This guide is intended as a tutorial for capturing spirit orbs using a standard format or digital camera.

Orbs are one of the most fascinating ways that spirit energy can manifest itself visibly. There are various theories on what orbs actually are and how they appear the way they do. Some people believe that they are the actual physical encapsulations of disembodied spirits. Others believe that they are the unconscious physical expression of spirit beings who utilize energy sources (such as power lines and other energy sources) to make themselves visible. Through my experience capturing and investigating orb activity, I believe that it is a combination of both.

True orbs are round in shape and almost always display some sort of nucleus in the center. The nucleus can often take the shape of a human facial expression. Whether or not this is due to the fact that we tend to look for faces in patterns is uncertain, but I have captured many orbs with faces so clear that it would be impossible to deny that it was a spirit exhibiting a smile or a grimace.

Spirit Activity And Electricity

One thing that many will agree on is that orbs tend to be captured in places where there is a high degree of paranormal activity such as graveyards or haunted residences. From experience, I have learned that orbs often appear in areas where there are a lot of energy portals as well. This is because spirits use energy to express themselves. This also explains why spirits are able to communicate through radio waves, television waves, and other energetic frequencies. This is also what EVP is. EVP stands for Electro Magnetic Freqeuncy. For example, I once lived across from a field that was filled with dozens of power lines, and the field also exhibited a lot of strange activity. It was to the point where I could actually walk outside, and say "hello" and all of the street lights on that side of the road would blink. Spirits are able to harness energy in order to express themselves in this dimension. I have also found that I am able to capture many more orbs during the autumn and winter months. I believe that this is due to the large amount of static electricity in the air during these times.

When spirits express themselves through an orb or orbs, they appear and disappear very quickly. This is proven when you actually review the photographs. You can take a photo and take another one two seconds later and the same orb will be very far in distance from where it was in the first frame. Many believe that this is why a camera is able to capture spirit orbs. Because a camera is able to capture things very quickly, it is an excellent tool for documenting paranormal visuals. This goes not only for orbs, but apparitions, ectoplasm, and the capturing of shadow people.

Orbs can appear in many colors, but the most common color is white. They can also appear gold (usually higher spirits), red, green, and violet (very rare-usually very high spirits)

Which Camera To Use:

You can use any camera to try and capture orbs. You may use a standard or a digital camera. I prefer a digital camera because the results are immediate and I can look through the finished images right away. It is best to use a camera of good quality in order to get the sharpest results for when you "zoom in" on the photos, but you can still capture orbs with a simple, inexpensive camera.

External Conditions (Rain, dust, etc.):

Rain, moisture, pollen and dust can create false orbs. You can tell false orbs by their empty structure and the fact that rain, moisture etc. usually produces a very large number of "orbs". I recommend only shooting when the air is free of moisture.

Places To Capture:

I enjoy shooting orbs during my paranormal investigations, but I also enjoy capturing them in graveyards, especially graveyards with very unusual histories. I spend a lot of time in Salem, MA and I find that the graveyards there produce a tremendous amount of spirit activity, and I have caught some of my most interesting captures there. If you don't have a haunted location nearby to explore, you can always shoot in a graveyard. When shooting outdoors, it is important to shoot at dusk or at night. Since orbs are usually light-colored, they can be difficult to capture during the day.

In fact, you don't even have to leave the house to capture orbs. Since spirits are everywhere, you can run orb capturing experiments indoors at any time of day. I once lived in an apartment that was literally infested with ghosts, and I was able to catch a lot of interesting spirit captures while I lived there. It was only after moving out of the apartment that I found out that the buildings were on top of a potters field-a mass burial ground. That explained all of the activity. So, if you have spirits in your house, you can definitely capture evidence of them on camera. Even if your house is not technically "haunted", the spirit world is all around us and you can capture evidence of that with your camera.

Tips For Shooting Indoors:

When you are shooting indoors, it is best if the lights are dim. The flash from the camera will light up the room enough. If you already have a brightly lit area, it can make the orbs look faded in the finished photos. This is not always the case, because orbs can be very clear and well formed even on a brightly lit white wall---but I have always had the best success with darker conditions.

Methods Of Capture:

In order to be successful at capturing orbs, you MUST shoot A LOT of photos (this is also why a digital camera is recommended, otherwise you are going to spend a fortune on film). Do not expect to take five to ten photographs and capture a bunch of orbs. I recommend taking at least one hundred or more photos. The more photos you take, the more opportunities you have to capture a manifestation. I have found that even in places that have a lot of spirit activity, only one out of every twenty or so photos will show an orb.

I recommend taking many photos, one after another, and aiming your camera in many different directions. Try to capture as wide of an area as possible. Orbs manifest very high in the sky and they can also manifest very low to the ground. In graveyards, they will usually initially rise from the ground or from the grave marker.

Inviting Orbs:

Like EVP, orbs tend to respond very well to invitations. Whenever I begin an orb photographing session, I always ask that they come forward and make themselves known to the camera. I  have run many experiments where I have asked them to show and where I remained silent and in every case, when I have given an invitation they have shown themselves much more strongly.

Focused Shooting:

I have a method that I refer to as focused shooting. This method requires a lot of patience, but it also reveals very dramatic results. It involves picking one single visual point (such as a blank wall or an item) and shooting only that . One of my favorite ways of focused shooting is to use a television screen(turned off). For some reason, spirits frequently manifest themselves through television screens. While inviting the spirits to show themselves, I recommend shooting at least over one hundred frames directed at a blank television screen. I must tell you that you may do this and get ZERO results the first time, but you will eventually get very dramatic captures using this method. When using this method, you may also capture spirits that are not in the shape of orbs (such as full faces and images). I recommend doing a protection ritual when using this method.

Orbs On People:

Orbs frequently show up ON or near people. They also tend to show up and gravitate toward those who are psychic or those who communicate with the spirit world. I recommend putting people in your photos to see if the orbs will show up on or around them. I am notorious for having orbs show up on me almost every time a candid photo is taken. I always try to get people to take photos of me when I am walking through graveyards, because I get a lot of orbs that show up on or around me. If you are taking a photo of a person, I recommend having them wear black clothing. (I almost always am wearing black, so I am always ready ;)

Orbs also tend to show up a lot during large gatherings of people, such as religious celebrations or parties. I am just offering suggestions for the most active places to start capturing, but they do show up everywhere, so the sky is the limit.

Reviewing Your Images:

I think this is the most fun part of orb photography. It is like coming home with a treasure box and going through it bit by bit to see what is inside. Take your time looking through the photos and look closely at all areas of the photo for orb activity. You will find that some orbs are brighter and more well defined and others will be faded and appear to be in motion. Use your photo editing programs "zoom" feature to zoom up on any orbs you see. You will almost always be able to make out some sort of image in the nucleus of the orb.

Please visit my Ebay Blog to see some recent photos.




Have fun!

Blessings,

Meena