Learn some basic techniques to catching those sneaky ghosts that are lurking around haunted buildings or in the quietness of a cemetery. This Halloween can be the perfect time to catch a ghost that can be shared as a water cooler story for years to come.
Safety Basics
Most places where people choose to investigate are littered with hidden dangers around every bend. Abandon buildings can have broken glass, weak flooring and/or dangerous strangers living in the buildings. Cemeteries can have unseen holes that a person can trip on or wild animals or even people that could cause you physical harm.
Always conduct investigations in groups, so to obtain safety in numbers. If investigating a building or cemetery, then obtain the proper permission from the property owner, so that you do not get arrested for trespassing. Conduct a daytime walk-through of any building or cemetery, so that you can discover any potential safety issues to avoid during the nighttime investigation.
Be sure to carry charged up flashlights and plenty of batteries for the flashlights and other electronic equipment that you have brought with you. It would be a good idea to carry a two-way radio, so that you can keep in contact with the other people investigating with you. Always let your family and friends know where you will be investigating, so if something happens to you and/or your team, then at least someone will know where you will be or will be going.
Gearing Up
Since this article is to only share the basics of ghost hunting I will try not to bore you with all of the tools of the trade. For most people hunting for ghosts all that is needed is a digital camera or a 35-mm camera. Also, using a digital voice recorder can possibly capture an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) of a ghost attempting to communicate with you from the other side.
Where to Investigate
Not all abandon buildings have ghosts and not all ghosts haunt abandon buildings. Cemeteries are excellent places to investigate and usually are the best places to start when first starting out. Usually, cemeteries will produce good results during most anytime during the year, but Halloween adds that extra ingredient for making ghost investigations payoff.
You can learn more about the places that you want to investigate simply by paying a visit to your local library or city planning office to find historical records about the place.
How to Conduct an Investigation
The investigation method that you choose to use is very important, because some techniques can result in false-positive results. Many times people are too quick to believe that what they have captured on film or on a digital recording in a suspected it haunted building is a ghost even if it is not. Understanding a couple of things that could cause a false positive is also important, so that these types of results can be avoided.
When taking photos be sure that you have read the instructions about how your camera works and how to adjust the settings according to the environment that you are investigating. Many times taking photos using the wrong camera settings can cause a false positive result such as; mysterious lights, color fog/mist, double exposures, and orbs.
Carry a note pad with you, so to record any information that you feel could cause a false positive in a photo. Record if the area that is being investigated in wet, damp, dusty, humid, insect infested or anything that you need to remember about the area that you are working in and the photo number that could have a false positive result in it.
When using a digital voice recorder makes sure you understand how to use it properly, before using it during an investigation. Investigations are not the time to start learning how to use the equipment that you own. Put fresh batteries in the recorder before each investigation and carry additional batteries for the recorder.
When conducting the digital voice recording investigation, be sure to have everyone on your team to say a few words in the recorder, because it will help you determine what recordings were not created by someone on your team. If investigating in a closed room or under an overpass do an additional voice check to be sure that these areas do not create bounce back echoes and if it does, then find a new place to investigation, because any results that you gather cannot be concluded as a paranormal result. Do not walk around asking too many questions, because these techniques can actual result in a false positive result.
The best technique to use is to leave the recorder alone in a room, cemetery or building while set on record. Return for it later and try another location. Always do a voice check even if no one is going to be asking questions or talking near the recorder, because then you will know what sound belongs to which person on your team. If the recorded voices do not match the voices of your team members, then you just might have something worth bragging about to your family and friends.
Examining the Evidence
When examining the evidence use the notes that you had recorded during the investigation regarding the environment conditions and look for anything that wasn't present to the naked eye. Look for dark shadow figures, orbs or anything out of place.
Just, because it looks like a ghost doesn't mean that it is one. Many times people see an orb and immediately jump to the conclusion that it is a ghost, when it could be a water vapor caused by humidity or a particle of dust floating in the air. Of course, believe what you want, because unless you are going to be conducting professional paranormal investigations it really isn't important to know everything that there is to know anyway.
Useful Paranormal Forums
After you have completed an investigation and you need some help examining the evidence, and then I highly recommend these two forums. I am a member of each of them and the paranormal investigators that belong to these forums are highly skilled and can help you if you need it.
If you are looking for honest answers to your paranormal questions, then this site offers a little something for everyone. Share your ghost photos, videos or EVP's and get helpful feedback from its members.
The members in this forum go that extra mile to try to provide answers to your ghostly inquiries by using their physic abilities to communicate with the energies left behind on the photos, videos or EVP's. This is kind of spooky, but I they helped me return a spirit that had followed me home from an investigation.
Have fun and go catch some ghosts!
Happy Halloween...
