Does anyone know anything about this photo?

A long time ago (well when I was 13) I got a copy of a book for Christmas called UFO’s & How to se them by Jenny Randles. I wasn’t really into Aliens and stuff at the time and since I had also just got a SNES complete with Street Fighter 2, didn’t pay the book much attention.

Over the years I would occasionally flick though the book quickly reading pages of interest but mainly looking at the photos, one photo always stuck in my mind.





The book says that a father on a picnic with his young daughter took the photo in Cumbria. The figure was allegedly not their when the photo was taken and only showed up in development.

Apparently the photo as been proven not be doctored so either the guy who took the photo is lying or he made it up as an elaborate hoax, or it just possibly an… Alien???

Does anyone on ATS know anything about this photo? My book doesn’t even have a date (my guess is late 70,s early 80’s) and I would love to know the history surrounding it.

Also what are your views on it, do you think it's the real deal or just another trick for someone to make a bit of cash?

Cheers
Paul



[edit on 30-6-2007 by Hope_for_reason]

[edit on 30-6-2007 by Hope_for_reason]

I've seen that picture before, though I'm not sure where. The figure in the background has a fairly human look to it. The "face area, what I can see of it, is a bit odd, but that could be distortion from movement or blowing hair.

The color of the background figure is also odd, but since we know nothing about the camera, light conditions, or if the figure had on excessive white colored sunblock, there's nothing to go on.

While the person taking the picture says there was no one there, they could be in error.

Or it could even be a ghost, it's white enough.

Hello, hope for a reason!
I have seen this picture some year and half ago. I was not impressed due to the fact that back then that toy pinned to the hair of the girl was something obvious to me and the comments below that picture, some thing along aliens line, insulted me and I would love to think any other sentient being wasn't pleased with provided claim/explanation either.
Okay, open text now --- I WAS PISSED.
So...I nevetheless will wait for forum member to comment.

On 24th May 1964, Jim Templeton, a fireman from Carlisle in the North of England, took his young daughter out to the marches overlooking the Solway Firth to take some photographs. Nothing untoward happened, although both he and his wife noticed an unusual aura in the atmosphere. There was a kind of electric charge in the air, though no storm came. Even nearby cows seemed upset by it.
Some days later Mr Templeton got his photographs processed by the chemist, who said that it was a pity that the man who had walked past had spoilt the best shot of Elizabeth holding a bunch of flowers. Jim was puzzled. There had been nobody else on the marshes nearby at the time. But sure enough, on the picture in question there was a figure in a silvery white space suit projecting at an odd angle into the air behind the girl's back, as if an unwanted snooper had wrecked the shot.

The case was reported to the police and taken up by Kodak, the film manufacturers, who offered free film for life to anyone who could solve the mystery when their experts failed. It was not, as the police at first guessed, a simple double exposure with one negative accidentally printed on top of another during processing. It was, as Chief Superintendent Oldcorn quickly concluded, just "one of those things...a freak picture".

A few weeks later Jim Templeton received two mysterious visitors. He had never heard of MIBs: the subject was almost unknown in Britain then. But the two men who came to his house in a large Jaguar car wore dark suits and otherwise looked normal. The weird thing about them was their behavior. They only referred to one another by numbers and asked the most unusual questions as they drove Jim out to the marshes. They wanted to know in minute detail about the weather on the day of the photograph, the activities of local bird life and odd asides like that. Then they tried to make him admit that he had just photographed an ordinary man walking past. Jim responded politely, but nevertheless rejected their idea, at which they became irrationally angry and hustled themselves into the car, driving off and leaving him. The fire officer had to hike five miles across country to get home.

"Photographer Comments On Cumberland Spaceman Picture"

by James Templeton
Daily Mail, London / England - Dec 13.02

As an amateur photographer on a day-trip with my family, I took the photograph on Burgh Marsh on May 23, 1964, using an SLR camera loaded with the new Kodacolor film which was processed by Kodak.

I took three pictures of my daughter Elizabeth in a similar pose - and was shocked when the middle picture came back from Kodak displaying what looks like a spaceman in the background.

I took the picture to the police in Carlisle who, after many doubts, examined it and stated there was nothing suspicious about it.

The local newspaper, the Cumberland News, picked up the story and within hours it was all over the world.

The picture is certainly not a fake, and I am as bemused as anyone else as to how this image appeared in the background.

Over the four decades the photo has been in the public domain, I have had many thousands of letters from all over the world with various ideas or possibilities - most of which make little sense to me.

It should also be noted that I have received no payment for taking this picture.

The only suggestion that struck a chord with me was a letter from Woomera in Australia which came a month after the picture was shown around the world.

The people there were keen to see a good colour copy of the photo, as they had stopped a countdown of the Blue Streak rocket within hours of my photo being taken.

Apparently, two similar looking 'spacemen' had been seen close to the rocket.

Only later did I find out that part of the Blue Streak rocket was made and tested within sight of Burgh Marsh.

James Templeton
Carlisle
Cumbria
England



[edit on 30-6-2007 by wigit]

I found a closer and clearer picture of the little girl. The image behind her is that of a human type figure with his back to the girl it appears.



Better Picture

Thanks for the info Wiget thats good info I didn't realise it was as old as that.

So its not been proven as a hoax? If not its quite intresting especially if we could get some more information on the similar sightings in Austrila.

As for being a toy? Mmmmm I can see where your coming from but I don't think it looks quite right for that, although when I read it I instantly thought of a Space suited Action Man!

Has anyone heard of other similar photos taken?

From the way the elbow bends, the person in the background (wearing a jaunty scarf), is facing the away from the camera. The shadow of the scarf gives the head I kind of "helmety" appearance, tricking your eye into thinking that it's some kind of alien Michelin Man or something. Of course the photographer "didn't see anything when they took the picture," because it's common for non-professional photographers to concentrate on their subjects and fail to notice things in the back ground, which is why you see so many snapshots with telephone poles and unbrellas and things "growing" out of their subject's heads. Also, it used to take weeks to get a roll of film back from the drug store, and by that time memory has a chance to fade even more.

It's a funny photo, but any alien space man monkey business you attribute to it is more of a result of the photographer's or your own imagination, rather than anything that can be found in the photo, itself.

Ah yes, I do recall another thread where this picture appeared. If I recall correctly, I think another image was also found, without the "mysterious" figure in it.

I will look for the thread....

Originally posted by Mechanic 32
Ah yes, I do recall another thread where this picture appeared. If I recall correctly, I think another image was also found, without the "mysterious" figure in it.

The Father does state he took 3 photos of the girl but only the middle picture has the figure pressent.


SuicideVirus I am not too sure about the scarf reference. But it does look like its looking over its left shoulder.

I couldn't find the thread I was thinking about, but I did find these other links....



www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.geocities.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

edit = adding more links...


Do a search for " cumberland spaceman" , " cumbr ia spaceman " , and other variations....

odd that, the last link there should be a search for "cumbria spaceman" but somehow an extra space is automatically inserted.

[edit on 6/30/07 by Mechanic 32]

[edit on 6/30/07 by Mechanic 32]

I think that it was also quite near to the UK's first nuclear reactor tests at Windscale, which was also the site of the worlds first nuclear disaster.

Reactor Accidents

No wonder the guy looks like he is wearing a radiation suit.

Thanks Mechanic 32 looks like I got some reading to catch up on. I knew this must have been discussed here before, its just so hard to keep track of everything round here!

Its good to see a lot of intrest in this photo, having seen the photo years ago I just assumed it would have been a proven hoax by now therefore just adding to the disapointment I get everytime I think, hmmm maybe this is the one!!

I've isolated the figure behind the girl and it appears to have a headset of some sort on. I inverted the image and the head area show more depth.

Any thoughts

Image of figure

That one with the 2 pictures side by side... How can one be so much clearer than the other? Its like night and day. One looks digital the other old analog...

I believe the man is just fully out of focus and has a helmet on.

Pretty amazing story, never seen this before!

Does anyone have any idea what size this figure could be? How many feet do you think the figure is away from the photo subject it seems impossible to tell from my own understanding of photography to make an estimate.

If we can estimate how far away the figure is then surely we could estimate the figures height?

Originally posted by weknowyouknow
That one with the 2 pictures side by side... How can one be so much clearer than the other? Its like night and day. One looks digital the other old analog...

I believe the man is just fully out of focus and has a helmet on.

Pretty amazing story, never seen this before!

If that is true, what is the man standing on?

If the object can reflect light then a camera can capture the image and a human eye can see the object. A camera doesn't steal your soul or take photos of objects that aren't there as the photographer claims.

It's just silly to think the camera de-cloaked a cloaked alien in the scene. I mean cameras are cool pieces of 120+ year old technology but they don't come from the star ship enterprise. lol

Originally posted by kinglizard
If the object can reflect light then a camera can capture the image and a human eye can see the object. A camera doesn't steal your soul or take photos of objects that aren't there as the photographer claims.

It's just silly to think the camera de-cloaked a cloaked alien in the scene. I mean cameras are cool pieces of 120+ year old technology but they don't come from the star ship enterprise. lol

Exactly, which is why this picture has baffled people for 40 years. I wonder is kodak is still offering the free film to the one who can figure this out.

The man is regular size (problly 5.7 to 5.9) and is standing just on the higher end of the hill

[edit on 30-6-2007 by weknowyouknow]