Paranormal photography is an interest that had captured the attention of a growing amount of people in the last few years.  If you find the idea of photographing ghosts or spirits interesting and you wonder how to go about becoming involved, there are a few simple things you should know.

First, one must go about finding a haunted site in which to take photographs.  This is not very difficult.  A good place to start may be exploring the local folklore.  Most areas have traditional stories of ghosts and haunting, and many libraries or bookstores may carry books with additional information on these subjects.  Also, most newspapers have pieces about these types of things around October 31.  Searching paranormal themed websites can sometimes be helpful, but one must try to separate tall tales from the more accurate sounding stories.  Police can actually be helpful as well, because they are usually able to distinguish hype and hoax from things that could actually be paranormal phenomenon.  Certain places, such as battlefields, old graveyards, theaters, and universities are normally rumored to have regular paranormal activity.

Most photos of what is believed to be ghosts or spirits show them in the form of an orb.  Orbs are circles or spheres of light that show up in some photos.  Although they are normally white or gray, some orbs may show up in different colors.  These are usually only caught on camera, and are not seen with the naked eye.  Other forms of supposed ghosts or spirits that can sometimes be seen in pictures are ectoplasms or vortices.  Ectoplasm is a cloudy spot that resembles smoke.  A vortex is a wavy line or column or light.

Ghost photography can be challenging because some photography issues such as dust or moisture can cause a similar looking sphere on photos.  Good quality cameras are much more reliable, and digital cameras tend to contribute more problems in this area.  If you are not using a digital camera, try to find the highest speed, best quality film available.  Slow speed films cannot adequately record fast moving objects. 

Some people believe the myth that digital cameras are better for taking paranormal photos, but this is not the case.  Digital cameras are not hyper sensitive to infrared, as some might believe.  Camera makers actually block infrared with an internal IR cut filter so that digital pictures accurately reflect the scenes that photographers wish to capture.

To avoid potentially mislabeled phenomenon, there are a few things you can do.  Always begin with a clean camera lens, and make sure that the strap of your camera stays away from the lens.  It is wise to use your camera in other locations of a similar setting before trying to take pictures in a reportedly haunted area.  Knowing how your camera performs in everyday locations can help you weed out strange things that may simply be a result of your camera’s quirks.  Never try to catch paranormal activity on camera when the weather is less than ideal.  Make sure the wind is calm, and there is no dust, rain, pollen, snow or fog.