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© Copyright 1997, Jim Loy
Occasionally, someone takes a photograph of a ghost. It doesn't seem to happen much, anymore. It was much more common in the olden days. What we see is a white, translucent person or blob. Sometimes the person is recognizable as a dead relative or friend.
But, any person with any expertise at photography will recognize most of these photos as double exposures. This is merely two pictures, superimposed. Each picture is usually lighter than normal, in some areas. This is a natural phenomenon, and often looks like a ghost. The reason that it doesn't happen so much anymore is that cameras are built to prevent double exposures. And cameras are more reliable nowadays.
What about recognizable dead people? That's hard to explain without dealing with specific photographs. But, pick up an ancient photo of a ghost. Was this photo actually taken after that person's death? You probably don't know. Rarely, a picture is taken before death and the next picture is superimposed after death, and the photographer just created an impressive ghost. Also, some people look like their ancestors, and may be mistaken for them, if the picture is faint enough.
You also get blurred objects, at a slow shutter speed. Birds, frisbees, dogs, and even humans can look like ghosts.
Imagine this scenario: It is in the olden days, before electric lights. You are sitting at home, visiting with your family. Off to the side, near the edge of your vision, is a burning candle, cheerily illuminating the room. All of a sudden, the wind blows through the curtains, extinguishing the candle. You see the afterimage of the flame, off to the side. Is it a ghost? It looks like one. You look in that direction and, as you turn your eyes that way, the image moves away. It fades from your vision, and you remain shaken. You have just seen a very realistic ghost, which seemed to have come in through the open window.