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Spirit photos from the Crescent Hotel analyzed by photography expert

Mike’s photos from the Crescent Hotel were analyzed by Mr. D, our Science Advisor/Photography Expert. Here’s his report:

"I downloaded the pictures then enlarged and enhanced them.  I can see the outline of the “woman” in profile (within the black circle). The downloaded pictures also had the EXIF data attached. The camera EXIF data indicates that the two pictures were taken with a KODAK EASYSHARE C713 zoom camera at 4:05AM and 8:24 AM. The first picture was taken with ASA 800 film at 4:05 A), while the second was taken with ASA 200 film at 8:24 AM. The camera flash was used in both photos. Hard to explain why, in the 4 hour period, the “woman” didn't move much, except – in my opinion -  it's not a woman at all, but a pareidolia effect from the reflection of what appears to be the vertical pillar at the end of the hall (glossy or semi glossy paint). You can see reflections from the other dark trim along the hallway on the right as well. The ceiling lights, along with the flash, were most likely the source of the reflections."

Mr. D added that he thinks the second blurry photo that appears to show a shadow emerging from the wall is, in reality, exactly what it seems – merely a blurry photo.

According to Wikipedia, pareidolia (sometimes referred to as "matrixing") is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of faces in clouds, the “man in the moon,” and hearing hidden messages on records played in reverse. Scientist Carl Sagan hypothesized that, as a survival technique, human beings are “hard-wired” from birth to identify the human face. This allows people to use only minimal details to recognize faces from a distance and in poor visibility, but it can also lead them to interpret random images or patterns or light and shade as faces. See additional examples below.

Mike reports that this same photo of the “woman” is included on the Crescent Hotel’s website, which lends credence to D’s opinion that this is a reflection caused by the characteristics of the paint, the flash, and the particular lighting at this location.  This one is hard to resist, though, since a woman can clearly be seen at the end of the hallway.  Could it actually be a spirit? Ultimately, each person will make his or her own decision. Of course,  none of this means that the Crescent Hotel isn’t chock full of ghosts. But it effectively shows how easy it can be to see what we want to see and highlights the importance of carefully evaluating alleged ghostly photos.  

 

 

You can see a woman at the end of the hallway - but she never moves.

 

Just a blurry photo - or is there something more going on? You decide.

 

The famous "face on Mars." 

 

Natural wood formation also shows a "face."