The Weather Is Colder - It Might Not Be A Phantom Mist

The weather is colder and while that is great for EVP (because there is no more bugs chirping away), it can cause other problems. The pic to the left is one I just took a few minutes ago. Looks like maybe a ghost and a mist beneath it. Cool pic. Unfortunately, it is just my breath as I exhaled, on purpose. It can look like a whole host of things when you do this. There is an experiment you can do in the winter where you purposefully take a picture like this and see if any ghosts use it somehow. Try it in a known haunted area like Gretchen's Lock for example and look for images or written words maybe to appear in the mist. I was not doing that for this picture. It still turned out cool and I will keep it, but to use to help you debunk your pics and video images. That makes a thermometer that much more important to use, by the way. Most images I see where it is claimed to be paranormal, the first thing I look for is if any one in the pic has a coat on. That is your first indication that you could possibly debunk it. Or, I ask when the pic was taken. If they say in the winter or early spring for example, it most likely isn't paranormal at all. Please just keep it in mind as you travel out into the night looking for ghosts.
You want it to be real, not a logical explanation. But do keep the pic if looks way cool. 

Working With Orbs

My fearless crew member, Dave often ventures to haunted places on his own. He will sit in the Grist Mill for example, for long periods of time, hoping for something to happen. Something ghostly. While he does this, he takes a lot of pictures. This is called a ghost watch. You really should attempt this with more than one person as ghost hunting alone is a No-No. A Newbee ghost hunter to the area, Jeff, sent me an email because he was worried when he and his wife encountered two young ladies ghost hunting alone in a remote location. You see, it isn't the dead you have to worry about in this situation. Ghosts won't hurt you. It is the living that will get you. Girls, I am not saying you are helpless, but make your ghost hunting a lot more fun by grabbing a couple guy friends to tag along with you or a few more girls. Two girls alone are an easy target.

The other picture is of me. I was at Gretchen's and asked for any spirits to get into the picture. That is the pic I got. There are others, but that is the best.

The Number One Rule In Ghost Hunting

This is the old County Home. To a lot of people this would be an eye sore, as some one called the Smith Auto Parts Store in East Liverpool. But to a ghost hunter, this place looks perfect. Here stands an old haunted mansion waiting to be explored.

But, despite how inviting these buildings looks to any would be ghost hunter, there is one thing that keeps my crew and I from investigating them. We can not get permission to go on this property. We have asked and we were very politely told no. The owners do not have the necessary insurance to cover any one getting hurt. I totally understand that. If you look closely at these buildings, they are in serious decay. Floors and stairs are no doubt weak and who knows what kind of animals live in them. Going in them, especially in the dark is asking to be hurt or worse.

I took all my pictures from the road. The reason I went here was because I talked to some one who said they were in the buildings looking for ghosts and got arrested. That is the last thing you want to have happen. The number one rule when you investigate an area is to get permission from the owners. Even Beaver Creek State Park has that rule if you are going to be in the park after dark. Often people are curious about ghosts and will be happy to allow you access to their property for some thing like that as long as it is done with serious intent. But if the property owner says no, then you must abide by their decision. And there may come a time when the owner changes his mind and calls you back about it. I have had that happen.

Watch Your Camera Settings, And Be Mindful Of Your Breath!, 19 Oct 2009

One of the things that I noticed as I went through the over 500 pics we took Saturday night was that our camera was on the wrong setting sometimes. This can make for an interesting picture, but it is not of any paranormal nature. It is not a persons energy or anything. It just means you probably had your camera set on night scene.  The long squiggly lights will happen every time. Another thing we ran into is a lot of mist pictures. It was very cold and many of the pictures were nothing more than our own breath hanging in the air. There was no wind, so your steamy breath can hang in the air for several minutes, making it easily caught on camera. I do examine these pictures closely and even keep them for awhile. Sometimes a spirit can try to communicate with you by putting images in the mist. Not to be confused with a phenomenon called MATRIXING where your mind tries to make sense of what it is seeing and can see images like in the clouds. You can see pictures or even writing in some pictures. That sounds like another story. Let me do some research.  Thanks again to every one who came Saturday night. That was my last tour at Gretchen's for the year.