Orbs -- lens flare or invisible spirits?

[tom_halfhill]

Someone I know (not a photographer) thinks these lens flares might actually be

invisible spirits or some other paranormal phenomenon. Articles like the one

cited below from the Daily Mail don't help. And now someone is writing a book

about them, "The Orb Project."

<P>

Daily Mail article about "orbs":

<BR>

<A

HREF="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=469849&in_page_id=1879">Is

This the Proof That Spirits Do Exist?"</A>

<P>

Reminds me of the fairy photos that fooled Lewis Carroll.

[sketch_tbhotmail.com]

Well I always thought (and I may be wrong) that lens flares generally took on the shape of the aperture. So a wider aperture means an almost hexagonal flare. Very interesting. On another note, when I was really young, my mom claims that I told her about round orbs flying in my bedroom at night. No joke...

 

Ry

[mharris]

One of them looks like Elvis.

[craig_gillette]

One thing that's easier to reproduce than spirit orbs are dust and bug orbs. I believe it was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that that was convinced the fairies were in the garden.

 

Bugs and dust are harder to sell though.

[phule]

The funny thing is, they're not lens flare either.

[jsoler]

They are amongst us! :-)

 

I saw them in the shots I made today trying to play a bit with shadows... and they looked green with a Cannon 70-200mmL...I'm scared now!

 

Seriously the orb article made me laugh hard.

[leopoldstotch]

Good 'ol crackpots. Looks like there was a drop of water on the lens. Does this mean my sensor dust particles are UFO's?;)

[ellis_vener_photography]

if they are invisible how can you see them?

[mark u]

No mystery...search for "ghosts" on this page and all will be revealed:

 

http://www.vanwalree.com/optics/dof.html

[h._p.]

You can trust the Daily Mail for one thing: complete inaccuracy!

 

Now, if the Mail had said: these strange spots ARE NOT spirits, then I might have wondered if they were...<div></div>

[rjacksonphoto]

As Mark's link points out, these are out of focus particles in the air, illuminated by flash.

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Etue

[oceanphysics]

It's a total crap British tabloid -- what do you expect?

[tom_halfhill]

Well, I'm an American, so I thought the Daily Mail was a peer-reviewed science journal. ;-)

[craig_gillette]

I was hoping it contnued on page 2. I could go with some tasteful traditional British print journalism nude orbs.

[John Seaman]

I read this article half in jest and half in disbelief. They are professors who are investigating these things and having conferences about them. I think the most telling bit was where they set up two cameras at right angles and recorded the orb on one but not the other, taken as proof they were supernatural.

 

By the way I only get the Daily Mail for the TV guide. And it was not Lewis Carroll who was fooled by the fairy pitures, was it Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?

[john schroeder]

I welcome our new "Orb" overlords.

[vicki_journeay]

I got those orbs while photographing the rain from my porch. There wasn't any water on my lens afterwards, this is just my camera catching the raindrops... or is it?<div></div>

[vicki_journeay]

Ok, that photo was way too large. Can someone tell me how to post future photos so they're easier to view?

 

Thank you.

[dgdefab]

<p> I have caught <em><strong>more than a few </strong></em>of these little guys......<br>

The book " The Orb Project" is a good reference. I have correspondance with the real scientists in the UK (ASSAP) who study the OZT (Orb Zone Theory) . I sent them a few of my photos with well formed orbs. The ASSAP replied stating that Yes, they were indeed orbs but felt that they were not spiritual in nature, <strong>but their catch phrase was,,, Unless you have reason to feel otherwise....</strong><br>

Well i do have reason to feel otherwise, (refer to "the orb project" ) as they do tend to show up with out flash, and around happy or sad events. I have proof of this..(and No < I am not into Wicca stuff, ) <br>

On one occasion, the same day I attended a memorial service for a close friend, I felt like taking a walk in the woods, with my camera,( a simple Kodak easy share 663) just to see if i would catch anything. I shot 66 random pictures and about 15 showed orbs, no two were alike, they appeared both bright and almost transparent and a vast range of sizes.<br>

Of Course, I could be wrong. They very well may be a reflection of dust or glare, but How do you get a dust reflection with no flash?<br>

I would be happy to share, if any one is interested. A great topic for discussion.<br>

dgd</p>

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