Orbs Debate: Readers Respond
< Continued from page 2
The word from photographers
"Thank you! I've been a fine art photographer for many years, and I know how easily particulate matter, moisture and gloss-finished items that are not easily seen with the naked eye can show up in photo flash and ruin a good setup. I've taken the action of using a HEPA filter in my studio to minimize the dust, and keep the air bone-dry, but still get unwanted reflections from time to time.
And as one who has had an interest in the paranormal nearly all my life, I found it irritating beyond belief to see overenthused and easily persuaded persons with no background in either photography or the paranormal employ the one to 'prove' the existence of the other." - S.K.
"I was very saddened to read 'Enough with the Orbs Already.' I have studied these for many years, being a photographer and finding them in many photos, but only when certain situations arise. I have photos which are indisputable in my experience and estimation. Two things seem to be common for orbs to be present in the photos that I have taken: there are either many young people in the environment, or folks who have been ill or are currently ill or will pass away soon; the other is that they appear in my photos involving theater or performances. There is no dust on my camera lens or in the rooms since I am deathly allergic to dust and would be unable to breathe, let alone take a photo if the dust were that present.
I have also zoomed in on the orbs and enlarged them to find the detail on the interiors of them. Just like snowflakes, there are no two that are alike and their colors are very significant also. So here are just two of the hundreds of orb photos I have. The first one was taken and the gentleman in the middle of the photo was dying of cancer and his parents, who were spiritualists, had both passed on. This is the largest orb I have seen so far. The second photo was at my daughter's birthday party and the kids were all having a ball! So, for all of us who actually know what orbs are, your article is 'bah humbug'." - Sharon Cross
Something more needed
"I think the issue is the overwhelming attention given to orb photos as proof of the paranormal. It is a slippery slope when you start throwing out evidence simply because the lion's share of the evidence is explainable. I think orbs are very explainable, but not necessarily always. Personally, I think the prudent investigator should focus more on gathering simultaneous evidence from several different sources so that each can corroborate the other. Too many investigators simply go for the 'money shots' and end up looking foolish in the end." - David
"Yes, some orbs, like [apparitions], have validity, but please, people, use your intellect and differentiate. If they take an obvious shape or actually do something that isn't within a dust particle's reach, then that's something to think about." - Aussie T.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but orb pictures have been taken in broad day light and indoors without flash in bright conditions. One women I know has used two different cameras which show orbs, but not in the same design. I don't think they have anything to do with ghosts and I don't have any rational explanation either. In the pictures the orbs are at different places. If it were dust on a mirror or a pixel array, the orb would be in the same place in close sequence pictures. Backlighting of bugs does not do it for me either. I think a forensic study should be made of these phenomena and not just guesswork." - Chuck Reever
Attacked by orbs
"My two sons were awakened at 2:30 [a.m.] with five of these orbs yanking on their covers, dancing under them, flipping them up and down. One son started to come to my bedroom to get me, and out in the living room between his room and mine was a milk white man dressed in coveralls, with an old hat, walking around. He then went back to the bedroom where the other son was, and the two of them cowed for over two hours in the corner of their bed as these five orbs yanked their covers, and danced around the light fixture in the ceiling. Many of my visitors have seen the milky type of man, as well as these two children through the years. Visitors call him the 'Milk Man' because he is milky white. So do orbs exist? Well, they can be seen with the naked eye, by two people, not one, so it is not imagination. And the Milk Man has been seen by so many people walking around the house." - dayze
Your experience seems to be a very different phenomenon than the photo orbs we're talking about. It sounds like a genuine haunting. - S.W.
Orbs as angelic beings
"These I have seen myself and from my research found out they are angelic beings sent to help us; they appear in a circle like bubble. Some called them orbs. Orbs in my dictionary refer to a celestial body, and so are the angels. There was a sighting of these bubble-like beings by a child, and his family took pictures. The child's name was Ryan and his story was in the news. Ryan was suffering from an incurable disease at the time the angels spoke to him. Ryan is now an angel, according to Matthew 22:30 and John 11:25. The angels told him, he was going home and they were here to help him (Psalm 91:11). - Rev. Dr. Deloris Quinn
Never say never
"Shame on you, Mr. Wagner. You're a paranormalist. You should know never to say never." - Kris
Kris, that may be the best point of all. - S.W.
The word from photographers
"Thank you! I've been a fine art photographer for many years, and I know how easily particulate matter, moisture and gloss-finished items that are not easily seen with the naked eye can show up in photo flash and ruin a good setup. I've taken the action of using a HEPA filter in my studio to minimize the dust, and keep the air bone-dry, but still get unwanted reflections from time to time.
And as one who has had an interest in the paranormal nearly all my life, I found it irritating beyond belief to see overenthused and easily persuaded persons with no background in either photography or the paranormal employ the one to 'prove' the existence of the other." - S.K.
"I was very saddened to read 'Enough with the Orbs Already.' I have studied these for many years, being a photographer and finding them in many photos, but only when certain situations arise. I have photos which are indisputable in my experience and estimation. Two things seem to be common for orbs to be present in the photos that I have taken: there are either many young people in the environment, or folks who have been ill or are currently ill or will pass away soon; the other is that they appear in my photos involving theater or performances. There is no dust on my camera lens or in the rooms since I am deathly allergic to dust and would be unable to breathe, let alone take a photo if the dust were that present.
I have also zoomed in on the orbs and enlarged them to find the detail on the interiors of them. Just like snowflakes, there are no two that are alike and their colors are very significant also. So here are just two of the hundreds of orb photos I have. The first one was taken and the gentleman in the middle of the photo was dying of cancer and his parents, who were spiritualists, had both passed on. This is the largest orb I have seen so far. The second photo was at my daughter's birthday party and the kids were all having a ball! So, for all of us who actually know what orbs are, your article is 'bah humbug'." - Sharon Cross
Something more needed
"I think the issue is the overwhelming attention given to orb photos as proof of the paranormal. It is a slippery slope when you start throwing out evidence simply because the lion's share of the evidence is explainable. I think orbs are very explainable, but not necessarily always. Personally, I think the prudent investigator should focus more on gathering simultaneous evidence from several different sources so that each can corroborate the other. Too many investigators simply go for the 'money shots' and end up looking foolish in the end." - David
"Yes, some orbs, like [apparitions], have validity, but please, people, use your intellect and differentiate. If they take an obvious shape or actually do something that isn't within a dust particle's reach, then that's something to think about." - Aussie T.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but orb pictures have been taken in broad day light and indoors without flash in bright conditions. One women I know has used two different cameras which show orbs, but not in the same design. I don't think they have anything to do with ghosts and I don't have any rational explanation either. In the pictures the orbs are at different places. If it were dust on a mirror or a pixel array, the orb would be in the same place in close sequence pictures. Backlighting of bugs does not do it for me either. I think a forensic study should be made of these phenomena and not just guesswork." - Chuck Reever
Attacked by orbs
"My two sons were awakened at 2:30 [a.m.] with five of these orbs yanking on their covers, dancing under them, flipping them up and down. One son started to come to my bedroom to get me, and out in the living room between his room and mine was a milk white man dressed in coveralls, with an old hat, walking around. He then went back to the bedroom where the other son was, and the two of them cowed for over two hours in the corner of their bed as these five orbs yanked their covers, and danced around the light fixture in the ceiling. Many of my visitors have seen the milky type of man, as well as these two children through the years. Visitors call him the 'Milk Man' because he is milky white. So do orbs exist? Well, they can be seen with the naked eye, by two people, not one, so it is not imagination. And the Milk Man has been seen by so many people walking around the house." - dayze
Your experience seems to be a very different phenomenon than the photo orbs we're talking about. It sounds like a genuine haunting. - S.W.
Orbs as angelic beings
"These I have seen myself and from my research found out they are angelic beings sent to help us; they appear in a circle like bubble. Some called them orbs. Orbs in my dictionary refer to a celestial body, and so are the angels. There was a sighting of these bubble-like beings by a child, and his family took pictures. The child's name was Ryan and his story was in the news. Ryan was suffering from an incurable disease at the time the angels spoke to him. Ryan is now an angel, according to Matthew 22:30 and John 11:25. The angels told him, he was going home and they were here to help him (Psalm 91:11). - Rev. Dr. Deloris Quinn
Never say never
"Shame on you, Mr. Wagner. You're a paranormalist. You should know never to say never." - Kris
Kris, that may be the best point of all. - S.W.
Source...