Ghosts - research, evidence, and discussion.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Newsletter Subscription:
Subscribe to our free monthly email newsletter:


Features Archive:

2007 Archive:
Table Tilting with the Witches of Salem, Massachusetts - Ghost Chronicles
December 26, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

A Sance in Salem - Paranormal Journeys
December 10, 2007

Paranormal Journeys - webcast

Psychic Vampire: Michelle Belanger - Ghost Chronicles
December 5, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Nazi Theocracy - by Lee Prosser
December 3, 2007

Column - regular feature

The Orb House - Ghost Chronicles
November 28, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Haunted Lighthouses - Ghost Chronicles
November 21, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Violet Road: The Grave of Michael Bashor - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
April 6, 2007

Column - regular feature

Phyllis Glade and Fate Magazine - Ghost Chronicles
November 14, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Stone's Public House - Paranormal Journeys
November 12, 2007

Paranormal Journeys - webcast

The Ghosts of Dartmouth College - Ghost Chronicles
November 7, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Halloween 2007 - by Lee Prosser
October 30, 2007

Column - regular feature

Jeff Belanger's Halloween Spell by Jeff Belanger
October 26, 2007


John Kachuba - Ghost Chronicles
October 24, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Haunted Australia - Ghost Chronicles
October 17, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Stepping Into the Dark World of The Vampire of Sacramento: Richard Trenton Chase by Paul Dale Roberts
October 17, 2007


Madison, Georgia - Ghost Chronicles
October 10, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Halloween Special: New London Ledge Lighthouse - Ghost Chronicles
October 3, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

French Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
October 3, 2007

Column - regular feature

The Psychomanteum Chamber - Ghost Chronicles
September 26, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Hunters Spotlight: C.A.S.P.R. - Ghost Chronicles
September 19, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Jesse James - by Lee Prosser
September 18, 2007

Column - regular feature

Heritage Hall: Madison, Georgia - Ghost Chronicles
September 12, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Ghosts of the Knight House - Ghost Chronicles
September 5, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Children in Missouri and Elsewhere - by Lee Prosser
September 3, 2007

Column - regular feature

The Death of a Psychic by Tuesday Miles
August 31, 2007


Ghost Hunters Spotlight: The Spirit Light Network - Ghost Chronicles
August 29, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Paranormal State - Ghost Chronicles
August 22, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

A Look at Haunted Baseball by Dan Gordon
August 16, 2007


Gettysburg: Devil's Den and Sachs Bridge - Ghost Chronicles
August 15, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Russ Columbo - by Lee Prosser
August 15, 2007

Column - regular feature

Gettysburg: Investigating the Daniel Lady Farm - Ghost Chronicles
August 8, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

A Frightening Moment in Marysville, California by Paul Dale Roberts
August 7, 2007


Passing Wind - by Lee Prosser
August 2, 2007

Column - regular feature

Gettysburg: The Ghost World Conference Part II - Ghost Chronicles
August 1, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Gettysburg: The Ghost World Conference - Ghost Chronicles
July 25, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Andrea: A True Story of Unleashed Terror - Ghost Chronicles
July 18, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Shadow People with Thomas Durant - Ghost Chronicles
July 11, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Fort Revere with East Bridgewater's Most Haunted - Ghost Chronicles
July 4, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghostly Nighttime Visitor by Alexandra Holzer
July 3, 2007


American Western Film Ghosts: Audie Murphy, Randolph Scott, John Wayne - by Lee Prosser
July 1, 2007

Column - regular feature

The Haunted Queen Mary - Ghost Chronicles
June 27, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Moultonborough House - Ghost Chronicles
June 20, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Southern Ghosts - Ghost Chronicles
June 13, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Hunters Spotlight - John Speer and Leslie Boyce of the Southern Spirit Seeker Society - Ghost Chronicles
June 6, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Ghost in the Pantry - by Lee Prosser
June 4, 2007

Column - regular feature

Dog Town - Ghost Chronicles
May 30, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Classifying Paranormal Photographs by Josh Mantello
May 29, 2007


Five Foot Nothin' of Guardian Angel by Dr. J. Lee Choron
May 25, 2007


Mark Nesbitt: The Ghosts of Gettysburg - Ghost Chronicles
May 23, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Spirit Children of the Fontaine Manse - Ghost Chronicles
May 16, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Borrowing Ghost - by Lee Prosser
May 15, 2007

Column - regular feature

Oak View: Time Port? By Richard Senate
May 14, 2007


Papal Knight and Author Charles A. Coulombe - Ghost Chronicles
May 9, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Signs - Messages from Beyond - Ghost Chronicles
May 2, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Beware of False Teachers - by Lee Prosser
May 1, 2007

Column - regular feature

Dungeon Rock - Ghost Chronicles
April 26, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Remote Viewing - Ghost Chronicles
April 18, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Investigating Tenney Gatehouse and Grey Court Castle - Ghost Chronicles
April 12, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Hunters Spotlight: The Ghost Stalker, Richard Senate - Ghost Chronicles
April 4, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Mark of Cain - by Lee Prosser
April 1, 2007

Column - regular feature

Bloody Mary: The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans - Ghost Chronicles
March 28, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Marija: The half-life of Resurrection Mary by Ursula Bielski
March 23, 2007


The Haunted Farnsworth House - Ghost Chronicles
March 21, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Aleister Crowley - by Lee Prosser
March 16, 2007

Column - regular feature

The Ghost Investigator: Linda Zimmermann - Ghost Chronicles
March 14, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Exploring the Tarot Cards - Ghost Chronicles
March 8, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Vodou - by Lee Prosser
March 2, 2007

Column - regular feature

The Ghost Bride: Lydia Carver - Ghost Chronicles
February 28, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Skeptical Learning by Rick Hayes
February 23, 2007


The Myrtles Plantation - Ghost Chronicles
February 21, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Ghosts of the Reyes Adobe by Richard Senate
February 16, 2007


How To Contact Your Guardian Angel - by Lee Prosser
February 15, 2007

Column - regular feature

The Eyes of the Mothman - Ghost Chronicles
February 14, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Mystery of the Ouija Board - Ghost Chronicles
February 7, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Hunter Spotlight: Brad Duplechien of Louisiana Spirits Paranormal Investigations - Ghost Chronicles
January 31, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Hunting and Dead Presidents by Vince Wilson
January 29, 2007


The Bell Witch and Witch Bonney - Ghost Chronicles
January 24, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Paranormal Investigator Profile: Derek Bartlett, Founder of Cape and Islands Paranormal Research Society
January 19, 2007


EVP, Featuring Tom and Lisa Butler of the A.A.E.V.P. - Ghost Chronicles
January 17, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Paul Bowles, Witchcraft, and the Supernatural - by Lee Prosser
January 15, 2007

Column - regular feature

Brian Leffler of The Northern Minnesota Paranormal Investigators - Ghost Chronicles
January 10, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Homan House, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania by John Sabol
January 8, 2007


How To Photograph The Paranormal - Ghost Chronicles
January 3, 2007

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

DVD Widescreen Format Contains Subliminal Occult Messages - by Lee Prosser
January 1, 2007

Column - regular feature



May 29, 2007

Classifying Paranormal Photographs

By Josh Mantello

Over the past few years the people in the electronic voice phenomena field have been placing there recording into classifications based on the clarity and easiness to understand ranging from Class A to C. This system has worked well for them but I wonder why other aspects of the paranormal investigating field have not adopted a similar grading system. Recently I was preparing a presentation based on photographs and the paranormal which would show a series of pictures ranging from being a fake/made up picture to some being what I thought had a "ghost" in them. While preparing this presentation I wanted an easier why to explain and categorize the pictures for the attendees and why I thought they were ghost pictures or why I thought they were fake and misleading based on known natural-caused picture anomalies. I then developed a grading system not unlike what the people in the EVP field use putting the pictures in a class ranging from A to C. Upon making these classes up I thought why not use these on all future investigations and possible evidence pictures and offer it up to other investigators to possibly help document their photographs.

These pictures classifications were as follows.

Class C: Natural causes can immediately be contributed as the cause of the anomaly in the photograph. In other words, not a ghost picture.

Examples:
  • orbs in a picture that was taken in a dusty room or when raining
  • Fogs, mists, and ectos in pictures when someone was smoking nearby or it is foggy outside
  • Apparition in a window when someone was standing behind the window with a sheet over there head
Class B: Natural causes can not be ruled out as the cause of the anomaly in picture, but other documented paranormal activity was occurring at the time of the picture being taken.

Examples:
  • An orb that looks similar to dust orbs but its placement coincides with someone's personal experience or high EMF reading and/or temperature variations
  • Matrixing can not be ruled out as the cause of an apparition but someone else present during the picture being taken might have seen or experienced something
Class A: Naturally causes cannot be found as the cause of the anomaly in the photograph.

Examples:
  • A smoke or mist in the pictures when it is known that no one was smoking at the time of the picture and it was too warm for breath to show up
  • Light streaks when shutter speed on camera was set to a fast speed or tripod was used
Now I also feel that it is possible to mix these using a + / - along with each classification (i.e. a B- rating).

These classifications can come in handy and work well when we as investigators start trying to present our pictures as evidence to other investigators or the public. Obviously we won't be showing our class C pictures to neither the public nor other investigators as evidence. Class B might be something worth showing to other investigators as they will respect and understand the personal experience and events surrounding the pictures where the public may not understand. But maybe a good Class B+ picture could be presented to the public with good explanations. Obviously a Class A is what you want to show to the public and let the skeptics and nay-sayers try and pick apart. Offer it up knowing you can't find a logical and reasonable explanation for the anomalies. Even if you do choose to use all the classes of pictures as presentable evidence, at least putting it into a class distinction for the public to see will help them better understand the picture and what they may be looking at.

Now just because we give the label of Class A to a picture doesn't necessarily mean it is the final proof of the paranormal we need and are all looking for. I would only say that this may fall under being 70 to 90 % probability or documentation of a haunting. I surely wouldn't say a house is haunted based on one Class A picture. This in mostly based on the fact that there is a lot of natural causes out there and environmental effects that sometimes even the most scientifically-controlled investigation can't control or document.

I offer this up to the paranormal investigating and ghost hunting community as a future guideline to help present or document their photographs during investigations. I tried to keep it simple so that it can be adopted easily with out large explanations or hours of teaching, but obviously a good general knowledge of photography and cameras does help. If we start using this on our Web pages, and evidence reveals it might help the public and new investigators looking to our pictures as guidelines to base their future evidence on, we will better understand what is a really good ghost picture and what isn't.


Josh Mantello is the founder and lead investigator for the Berkshire Paranormal Group. You can visit their Web site at: www.berkshireparanormal.com. You can email Josh at: josh@berkshireparanormal.com.



2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014