A reader recently sent me this intriguing series of photos, taken by a Fuji A-205 digital camera, at her lovely weekend cabin in the country. She asked if this might be a genuine series of “ghost” photos or if we could find some other explanation for it. I immediately forwarded the photos to Mr. D, our Science Advisor and Photography Expert for his analysis.
ANALYSIS BY MR. D:
“Ghosts 1, 22, and 33 show an object which is very bright and lacks detail as it is saturated (all pixel values clipped) and it appears to be a white or perhaps silver reverse shadow outline of a bird in flight. However, the white line or bar below is less saturated and blurred and appears to be tethered to the "bird." Ghost 44 has a similar white line or bar with nothing else visible. The EXIF data from the camera indicates Ghosts 1, 22, and 33 were taken at different intervals. 33 seconds elapsed from the first to the second (Ghost 1 and Ghost 22) and 1 minute 5 seconds between the second (Ghost 22) and third (Ghost 33) frames. Ghost 44 was taken (based on camera data) on a different date.
Exposure times were short, 1/220 of a second or less for all frames, and the aperture was at F/7 which is what I'd expect for a outdoor scene at the ISO used by the camera. The saturation of pixels from a bright object occurs when the automatic exposure function of the camera is disabled (which does not appear to be the case as the rest of the frame image is in good exposure) or when the scene dynamic range exceeds the camera’s capability. Assuming for the moment that this is not a camera artifact, the only natural source of light that might explain it is sunlight reflecting from a very bright white or silver object. The sun appears to be on the left side of the frame. Such an object would reflect sufficient light to saturate the camera sensor and produce an effect like this. The bar or white line could very well be a cable or wire closer to the camera and thus out of focus, yet reflecting some glint and saturating the camera. However, she never reported seeing anything at the time the frame was captured so, taking her at her word, it is my conclusion that the source at this point in the analysis is indeterminate. I must also add that a full characterization of the camera would be required to determine the existence of unusual artifacts (internal reflections, processing limitations) of the camera in the presence of very high light levels before we can say more.”
In a later email, Mr. D added this:
“I noted after the last email that, in all these frames, the camera flash was activated as well. This alone could explain why the bird like object was seen. Normally, the flash would not be fired during daylight. The flash may be causing the anomaly. In checking out this camera at a camera review web site, I found that one camera owner reported "I've had this camera for a long time. Long enough to realize it's not a great camera after awhile. When I first got it, it seemed really good and the quality was pretty good too. I was pleased since it was my first digital camera. But after using it over and over again, dropping it, etc., the quality lowered, the lighting in the pictures got weird, and the quality became overall awful. “
Dropping a camera can cause internal damage, as this reviewer noted, and the "weird" lighting reported may be what happened here, as well. Again, this reinforces my earlier point about characterizing the camera before drawing any hard conclusions.”
READER’S RESPONSE “I never dropped the camera and it has not been used that much. I tried to duplicate the ghost photos, but have not been successful. The 4 wheeler may be causing some disturbance. Also, I noticed in one picture that the light intersects at an angle if you study it closely. I also noticed a strange happening here recently. I was very tired and had been cleaning the cabin. For no apparent reason, my bedroom door opened partially, then just stopped, and then partially closed. I checked to see if any wind was present and there was no wind or draft of any kind.
I’ve taken several more pictures (with the 4 wheeler in place), that turned out fine and I haven't found anything wrong with my camera. I even placed a soda can in one photo turned towards the sun, trying to duplicate the photos of the ghost. No luck. I’m going to try again later. But I can’t seem to duplicate it and I can’t explain it. If anyone else has any ideas, I’d be glad to hear them.”
Continuing attempts to duplicate these photos, with and without using the flash, have been unsuccessful and my reader reports that her camera is still working well and takes great photos. So, what is it and what could have caused it? Your comments and ideas are welcome.
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Analysis investigates possible cause of odd "ghost" photos
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