Photo captured at the Whaley House

[Damian]

My sister-in-law emailed me a photo that was captured last weekend at the Whaley House.  She was on a tour of the Whaley House with her brother, and his 16 year old girlfriend.  The girlfriend was the one who captured the photo using her iPhone.  My sister-in-law was standing right beside her when the photo was taken, and told me that she didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the room when the photo was taken.

Immediately after the tour, the girlfriend sent my sister-in-law an email containing the photos she took from the Whaley House tour.  The next morning when my sister-in-law was looking through the photos, she freaked out when she saw the photo that I'm sharing here.  She took the photo over to the Whaley House to show the staff.  One of the staff claimed it was a hoax, the other two staffers said that it was probably "Mr. Tanner".  Mr. Tanner was a theater owner who died in the house, but there are no known photographs of Mr. Tanner, so how would the staff know what Mr. Tanner looked like?

My sister-in-law then sent the photo to me to get my opinion.  She also sent it off to San Diego Ghost Hunters.  They said they would have the photo analyzed to determine if it had been manipulated.  She has not yet heard back from San Diego Ghost Hunters.

There is more to this story, and I gained some valuable insights, and learned a lesson from all this.  But before I share that additional info I wanted to share the photo with all of you first, and get your take on it.

Let me know your thoughts.

[ljiljanac]

I feel like I'm looking at a double exposure, which as far as I know, is not possible with digital cameras.  lol  If it were film, I would be saying it was a double exposure because of the shadows on the wall to the right of the bed post and the vertical lines in front of the dresser.  Very interesting. 

[Gary]

It's hard to say, but may be worth going to check out in person sometime!  I've been there once and know there are window panes blocking the rooms off from the public, which means reflections.  No doubt there are old paintings decorating the place.  My first thought is reflection off something like that.  I'm curious to know your take D!

[PPI Debra]

I think Gary is right about the window panes.
Here is another photo of that bed showing glass panes on The Arizona Ghost Organization page:
http://thearizonaghostorganization.blogspot.com/2008/09/americas-most-haunted-whaley-house.html  (scroll done to the middle of the page).

Is the image a projection done by Whaley House themselves?


One of the descriptions of an apparition include:
"Thomas Whaley: People have smelled his cigar smoke and heard his laughter. Some have listened to him speak, although, most of the time it is not directed to them. His apparition, garbed in a top hat and frock coat, has been sighted."

http://ghosts-hauntings.suite101.com/article.cfm/ghostly_residence_whaley_house#ixzz0uqi8RRJf

[PPI Tracy]

In just my opinion, I think this pretty much explains what you're looking at:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ghost-capture/id349479650?mt=8

(top row, 2nd picture over....or something very close to it)

[Gary]

Tracy, you nailed it!  That is the exact same image seen in Damian's photo!  Wow, I didn't even know that app existed, we should hold on to that.  Anyone by any chance have this app???  Besides Damian's friends??   

[Gary]

Looking more at that page, I see at least 3 different images that we have discussed in past topics!  Interesting. 

[PPI Karl]

Wow.  That's amazing, and disturbing.  After everything I've seen and read about cell phones, I'm about ready to rule them out altogether as reliable evidence.  I mean, check out that boy dressed like a Newsy in the second panel.  Like Gary said, we were having a discussion about an image depicting the destruction of an old school, and I swear that's the same kid.  I don't think any of us were fooled by the school picture, but, still, how many people were?!  It's really irritating!

[PPI Tracy]

I can't remember where it was and only a slight bit of detail regarding the story, but there is a photo that was taken in a building that had burned down.  A skeleton of sorts remained or as to say that a good part of the structure remained intact.  Someone took a photo (which is depicted black and white) of a doorway and there appears to be a young girl, dressed possibly in a white gown, hair just past shoulders, looking towards whomever is taking the photo.  It is a photo we have all seen on numerous shows.  You would probably recognize it in an instant or just by reading this, can recall the photo I am talking about.  Now granted, that photo was taken way before cell phones were as advanced as they are now and way before any "apps" even existed.  However, it's attributes look very similar to this "type" of application and the way it presents photos that have been "doctored."  If someone can get the photo or knows which one I am talking about and post it, I'd like to discuss it further and really try and dissect it.  I have never really been 100% sold on it. 

[ljiljanac]

Very cool, guys and gals!!     Mystery solved.

[PPI Debra]

Good work Tracy.

The advances of technology are boggling because of the potential for deception. How do we keep up with it all?

[PPI Tim]

I think so image looks pretty transparent me. Can you say "OH DOCTORED"!

[PPI Brian]

LOL! How in the world did I miss this thread?

Good work, Tracy. All the free apps for smart phones these days make all phone pictures suspect. 

[PPI Debra]

LOL! How in the world did I miss this thread?

Joomla???

[Gary]

Tracy, did a quick Google search.  Could this be what you are speaking of? 


http://paranormal.about.com/library/blclassic_fire_girl.htm

[PPI Karl]

Tracy, did a quick Google search.  Could this be what you are speaking of? 


http://paranormal.about.com/library/blclassic_fire_girl.htm

This picture is a hoax.  Here's an article about the photograph that was used to create the ghost girl in the Wem Town Hall:  http://www.ghosttheory.com/2010/05/17/wem-ghost-girl-photograph-finally-solved.

The weird thing, though, is that people seem to want to use the comparison simply to identify the ghost in Wem Town Hall, instead of to conclude that, detail for detail, it IS exactly the same image used and superimposed onto the Wem Town Hall photo.  (For cryin' out loud, even the diagonal line of the sidewalk from the original photo is visible in the ghost picture.  C'mon, people! ::|)

[PPI Tracy]

That's exactly the one, maestro!

[ljiljanac]

Wow!  Good job!   

[PPI Brian]

Here's a video of one of the many Ghost Camera apps that are available for iPhones. Look out for the Android versions coming to a smart phone near you. 

http://www.youtube.com/v/FRpl4gUDxTQ&hl=en_US&fs=1

http://www.youtube.com/v/slsDqekMz6o&hl=en_US&fs=1

http://www.youtube.com/v/qTgRA7zEjN8&hl=en_US&fs=1

http://www.youtube.com/v/mSTMEv6Y5uc&hl=en_US&fs=1

[PPI Brian]

Just an FYI: There are even more Ghost Camera phone apps on the horizon. Here's another one to watch out for:



http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ghostcam/id298221255?mt=8



http://download.cnet.com/Ghost-Camera-Pro-Prank-paranormal-photography/3000-12511_4-75038844.html

[ljiljanac]

People + Technology = Sucky.

[Gary]

No kidding Lillie!  At least we know about these apps now, and I'm sure they will be a source we can look to to help us debunk!

[ljiljanac]

No kidding Lillie!  At least we know about these apps now, and I'm sure they will be a source we can look to to help us debunk!

That is the one positive about all of this!  Very nice, Gary!   

[PPI Tim]

I think a ghost rogues gallery needs to be created from known apps that you can get for phones and computers.
After seeing this I have become really skeptical when ever I see a ghost picture on the internet.
Doctoring a picture has become way too easy.

[PPI Brian]

I think a ghost rogues gallery needs to be created from known apps that you can get for phones and computers.
After seeing this I have become really skeptical when ever I see a ghost picture on the internet.
Doctoring a picture has become way too easy.

That is a great idea. There are forensic signatures left behind when one doctors a photo, and many of them are easy enough to detect with some analysis of the alleged paranormal images. The most obvious is the loss of all the original XIF information from the picture file.

[Damian]

Sorry to leave you guys hanging on this one, but yes indeed it was a free app called Ghost Capture.  The app made it so easy to create a ghost in an existing photo.  I've been playing around a bit with the application and it's very easy to use.

The biggest lesson I learned from this experience is that there is a strong force called "pride" that will prevent someone from seeing the truth in a situation when they've already put their name on the line to endorse an un-truth.  My sister-in-law was so convinced by her brother that the photo was legit, and she was so excited to give me "proof" of a spirit at the Whaley house, that she refused to believe that the picture was a hoax even after I explained how I immediately knew it was a faked picture, and she still refused to believe even after I found the Ghost Capture app and used it to recreate her exact photo.

That was an important lesson for me to learn, and also to not get drawn into believing in evidence just because I trust the source.  Always do your own research and strive to disprove the validity of the evidence.

[PPI Tracy]

Amen mah brothah!

[PPI Debra]

This was an excellent learning experience.