Do you believe in Ghosts? Collection of 'ghost photos' revealed

by mudricky | March 27, 2009 at 11:53 am

5635 views | 76 Recommendations | 11 comments

Do you believe in Ghosts or is that just daft?

A pile of photographs have been released to the media. Most of them are fakes and can be explained, a lot of them is light or dust but now and again some classics turn up that even the experts can't explain.

Take this one below for example, it was snapped at Tantallon Castle, North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland and won a competition.

The competition was ran to find the world's most convincing 'ghostly image'. (more details about the competition in the original source boxes below)

First Place winner:

Is the a Ghost in the middle window on the left.

Look at the left hand window in the middle of the photo, below is a closer view of what you see when you zoom in on the photo.

Oh look it's King James V's?

Some are saying it looks like, and could be King James V of Scotland.

This could be a case for Mulder and Scully... mental, but fun.

A courtly figure dressed in a ruff and staring from a castle window would not be particularly unusual if he appeared in a period painting. But this image was captured on a digital camera some 500 years after the Elizabethan era and has for thousands of people around the world become the ultimate proof that ghosts exist.

The photograph, taken at Tantallon Castle near Edinburgh last May, was released yesterday by Professor Richard Wiseman, a psychologist, who “just for fun” embarked three weeks ago on an online research project, inviting websurfers to send him their photos of ghosts.

The response, he said, was “beyond all expectation”.

Hundreds of images were sent his way, from as far afield as Mexico and Japan. Then, after 50 of the best images were placed online, some 250,000 people voted for the most convincing.

No mannequins are used at the castle, and there are no costumed guides. Three photographic experts have confirmed that the photograph was not manipulated.

Christopher Aitchison, a visitor who took the photograph said: "I was not aware of anyone or anything being present in my picture, only noticing the anomaly when I got home. I did not notice any nice old ladies wearing ruffs walking around the stairs!

"Some people have suggested it's just light reflecting on rocks, and one person suggested it may be King James V of Scotland."

Fifth place - 26% of votes:

The photographer says that no one else was around when he snapped this picture of his car, and thus he cannot explain the ‘ghostly’ face in the left wing mirror. Skeptics argue that the ‘face’ could be a reflection of the headrest, someone standing nearby, or the result of digital manipulation.

Photographer: Guillermo Sosa said: "I tried to sell my old car and took a pic of it in order to post it in a web page. Obviously no one was around of it, later I was scanning photos in my PC and suddenly noticed something weird on the left mirror of the car, did a zoom and found a face. As you can see nobody was around and somebody needs to be in front of the mirror and very close in order to reflect anything". (source here):

Fourth place - 27% of votes:

The ghost on the beach. The photograph shows a black ‘ghostly’ figure standing in the water, facing to the right, and wearing a coat with the hood up. Skeptics argue that this apparent figure is an illusion created by the shadow caused by an indentation of the rocks.

Photographer: Chris Brown said "This photo was taken at the Rock and Spindle on the coast east of St Andrews. Right in the centre of the image is a person standing in the water in wellingtons facing to the right and wearing an anorack with the hood up. It WAS a chilly day. We were definitely alone at the time and it really spooked us when we looked through the pictures once home and saw this."

Third Place - 28% worth of votes:

The ghost on the street: The photographer says that nobody walked in front of the camera when the picture was taken, and thus he cannot account for the dark ‘ghostly’ figure. Skeptics argue that the blurring in the image suggests a long exposure, and that a person walking down the ramp unnoticed would have created the movement ‘trails’.

Photographer: Mathieu Fur said "It was 1am and we were six people; 2 in front of the camera and 4 behind … we saw the picture just after we took it."

Second place - 31% of votes:

The ghost in the woods: Taken whilst the photographer was out walking with his children and dog, the image contains a strange figure in the trees. Skeptics argue that the apparent figure is simply a mixture of shadows, leaves and branches.

Photographer: John Wilson said "The pic was taken last year while on a walk in the local forest with my kids and dog. I stopped to take a picture near an old victorian mine and while enlarging the digital image spotted the figure in the tree line. I am not a ghost kind of person and so think it most likely just shadows and branches coming together to lok spooky. still creepy though".

Photos - thanks to Haunting: The Science of Ghost for the photos

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recommend This comment thread is now closed

amyjudd

at 12:10 on March 27th, 2009

As this story is about a specific collection of photos, we ask please that members do not add their own ghost photos to this piece, but you can write your own story if you wish of course!

Thank you

amyjudd

at 12:24 on March 27th, 2009

Some of these are super freaky and others just look like over-exposed pictures - I'm interested to see first place though! Freaky!

amyjudd

at 12:32 on March 27th, 2009

Nevermind, I can't read - the first photo was the winner... whoops

sara star

at 14:18 on March 27th, 2009

The man in the woods, yikes....

Rhonda J Mangus

at 16:21 on March 27th, 2009

Very interesting, mudricky! Thanks for posting!

kuuva

at 16:57 on March 27th, 2009

entertaining

jazzyzazzy

at 17:04 on March 27th, 2009

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. come on if you lie on your back and look up to the sky you can see many faces and shadows that look like ghost.Naw just creepy illusions a think mudricky.

Paschen

at 17:08 on March 27th, 2009

Poor King James the V Living in that run down Castle of his, he may want to move to Downing Street and wash over the PM, it would more comfortable as well.

Then Again, I probably would stay in that Castle as well was I the Coast.

SamanthaG23

at 20:06 on March 27th, 2009

I think some of the pictures were amazing. i agree if you edit contrast ect you can bring out faces n stuff. But some of them look crystal clear and un edited.

I think back in the old skool times when photos were not digital there was more of a chance for a picture to be fake, but since most newer DSLR's have infared i think some of them are real.

we have skeptics and other types of people that believe there is other types of energies that manifest themselves to appear.

Id like to see what kind of pictures might be caputred at St mary kings close. i think there would be a lot of movement in there.

Thanks for an awesome post. its great to see something like this. :D