Spirit photography, also called ghost photography, is a type of photography that aims to capture images of ghosts and other supernatural beings, especially during ghost hunting activities. It began in the late 1800s. The end of the American Civil War and the Spiritualism movement in the mid-1800s helped make spirit photography more popular. During the Victorian era, death was common, and many people wanted proof that life continues after death. People who practiced spirit photography often hoped to see pictures of their deceased family members or loved ones. Photographers like William Mumler and William Hope made money by taking photos of people with their supposed dead relatives. Both were accused of trickery, but some people, like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, believed the images were real. Although Mumler was taken to court, he was found not guilty. No one could prove he used dishonest methods.
As cameras became easier for the public to use, ghost photographs became more common. This happened because of natural effects in photography, such as light reflecting off dust, camera straps or hair near the lens, lens flare, or seeing shapes or faces in random things (called pareidolia). In recent years, smartphone apps have also been used to add ghost-like images to real photographs.
History
The first practical photography, introduced in 1839, used the daguerreotype process. In this and other early methods, the image was created directly on the plate used to take photos, so multiple images were not usually visible. However, because these methods required long exposure times, movement could leave a faint image. These techniques could also capture reflections, similar to the "Pepper's ghost" illusion. In 1856, Sir David Brewster noticed that these effects could be used intentionally to create ghostly images. The London Stereoscopic Company used Brewster’s idea to make a series of images called "The Ghost in the Stereoscope."
Around 1859, the use of glass-plate negative processes made it possible to reuse photographic plates, allowing earlier images to remain visible. This effect was used by early spirit photographers to create their images. As cameras became cheaper and more common, spirit photography became popular, though the methods were sometimes rough. The practice declined in the 1920s after skeptics, like Harry Houdini, worked to expose fraud in spiritualist activities.
In 1862, William Mumler, an American jewelry engraver and amateur photographer, published a photo of what he claimed was the spirit of his cousin, who had died 12 years earlier. This photo was taken in the studio of Mrs. Helen F. Stuart in Boston. The event caused a media sensation, leading Mumler to leave engraving and start a business as a "Spirit Photographic Medium." He worked in Mrs. Stuart’s studio and later moved to New York. He photographed people seeking a supernatural connection to lost relatives, many of whom were children or young men killed in the American Civil War. Mrs. Stuart is believed to have helped Mumler obtain these spirit photographs.
One of Mumler’s most famous images showed Mary Todd Lincoln with the spirit of her assassinated husband. These "spirits" were later believed to be double exposures of previous clients on photographic plates that were not cleaned properly. In 1869, Mumler was accused of fraud but was found not guilty, even though one of his "spirits" was shown to still be alive. P.T. Barnum, who testified against Mumler, criticized him for exploiting people’s grief. Later, Mumler focused on regular photography.
Spirit photography appeared in England in 1872 through Fredrick Hudson’s studio. He reportedly modified his camera to include a pre-exposed image that would appear when a photo was taken. In 1875, Édouard Buguet, a French spirit photographer with a London studio, was arrested in Paris and charged with fraud after confessing to using dolls wrapped in gauze with photos of faces attached to simulate spirits. His confession was widely reported in French and English newspapers.
In 1891, Sybell Corbet took a famous spirit photograph of Combermere Abbey in England. The image showed a faint outline of a man’s head, collar, and right arm. This figure was believed to be the ghost of Lord Combermere, who had recently died and was being buried when the photo was taken. Skeptics argued that the one-hour exposure time meant someone, possibly a servant, had entered the room briefly, creating the ghostly outline.
William Hope was one of the most well-known spirit photographers at the turn of the century. In 1922, Harry Price and others from the Society for Psychical Research proved Hope was a fraud by using glass negatives secretly marked with X-rays. The returned plate showed no markings, proving the "spirit" was fake. Price wrote about this in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. Despite this evidence, spiritualists like Arthur Conan Doyle claimed the report was part of a conspiracy against Hope. Hope continued to gain followers even after being exposed.
Other spirit photographers exposed as frauds included David Duguid and Edward Wyllie. Ronald Pearsall explained the tricks of spirit photography in his 1972 book The Table-Rappers.
Several books defended the possibility of spirit photography. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote The Case for Spirit Photography in 1922, defending William Hope and his spiritualist group, the Crewe Circle. Georgiana Houghton wrote Chronicles of the Photographs of Spiritual Beings and Phenomena Invisible to the Material Eye in 1882, and James Coates wrote Photographing the Invisible in 1911.
Ghost photography
What would make strong photographic evidence of ghosts? A real photo of someone who lived before cameras were invented, such as Benjamin Franklin or William Shakespeare, would be a good example. These people are well-known, and we have drawings or paintings of their faces, but no photographs. One clear photo of this kind would be more convincing than many blurry lights or unclear shapes. However, most ghost photos taken so far look like intentional tricks or mistakes made with light.
Paranormal investigator Joe Nickell explains the difference between spirit photography and ghost photography in his book The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead. He says spirit photography started in studios and later included images taken during séances, while ghost photos were taken in places believed to be haunted. Nickell notes that spirit photos were usually made by people trying to trick others, while ghost photos might be fake or appear by accident, such as from reflections or double exposures.
When portable cameras became available to the public in the late 1800s, ghost photos became more common. Later, cameras with built-in flashes created images some people called "ectoplasm" or "orbs." Most ghost photos fall into two groups: blurry, human-like shapes or round, white lights. Both can be made on purpose or by accident.
Television shows like Ghost Hunters have claimed certain unclear images in photos or videos as proof of ghosts. Ben Radford, in his book Investigating Ghosts: The Scientific Search for Spirits, says that most ghost-related evidence in photos or videos is "brief, unclear images taken with low-quality cameras or good cameras in poor lighting." He believes better camera technology, like smartphones, should produce clearer images, but ghost photos remain unclear.
University of Westminster professor Annette Hill explains that unusual lights in old spirit photos were sometimes called "ghost lights." With digital cameras, these lights are now often called "orbs," and many paranormal websites show these images as evidence of spirits. However, these orbs are usually caused by flash photography reflecting off tiny particles like dust, pollen, or insects. This is common with modern compact cameras. Fujifilm describes this as a typical photography problem.
Kenny Biddle and Joe Nickell, in their article So You Have a Ghost In Your Photo, say that claiming an image is paranormal just because it is unexplained is a logical mistake. They explain that a camera flash reflecting off a strap can create a bright white line or a swirling shape, depending on the material. Other ghost-like images might come from hair, jewelry, or insects. A flash lighting up breath in cold weather, smoke, or fog can look like "ectoplasmic mist." Long camera exposures, which last several seconds, can create ghostly shapes or lines if the camera or object moves during the shot.
Ben Radford, in his book Big – If True: Adventures in Oddity, mentions "pareidolia," which is when people see faces or animals in random shapes, like clouds or tree trunks. Shadows, reflections, or uneven surfaces can also make people see "faces" in photos. He notes that people rarely report seeing a ghost's elbow or foot.
In 2016, tourist Henry Yau took a photo of a staircase at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which is known for being haunted. Some people believe the photo shows ghosts, but paranormal investigator Kenny Biddle says the image could have been caused by the camera being in "panorama mode," which takes longer to capture. This longer exposure might have created a double image of the same person moving on the stairs. Ben Radford points out that the woman in the photo is wearing a dark dress, which fits the hotel's style, and that her clothing and location might lead people to think the image is paranormal.
Kenny Biddle explains that author Tim Scullion claims to have photographed ghosts. Biddle says Scullion's images are made using long exposures that blur motion, light painting, dust particles, lens flare, or by adding blurry faces to night scenes. These faces are often clearly fake because they lack the usual noise found in the rest of the photo.
An old photo from 1900 became popular in the paranormal community after being posted online in 2016. The photo shows a group of women from a linen factory, with a mysterious hand on one girl's shoulder. The hand does not belong to anyone in the photo. Kenny Biddle says the photo is real and that retouching was common at the time. People would erase parts of photos by hand and redraw them with pencil or charcoal.
In 2020, a security camera in Birmingham, England, captured an image of a woman in a white dress walking across a construction site. The image went viral, and some people thought it was a ghost. However, Kenny Biddle noticed problems with the image, like the camera's low position, lack of time stamps, and unusual color. He explained that the camera was likely in infrared mode and that a flash was used, which caused the figure to appear overexposed and distorted. Stewart Chapman, who installed the camera system, shared photos of a girl in a red dress, proving the image was of a real person, not a ghost.
Smartphone apps that add images of ghosts, aliens, or monsters to real photos are used for jokes or to trick people. These apps let users place, rotate, or adjust the transparency of the added images. In 2014, over 250 ghost-related apps were available for Android phones.