...), just saying I could reproduce the efx easily enough. Being an uber-animal lover, I esp. like the pic with the lil' pup amongst the "orbs."

However, I feel some folks at times look for the fantastical because they would like to really see the fantastical.

I'm not saying the (seemingly) fantastical does not exist or occur (depending on one's ability to perceive and/or comprehend it as such, this based on the expansion and awareness of one's own consciousness), but often, it can be explained with and by regular ol' PMR mechanics at work, or perhaps at play. :)

And for the record: I am not by any means some kind of card-carrying "debunker" of the so-called paranormal (relative term IMO/E). I am, as always, and as you, just forever an open-minded skeptic.

deg

Ps. This forum seems to keep you busy eh. I don't know how ya find the time to answers all these great Qs from folks. Well done. :)