Ghost Hunting Tips |
Hello there! There are thousands of places that claim to be haunted. There are just as many places that are rumored to be infested with spirits of the dead. Don't know of any? Well, walk into any bookstore and look under the heading New Wave, Alternative, or even in the Local section. There you'll find many books detailing stories of ghosts and hauntings, from your hometown to the four corners of the world. You can find spooky legends dating back anywhere from 6 months to 600 years. Many of these stories are, unfortunately, just that, stories. Stories that are told to new people who have just moved into the area or handed down father to son, mother to daughter. Some are legends that have become common knowledge among the community. None recall where they heard about it, they just know the story. A few of these stories are from ordinary people who actually witnessed these events themselves. A few pictures may show wisps of a smoky substance or eerie lights floating around a room. Some of these can be explained by natural causes, but some are the genuine article. People with these kind of stories are convinced they are living with spirits.
For those who are not sure if spirits dwell where they work, live or play, they contact groups like the Paranormal Investigators & Research Association (PIRA). When I started investigating back in 1998, I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. The first meeting I attended for another local group started with 6 people, four of which had no idea how to "hunt" ghosts. After several meetings and many people filtering through, I was beginning to learn what to do. Now I have my own team of seven members that have learned to work very well together. We are constantly refining our techniques and learning to trust our feelings and instincts. We developed procedures to maximize the quality of our equipment and the results that they give us.
Most groups work in the same way, but PIRA has deffinately become a leader in the ghost hunting area. We are continually improving our methods and equipment, testing new devices and even inventing some of our own. We have also taken the documentation of our cases further then any group we've seen thus far. For example, all of our members are required to write a full report after an investigation. These reports are compiled into one, then posted on our website for all to view. These reports record the details of the investigation, the history of the location and who was present. These reports are compared to each other for similarities and discussed to reach the conclusion of whether or not the location is haunted. This process can take several months or several days, depending on the location.
But for the beginner, there are some things to keep in
mind before going out investigating.
Always get permission to be wherever it is you're investigating. Chances are that somebody owns the land or building. You could get into trouble for trespassing. Don't ever ignore "NO TRESPASSING" signs. Not only can you get into trouble with the local police, but you'll be giving ghost hunters everywhere a bad reputation. We're all in this for a common goal, let's not make it harder to do by breaking any laws.
It's a good idea to check out an outside area , such as a cemetery, during the day to gain the lay of the land. This will help you avoid open graves, holes in the ground and other obstacles that might be dangerous during the night.
Arrive early. This is good when you're investigating with a group. We all need time to get our equipment ready and decide where everyone is heading. So getting there early will give everyone enough time to set up.
Arrive with an open mind. This is not to say you should believe everything you experience, just be open to the possiblity that there may be something there.
Don't wear any perfumes or colognes. Many experiences come in the form of particular scents. That scent may turn out to be you.
When taking pictures in cold weather, make an effort to hold your breath for at least 5 seconds before snapping a picture. This will keep you from accidentlly snapping a photo of your "frozen breath". When this happens, it looks just like an ectoplasmic mist. Also, never smoke during an investigation. The smoke can also be captured and mistaken for ecto. Its a good idea to be aware of the people around you, too. Make sure no one is smoking or standing right next to you.( Breathing over your shoulder!)
Be aware of your backround when taking pictures. Any reflective surface will bounce the light of the flash back at you and may show up as an orb or "bright, mysterious light" in your photo. This also holds true for shots taken outside. Be aware of any street or house lights in the backround that might show up on film.
Never take pictures of anything behind glass! Doing so will cause refelctions of all kinds. You will get false orbs as well as dancing lights and apparitions. The apparitions will be your reflection in the glass! Any picture taken behind glass is just fuel for skeptics, so be careful.
If its foggy out...don't bother taking pictures. The fog will not show up as ecto, it'll show up as hundreds of orbs. Each drop of moisture that make up that fog will reflect the light of your flash.
When taking pictures indoors, try to follow a 10 minute rule. Enter the room, sit and wait 10 minutes before snapping pictures. A big problem with indoor pictures is dust. Dust gets kicked up easily and in large amounts just by you walking into a room. Dust particles show up as orbs in pictures. If your pet just ran around the room and stopped so you could take a picture, chances are you'll get dust "orbs". So, just be careful!
Remove the straps from your camera! Even if its around your wrist, it WILL get in front of the lens and cause a false vortex. Also, if you have long hair, tie it back. Hair will also make its way in front of the lens. Watch them long nails, too. Bottom line-if there's the slightest chance something will get in front of the lens...it will. So, prevent it BEFORE it happens.
Clean your lens only at the begging of a new roll of film, not in the middle of one. If there is something on the lens, it will show up in each photo in the same place.
While making any kind of audio recording, don't whisper! Many of the EVPs that are captured are in a low whisper. So refraining from whispering to each other will increase your chances in obtaining a real EVP. Also, try to keep normal talking down to a minimum. This will help when you're trying to make out what a spirit actually says in an EVP.
Also when attempting to record EVPs, make note of any outside noises. This includes car alarms, airplanes flying close by, trains, a busy road nearby and anyone talking. Sometimes the noises from these things can get distorted when far away, making you wonder if it's a moaning spirit or tortured soul.
When taking video, it's best to let it sit by itself. Don't baby-sit it. This way it prevents any false images due to you moving around and kicking up dust particles that will make thier way in front of the lens.
Write everything down! You never know what small detail might match up with what everyone else experienced. You also need to keep track of how many pictures on the roll of film you actually took, or if you know you caught a reflection from the flash in a certain picture. Write down everything. If need be, take along a micro-cassette recorder and use it! Write it all down later.
The most important of them all- NEVER use any drugs
or consume any alcoholic beverages before and/or during an investigation.
This is just common sense. It renders anything you get useless and gives
ghost hunters a bad reputation. So just don't do it!
Any comments or Questions? Perhaps you have a good tip you'd like
to share?
Please E-mail me at
ParaInvestigater@aol.com