Snow creates orbs. That’s not news, but I wanted to experiment with snow effects for my upcoming book, Ghost Photography 101*.
In general, snow seems to add so many anomalies — and different kinds of anomalies — I’d have to discount all of them in investigation photos.
That said, the effects were interesting when I took pictures at a nearby haunted cemetery during yesterday’s blizzard.
The snow was coming down so rapidly, conditions were near white-out. The skies were extremely dark. I took about 50 flash photos from different angles (including the picture we’re using for the seasonal graphic at Hollow Hill) to see how snow affects pictures.
In the upper right photo, the orbs aren’t perfect circles. The one at the right looks like an insect might, except that there were no bugs in the air when I took these pictures.
In the photo at left, I’m very interested in the apparent orb in the foreground. It’s probably just a snowflake very near the camera, but it’s one of two very vivid orbs images among the 50 photos I took. (The second photo is below, on the right.)
You’ll see a more typical series of orbs (very faint) in other parts of this photo.
If I had a more romantic attitude toward this work, I might think, “Oh, how nice! The ghosts are here to wish me a happy holiday season.”
Though that thought did cross my mind, I try to maintain a very scientific view as I study my pictures. For research purposes: All of them might be snowflakes, period.
However, as a psychic, I felt more welcomed than usual at that cemetery. There was a happy, festive energy there. It made it worth wading almost knee-deep in snow on a cold morning, just to feel the excitement and — no pun intended — Christmas spirit that I remember from childhood.
I’m not sure how to explain it, but on a personal (not professional) level, I think I was experiencing the joy of a Victorian-era Christmas, right out of “A Christmas Carol.” That’s fitting, for the time frame of that cemetery.
Ordinarily, I don’t visit cemeteries — or any outdoor haunt — once the snow arrives. However, after this experience, I may make a point of visiting them during the holiday season.
Though my photos showed orbs that represent snowflakes, the visit was unexpectedly rewarding in other ways.
No matter what the weather where you are, visit a nearby “haunted” cemetery and let me know what you discover. You don’t need to go there at night; my experience was around 8:30 a.m.
Leave a comment, below, and let me know if you encounter anything unusual there, as I did.
*I’m expanding my Ghost Photography 101 book to include winter photography. The book needed editorial changes anyway, so I decided to take advantage of the approaching season and add more useful information for ghost photographers.
Hi actually I live in Ohio and when I saw your article I was woundering if snow creates orbs then how do you know if its a spirit or not. My fathers truck never moved today and yet tonight we had people over and someone noticed something unusual on my dads hood there is a person like shape as if it were created and although we thought of snow creating it it looks impossible. I can send pics if you write me back I really want to know and on another level im not looking to be laughed at because they snaped a few photos yet one shows a large orb like circle above the car and it freaked me out more then anyone. See my grandma passed away in sept and I had my son in october and it just seems strange how this has occured. dark_recon_angel@yahoo.com
Nicole,
I never laugh at people for taking ghosts seriously.
Also, I try never to insist that — just because something can be explained normally and logically — it absolutely can’t be a ghost. I leave that kind of nonsense to cynical people like James Randi.
We don’t know enough about ghosts to say, “This can’t possibly be a ghost,” or “That’s definitely a ghost.” We can only say how likely it is that there’s no normal explanation for what’s going on.
In photos, I point out what can look like evidence of a ghost, but might not be.
With orbs, I recommend not assuming that it’s evidence of a ghost — even when there’s no logical explanation — unless there are other reasons to think it is a ghost.
For example, if someone recently died and it’d be comforting to think that they’re still visiting the family… then the orb could suggest that the person is around when the photo was taken.
If an orb appears in a photo, I look for other evidence, such as…
- Someone (who’s crossed over) who might logically be visiting that location or person
- A sense of comfort or happiness when the orb appears
- An unexplained drop or rise in air temperature, in just one location
- An EMF surge at the same time as the orb appears, or a history of EMF spikes in that area or apparently related to that spirit
- EVP related to that spirit
- Other unexplained phenomena
I’m not able to judge much from photos. I can tell people about the normal, logical things that could have caused an orb, but I can’t tell whether it’s evidence of a ghost.
Frankly, you’re the only one who can decide whether an orb is more logically normal… or happy evidence of a spirit visiting your or your family.
Sincerely,
Fiona
I have heard somewhere that orbs love wild weather because it creates more energy for them to manifest. That being said, I have taken some photos yesterday during a snowstorm, and have two orb pictures that have distinct faces in them. They are definitely not snowflakes! If you would like to email me, I will send you the pictures.
Great that you are researching this phenomenon!
How are you 100% sure about these orbs. There isn’t a lot of true evidence about ghosts. when I read your article on orbs you said 80% of the people that tooks pictures saw orbs. the people that saw orbs only got 3 out of 24 pictures with orbs which isn’t a lot. Your evidence is sketchy with more personal experiences than actual proof for everyone. Instead of saying I felt the tempreture drop or rise you could get some kind of thermal scanner to check the tempretures. That way you could get more acurate images or videos. You can’t always trust your feeling. your brain wants you to bleive certain things thats why you might feel a presence because your brain WANTS you to believe that ghosts are real.