Spotting a fake:photos part 2

Camera straps cause a lot of confusion in the paranormal world, especially for something so small. I often see paranormal sites where what looks to be a camera strap is listed as a ‘spirit’ or ‘vortex.’ They aren’t really trying to fool people (I hope) but the fact that black straps often appear white tends to confuse people.

Spotting camera straps is actually fairly easy if you know what to look for. A lot of investigators chose to remove them to prevent problems, but as long as you’re careful, they aren’t hard to deal with.

Some things to watch out for include

-          white blurs or a line across a photo

-          linear shadows

-          misty areas in the corner of a shot

                                    A white shape and shadow caused by a camera strap

                                  A shadow created by a camera strap

                              

                                    A close up of my camera strap

I often take multiple photos of the same thing while investigating to help me determine what I’m looking at. It’s important to try and figure out any anomalies visible as quickly as possible. If you take a photo and see something weird-take another shot of the same spot and then try and determine the source. Check for anything that might be obstructing the lens (straps, thumbs, etc.) or creating strange lighting. If you still can’t find a cause for the anomaly than get a friend to take a look to see if what you caught might actually be paranormal.