Amazing photo of my grandfather (recently deceased)

Originally posted by Decision

Originally posted by ManBehindTheMask

Originally posted by Decision
Don't get your hopes up about your grandfather hanging out in his old spot.

The picture is of someone moving in front of a game camera that uses infrared illumination to take pictures in the dark. Infrared is used so that the flash doesn't spook game animals.

The camera is NOT a "thermal imaging" camera. It uses thermal sensors to detect movement in front of the camera and then takes pics in either daylight or nightvision mode just like you get with some digital cameras. The infrared flash can and does cause some pretty serious backflash if the object is too close to the camera and especially if the object is in motion, like this person obviously was. Hell, there a truck parked right next to the moving person...

How do I know? I use game cameras regularly and have a part-time job that involves selling them. I've seen literally dozens of photos like the one posted by the OP.

Case dismissed. Not a ghost, sorry.

edit on 2-8-2011 by Decision because: (no reason given)

edit on 2-8-2011 by Decision because: (no reason given)

Thats fantastic.................

Except the picture is taken in broad daylight.........given that ALL that you said is true, the fact that its taken in daylight then, should prove that its odd to capture that image......2 thats not a truck that is a cab that is used to cover part of the rabbit cages.........

edit on 2-8-2011 by ManBehindTheMask because: (no reason given)

That camera doesn't take black and white photos in broad daylight. Maybe underneath the covering, there was not enough light so it stayed in night mode... could certainly explain why the flash overpowered the person so much. The camera is definitely shooting in night mode so it's not as bright as you suggest.

There's a truck cab... covering the rabbit cages? That's clearly the door of a vehicle right there. Certainly possible just seems like an odd choice of construction materials.

You really need to give up on the ghost baloney and focus on the fact that, if this person wasn't supposed to be there, you've got a much more pressing issue.

edit on 2-8-2011 by Decision because: (no reason given)

First off, you sure come off like you know a lot more then you do..........

Especially given the fact that your trying to call out crap because you dont agree with the "construction" materials?

Seriously? whats with the hostility on this forum.........wow

Second........Do you know for a fact that no game cameras operate in b and w? pretty bold statement

Infrared Flash Captures black and white images at night Daytime images can be either black & white or color Nighttime resolution and quality are generally less than incandescent Pictures are sometimes blurry Requires very little power and no surge Battery life is increased compared to incandescent Trigger time is faster than incandescent Infrared flash doesn't spook game Infrared flash doesn't deter animals from entering camera area Infrared flash will not draw the attention of other humans Reconyx RM45 Scoutguard SG550 Spypoint IR-C

and 3rd.........like i said, I dont have to PROVE anything, i put this here because it was a very very interesting picture.......

Its everyone else that seems to be hell bent on attitude issues and vitriol...........

Just because you dont believe in spirits or ghosts, doesnt mean they arent there............im pretty darn sure that if game cameras are as you say they are then the above is true........you should know this right? Now it says the pictures can be blurry, which is a possibility.....

but I just proved your statements false, and apparently your knowledge on "trail cams" should be expanded....

At any rate........your opinion is welcome...........your attitude is not......

Originally posted by ManBehindTheMask

Originally posted by Decision

Originally posted by ManBehindTheMask

Originally posted by Decision
Don't get your hopes up about your grandfather hanging out in his old spot.

The picture is of someone moving in front of a game camera that uses infrared illumination to take pictures in the dark. Infrared is used so that the flash doesn't spook game animals.

The camera is NOT a "thermal imaging" camera. It uses thermal sensors to detect movement in front of the camera and then takes pics in either daylight or nightvision mode just like you get with some digital cameras. The infrared flash can and does cause some pretty serious backflash if the object is too close to the camera and especially if the object is in motion, like this person obviously was. Hell, there a truck parked right next to the moving person...

How do I know? I use game cameras regularly and have a part-time job that involves selling them. I've seen literally dozens of photos like the one posted by the OP.

Case dismissed. Not a ghost, sorry.

edit on 2-8-2011 by Decision because: (no reason given)

edit on 2-8-2011 by Decision because: (no reason given)

Thats fantastic.................

Except the picture is taken in broad daylight.........given that ALL that you said is true, the fact that its taken in daylight then, should prove that its odd to capture that image......2 thats not a truck that is a cab that is used to cover part of the rabbit cages.........

edit on 2-8-2011 by ManBehindTheMask because: (no reason given)

That camera doesn't take black and white photos in broad daylight. Maybe underneath the covering, there was not enough light so it stayed in night mode... could certainly explain why the flash overpowered the person so much. The camera is definitely shooting in night mode so it's not as bright as you suggest.

There's a truck cab... covering the rabbit cages? That's clearly the door of a vehicle right there. Certainly possible just seems like an odd choice of construction materials.

You really need to give up on the ghost baloney and focus on the fact that, if this person wasn't supposed to be there, you've got a much more pressing issue.

edit on 2-8-2011 by Decision because: (no reason given)

First off, you sure come off like you know a lot more then you do..........

Especially given the fact that your trying to call out crap because you dont agree with the "construction" materials?

Seriously? whats with the hostility on this forum.........wow

Second........Do you know for a fact that no game cameras operate in b and w? pretty bold statement

Infrared Flash Captures black and white images at night Daytime images can be either black & white or color Nighttime resolution and quality are generally less than incandescent Pictures are sometimes blurry Requires very little power and no surge Battery life is increased compared to incandescent Trigger time is faster than incandescent Infrared flash doesn't spook game Infrared flash doesn't deter animals from entering camera area Infrared flash will not draw the attention of other humans Reconyx RM45 Scoutguard SG550 Spypoint IR-C

and 3rd.........like i said, I dont have to PROVE anything, i put this here because it was a very very interesting picture.......

Its everyone else that seems to be hell bent on attitude issues and vitriol...........

Just because you dont believe in spirits or ghosts, doesnt mean they arent there............im pretty darn sure that if game cameras are as good as they say they are, then shouldnt it have picked up a better Image of whoever it is?

At any rate........your opinion is welcome...........your attitude is not......

edit on 2-8-2011 by ManBehindTheMask because: (no reason given)

Firstly, I didn't have an attitude at all. You need to check your sensitivity meter. You're getting overly defensive because you want so badly to believe that your grandfather's spirit has nothing better to do than to stick around in his old spot. Several posters are trying to reason with you and you just don't want to hear it so we are "hostile" and "have an attitude" in your opinion. If all you wanted was for everyone to ooh and ahh at your awesome ghost photo, you came to the wrong place.

I'm well aware that certain cameras operate in black and white. I thought the camera model was listed earlier but it wasn't, that was my bad. That same effect can still be seen with older black and white cameras.

As for me "calling crap out", it seemed odd that a truck cab would be used for rabbit cages. That's all I'm saying.

Regardless, you have the information you need to make a rational decision. These effects happen with all sorts of game cameras, especially older black and white models with slow trigger speeds. You apparently know little to nothing about game cameras and I have extensive experience with them. You want to believe to the point that you won't consider any other possibility so... have at it. Just know that it seems foolish when other more logical scenarios have been presented.

And, for the record, I do believe but I'm always skeptical.

reply to post by Decision

Firstly, I didn't have an attitude at all. You need to check your sensitivity meter. You're getting overly defensive because you want so badly to believe that your grandfather's spirit has nothing better to do than to stick around in his old spot. Several posters are trying to reason with you and you just don't want to hear it so we are "hostile" and "have an attitude" in your opinion. I'm well aware that certain cameras operate in black and white. I thought the camera model was listed earlier but it wasn't, that was my bad. That same effect can still be seen with older black and white cameras. As for me "calling crap out", it seemed odd that a truck cab would be used for rabbit cages. That's all I'm saying. Regardless, you have the information you need to make a rational decision. These effects happen with all sorts of game cameras, especially older black and white models with slow trigger speeds. You apparently know little to nothing about game cameras and I have extensive experience with them. You want to believe to the point that you won't consider any other possibility so... have at it. Just know that it seems foolish when other more logical scenarios have been presented. And, for the record, I do believe but I'm always skeptical.

\
1st perhaps you need to check your attitude meter, and takea look at the attacks sustained on this forum thus far...

2nd I dont NEED to believe anything, I thought it was a very interesting picture, but apparently you cant read.....nice assumption......

3rd. You made a statement that was false..........the information i posted was off a site for game cameras.....so you either dont know as much as you said you do or you were just being snide......

4th. You dont know what it is any more then I, and thats the crux of it.........it could be , or it could not be......

seeing as how you are new, ill end my conversation with you here.........but I will warn you, to attack members with attitude just because you dont agree will get you no where......

You can "drop the ghost balony" if you like, and go elsewhere as far as im concerned.....

People will see what they want, I think it resembles him, I know that it was taken during the day, and I know where it was taken...........thats all I need to know.........

IS it him? who knows.........but it sure is a neat picture......

Sorry that the hostility on this forum regarding this photo here has been so screwed up.

It is an interesting photo but I really wonder if Clothing has a way of entering the afterlife.

Since it isn't really a living part of a person, I really don't think it does.

Just to clarify, for the record, when he started this thread the title read........

Amazing photo of my dead grandfather (recently deceased)

In my mind this was a claim that the photo was taken after the death of his grandfather of his grandfathers "spirit". There was no clarification in the first post originally that the photo was thought to be before his death. Also, the story has changed repeatedly throughout the thread.

Not to mention, most of the hostility originated from the op him/herself. Most being the key word. Hostility is commonly met with more hostility. Too many people are also vouching for the op because of his post count and "veteran" ats status. I'm not saying that its not ok as I'm not sure about his/her history but just having a high post count and many stars does not make you completely credible. The exif data has still yet to be released.

I have personally come to a conclusion about said photos and that is that it is legitimate in the since that it is most likely a game camera with a serious backflash, it makes no difference what time of day it was because even in the shade an autoflash can go off causing this effect.

I've also not been hostile in any of my posts and I hope none have been taken as such, my goal was to gain info and come to a conclusion based on the most probable facts available. My suspicions are raised primarily from the alterations in the story that were mentioned earlier and are even still occurring.

I hope that the op is being honest with his/her "facts". But the alterations raise a few questions.

Do not take this message with hostility, if I was talking to you and you were in this room my tone would not be raised, I am simply stating my observations calmly.

I havnt been a member for long, i was however a lurker for quite some time....

For most folks on here... Mask has never shown in any post i have ever seen to be the kind of poster to go out his way to post a knowingly fake photo... so i doubt thats whats happened.

The image is crazy.. at first it does look like it had been edited.. its strange,

As recent people have posted it most likley is a person reflecting IR and just being a bright blob because of that...

makes me feel bad, would have loved it to be your grandfather showing some authority after death but sadly as i said just looks like someone lurking around...

as a side note.. up the security there man if folks are lurking about they are probably wanting to take somthing.

reply to post by DarkSarcasm

The exif data has still yet to be released.

Exactly. It will most surely give a few answers. Hopefully.

I also tend to believe that it is a person that walked in front of the camera. But without more data, it's just speculation. We are missing many details and until the exif is supplied, it's all we can do. Speculate.

reply to post by Nick_X


As you've taken the trouble to make one of the few reasonable comments in this depressing thread, it's worth a response.

I was involved in 'psychic research' for a few years, sometimes giving talks and writing articles (for money!), and I can't ever remember hearing or reading about a ghost that someone recognised as a specific person they knew appearing naked. I think that goes for figures experienced in Spiritualism, too.

What is broadly true is that the clothes seen are usually those the person seeing the figure will easily recognise: for example, those who died in the military will commonly appear in uniform. Nuns don't appear in party dresses.

I don't know what this means, but the common theory is that the 'spirit' wants to be easily recognised, so chooses to appear that way. From the sceptical side, you could say it would be the way that a person wanting to see a dead relative would imagine them!

ATTENTION ALL

Can we please tone down the hostility? Just because you're sceptical or have doubts doesn't mean you cannot be cordial about it.

Courtesy is mandatory

Originally posted by Leaflock
I found the following image, which appears to be taken by a similar camera to the one which took the photos in the OP:



I have no idea what the technical explanation is, but I can conclude that a physical object standing in front of this camera can have this sort of effect. The camera used for the photo I linked to is a Moultrie 4MP Game Spy I-40 Infrared Digital Game Camera.

Looks like a horse's behind, or dog's behind to me.

reply to post by ManBehindTheMask



The rude comment wasn't for you

I know you and I know you wouldnt hoax anyone let alone your family do it either!

I saw my mother 3 days after she died....Clear as a bell! I believe their energies are always with us and sometimes they do appear to us. Maybe it's grandpas way of saying "Don't worry. I'm always here for you."

That looks like a great shot. IM not a photography expert but it looks like a cracker!

I know MBTM and he's a stand up guy anyone who says he is a hoaxer is a newb on ATS or just bitter.

reply to post by boncho

I wonder if we have to find the original picture online somewhere for this to go in the Hoax Bin.

already did a search with google images, and this is the only site (ATS) that turns up, so the picture is original, it's just a matter of how the picture was taken, and if it's really been alter or not.

photoshopped

Mod Note: One Line Post – Please Review This Link.

reply to post by Leaflock


That looks like a Foxes tail to me, it also looks like my kittys tail, she is a Maine Coon and I have pictures similar to this with a regular camera.

OP, so sorry about your Grandfather. I have a couple of questions please. Does this sort of camera pick up IR? because, Im not sure there would be any heat source from a spirit. Also, is there a light source somewhere? I dont understand Game cams tbh so can't figure where/how the light comes into it. Thanks

The exif data does exist on the picture he uploaded. I hesitate to post it because the comment section is going to make people jump to conclusions. Just keep in mind this could be from the program that was used to import the photos from the game camera...

regex.info/exif.cgi?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.abovetopsecret.com%2Fimages%2Fmember%2F502cd90318c8.jpg

reply to post by glitch88


Because the pictures are hosted on ATS media the EXIF data will be wrong. ATS media strips the data when it is uploaded (just check the EXIF data on member avatars). That's why members have asked that the photos be uploaded to Flickr so the original data can be seen.

Once we can see the original data and find out which one of the game cameras was used, it could help explain the photos.

Originally posted by ManBehindTheMask
Well Here I am....

Ive been gone for a while now, I spent last week in Texas w family , because my grandfather passed away.

I have to go ahead and say that my grandfather was a very head strong man, Native American, w a stubborn but very giving personality.

The day after his funeral my aunt went by his house to go over some paperwork, apparently one of his hats was knocked off the desk and hit her in the back of the head.

Apparently in her mind he was aggitated at her going through the paperwork so soon after his death...she left promptly

The next day they were taking some pictures to asses some of the property he had.....

These next following pictures were taken in broad daylight on his porch. The pictuers before and the pictures that followed were normal.......

Keep in mind my grandfather was a small man at about 5 foot 2 and weighed all of about 100 lbs at his death,
He always sat in this spot in the picture to have his beer and smoke his smokes.....

Another tidbit, he always wore a trucker baseball cap........these images have not been altered........

Your thoughts are welcome...

The date on those pictures says (2010)....so they were taken last year? You say your Grandfather just died...it is now Aug. 2011....

reply to post by OneisOne


I don't doubt that it sometimes does but it doesn't strip everything all the time. I've come across photos on here many times that contained most if not all of its exif data.

Not saying he shouldn't upload it like has been requested, just pointing out that there is some information in the current photo.