Orbs Part 4: Hair and Strings

MODIFIED

Aug

2020

Hair and Strings is our penultimate part on the subject of Ghost Orbs. One aspect of any paranormal investigation we should have control over is our hair, camera straps and other dangly things. Some things like cobwebs we might not have control over especially in static cameras. Some circles often refer to these as vortex’s or funnels.

Image 1: Flotsam

We see it all too often a stray hair gets caught in a nail and somehow manages to take centre stage on your photo. Even microfibres are a problem if you are wearing a woolly top or fleece. See Image 1. Though we cannot control everything we should do our best, and when we inevitably make a mistake, we need to recognise what it is.

“But are lights and camera flashes the only thing that can cause “orbs” to appear? Far from it! Other objects that end up in front of the camera lens often get the paranormal monika, are dust, moisture, pollen, insects, snow, rain, hair, ash and scores of other semi-microscopic particles. In almost every case, the camera flash reflects on the surface of one of these particles and seems to “glow”, as one might expect a ghostly image to do.” – Troy Taylor, Orbs’ Debunked (2008) [1]

Hair and Strings

Image 2: Hair Problem

One of the biggest culprits of these Ghost Orbs is hair and strings, whether human, animal, or fake hair. When caught by the flash in front of the lens, they create something that looks like a smooth streak of glowing light that some refer to as a Ghost Funnel. See Image 2. These types of Ghost Orbs taper off or may even end in a bright spot. [2]

Most of the time we do not notice this until after the fact. Then at that point, it is too late to double-check what it might have been. These kinds of Ghost Orbs are usually curved, some are curly, and others straight if you capture one of these see how everyone’s hair was during the investigation and you might be able to find the hair donor. It might be worth making a note in your investigation notes of who’s hair is down and flowing free and if there are animals of other fluffy items in the location.

Camera Straps

Image 3: Vortex?

Another big culprit is the good old camera strap. [3] They dangle all over the place and when you are taking a picture you might miss them flailing about wildly. They have a distinctive pattern to them due to the webbing material they are made of, some people refer to them as a Ghost Vortex. See Image 3. They also sometimes look like a string of Ghost Orbs, going across or down the frame. If you have a wrist strap, put it around your wrist, and a neck strap around your neck. [4] If you not using the strap at all remove it, then at least you not going to have that kind of false-positive in your images. Also, you will not see these on video’s as it is would become very obvious very quickly that it was the camera strap.

Spiders Webs

Image 4: Spiders Web

Ghost Orbs from Spiders webs are more common on static cameras that are in position for a while. However, if you have an ambitious spider, they may cast a long thread across an area that you will not see until you look at the images after. Dew covered spiders’ webs are some of the more common of these types of Ghost Orbs. See Image 4. None dew covered spiders’ webs often appear as a glassy looking strand across the image, with inconsistencies. The most common place you will get spider webs in your images is on CCTV infra-red cameras, where there is plenty of time for the spider to make its new home. See Image 5.

Other Things that Float in the Night

Image 5: CCTV Spider

There is a long list of stringy type things that can get in front of your camera and can be over accentuated by the flash or a strong light behind the camera. We have only looked at a few hair and strings Ghost Orbs here, and you might find many other bits of flotsam that get in front of the camera. The best tool you have is your notes on what is in the area, your awareness and understanding of how flashes and other lights backscatter in front of the camera.

Be Careful about your Hair and Strings

Always keep extensive investigation notes, the more comprehensive the better. It might seem silly to make a note of everyone hairstyle, and if it is tied up, but if it helps you rule out a false positive then it is not silly at all. Also, you might want to make a note of woolly or fluffy items likely to shed fibres. It might be a good idea to wear surgical gloves or other lint-free gloves during an investigation, so nothing gets caught in your nails. A Lens hood can help eliminate hair and fibres that float in front of the lens.

Below are more images, of this kind of Orb: