Kathy Owen from Bodfish, California and founder of Lake Isabella Paranormal Society sent us the following examples of false shadow ghost pictures, created by placing a finger partly over the flash. On some cameras, it is quite easily to accidentally place a finger over the camera's flash unit. This could account for some pictures which appear to have a shadow ghost in them.
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Finger over the flash produces a shadow at the bottom of the photo.
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A false shadow is at the bottom of this picture.
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The false shadow ghost is more prominent in the middle of this pic.
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Fake shadow ghost photo...a finger over the flash produced this.
Here is Kathy's Report:
"Daniel Flores, member of L.I.P.S., conducted an experiment on how a finger or hand can give off the effect of being a Shadow Ghost. Just by simply placing a finger in front of the flash (or anywhere near the flash) can give off the appearance of a shadow. In one picture Daniel placed his one index finger just below the flash, which made the bottom part of the picture look like a shadow ghost appeared on the floor. In the other pictures, Daniel placed his index finger directly in front of the flash which made it look like the shadow appears from the top of the picture to the floor. But in one picture an orb did appear right in the fake shadow. This is why it is so important to make sure all fingers and hands are away from the flash and the lens at all times while taking photographs."
Photo Notes:
The first two pictures have darkness at the bottom. This was created by placing a finger on the bottom of the flash unit of the camera.
The next two pictures re-create the fake shadow ghosts by placing the finger across the flash unit of the camera. This produces a dark streak through the center of the photo and is not a ghost.