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Foreword:

    On the left side of the page are several photos to be used for comparative purposes wile reading this article. All of the photos presented as "natural orbs" were created by myself under controlled conditions at home. The exception being the raindrop which was intentionally photographed on our way to an investigation for exactly this purpose. The photos presented as potential paranormal phenomena are from several different investigation locations and are being presented as "potential paranormal orbs" only because numerous attempts to recreate these particular anomalies simply have not been effective up to this point. The photos labeled "detailed inside(2)" are from different locations and exhibit strange patterns (cell like) on the inside when looked at very closely. The "colored" orb photo is from an area where we have heard disembodied footsteps several times that approach the house then stop and disappear without retreating. It should be noted that a definite feeling of unease has been felt at this time also. The orbs labeled as "light emitting" and "movement" both appeared in photos after being prompted to appear when I snapped a picture at the count of three. Absolutely no anomalies were present in the 100 plus photos taken in the respective sets, therefore I believe there is a good chance that these are both paranormal in nature. The remaining photos all exhibit clear movement and/or vibration. Simply put, there is no way that any natural known phenomena can either move this fast or sit and vibrate at this rate in relation to the camera shutter speed. That much being said, nothing in this article is presented as the final answer to the orb question. These are my opinions based on months of research and personal study and are presented as such. No doubt this article will be updated and photos removed or added as more evidence in either direction is hopefully discovered.

                                                                                               The Elusive Orb

    Orbs are probably the worst thing about being a paranormal investigator. Many a ghost hunter will tell you something along these lines when confronted with what they think about orbs. We are no different at O.S.I. There are some people who claim that every orb photographed is a spirit and others who will simply discard any such anomalies. I firmly believe that the truth lies in the evidence or lack thereof. What I mean by this is that any orb activity should be carefully scrutinized, and unless there is something else to correlate with these incidents, should be carefully handled and studied before being deemed paranormal in nature.

    One of the very first things I recommend doing when dealing with orbs is trying to recreate them in the same setting or in a similar setting. Repeat your movements and actions and try your best to recreate the events surrounding the photo or video you are studying. If you can't do this be extremely vigilant in your review procedure. Watch for similar reactions to any actions when reviewing your footage and be aware of any patterns.   Most if not all man-made or natural "paranormal" events will have a very noticeable pattern or uniform behavior. Dust and other small airborne debris will always travel with the air current. For example, if you seem to have a flurry of orb activity every time someone walks past a certain point in a room and the orbs all move in the same direction at a relatively steady pace, there is no doubt that this is dust and other particles being disturbed. This can happen when a furnace starts and stops as well or if there is a draft in a room. Another trait that can clear up any confusion is settling. If a large amount of orbs gradually diminishes in a series of photos or in a video clip this is most likely the debris settling to the ground and clearing out of the air. It is never a bad idea to simply take photos or video of dust being disturbed intentionally, water being sprayed from a spray bottle (or rain), or of various lights being reflected off of different surfaces. These results can be surprising and can be used for comparative purposes later on.

    When dealing with orbs in photography in particular there are a few things to look for that can help you distinguish between a potential spirit emission or something more earthly. One of these is surface anomalies on the orb itself. Typically a reflection, piece of dust, or rain will have a flat edge. By this I mean that there will be no surface anomalies on the orbs edge all the way around. The inside of a dust or airborne debris particle will have a darker center (called a nucleus by orb lovers) and several blurry rings around it all the way to the edge. Dust orbs also exhibit a very dull, beige or grayish tint as well in bright and darker conditions. Moisture sometimes causes a bright reflection right back at the camera like a small burst of light as well as occasionally causing a round portion of the orb to be missing in the immediate area directly around the droplet of liquid. If you zoom in and notice small bumps around the edge of the orb, almost like little pimples, and on the inner surface you may have something more paranormal in nature.

    The inner portion of an orb can tell a lot. In some cases faces have been seen in orbs. I have only seen and read of these myself and this seems extremely rare. Basically what you're looking for is anything really strange. It sounds simple and almost silly but that's the best way to describe what you're looking for in this field in general. To elaborate a little more I mean look for things like bumps and even faces. But also look for ripples running around the orb or missing portions that you can see right through in geometric patterns. Be wary of rings similar to those typical of dust orbs. If the rings are very defined and appear to have colors emitting from them they may warrant further study. Sometimes the inside will look similar to what you might see under the lense of a microscope. Almost cell-like in appearance. If the orb appears to be emitting it's own light or energy this is also paranormal. Some orbs are different colors in some pictures. Colors in reflection orbs should only be caused by the color of a reflecting surface. So if there is no reflective surface around that color, you may have a paranormal orb. If there is a definitive tail indicating travel direction, this is also unusual. *Also be aware of vibration in the orbs as dust and other airborne debris will never vibrate. Like I said, man made orbs will always be very uniform in appearance right down to the insides. They will never vibrate and cannot move fast enough to leave a tail indicating travel direction. They may look creepy or ghostly but they are surprisingly normal. These are the majority of orbs photographed*. Another thing to watch for when dealing with reflections and lens flare is your orbs lining up in a dead straight line. By this I mean if you have several orbs in a picture and you can draw a straight line through all of them, it's a reflection or lens flare. These are simply guidelines for orb photography and what to look for. Sometimes it will be almost impossible to tell what you're dealing with and you will go nuts trying to figure it out. Just remember to correlate all your evidence and rule out as much as you can. If you're still not sure, then the odds are you have nothing out of the ordinary. The evidence when reviewed properly should yield your answer. Just remember if you have any shadow of a doubt, throw it out.

    Video cameras and orbs are a little bit different, but for the most part follow all the tips from dealing with orbs in still photography. The biggest difference now is obviously movement. This is where I find it the easiest to distinguish between potential spirit or energy activity and man made phenomena. This is because of the uniform behavior in the patterns of movement when dealing with naturally explained orbs. Primarily you will get a lot of dust and other debris and it will always move in a standard pattern, top to bottom, left to right, swirling motion, etc.. The orb or orbs will always travel straight or in an arcing motion, unless the air is being disturbed violently, then it becomes organized chaos. If you have reviewed video footage of a dusty area being disturbed you will know what I mean. Most dust and debris orbs, if not all, should not blink or emit their own light either. Be wary of reflections from outside light sources however. These too should move in a pretty standard pattern and will look like a vehicle headlight reflecting off of your bedroom wall at night for example.

    For an orb to be considered paranormal when dealing with video we try to either correlate it with another occurrence, whether that be personal or verifiable, or it has to exhibit very erratic behavior. By this I mean criss crossing from left to right and top to bottom, changing speed and directions for no reason ( no reason meaning furnaces, drafts, air conditioners, etc.. ), or blinking and fading in and out. That really is all as far as video is concerned. Basically unless the orb or orbs in question don't look and/or act peculiar, or if you have nothing to use in conjunction with your orbs as supplementary evidence, throw it out.

    We hope this helps anybody who stumbles across this article and is having the same problems we have to this day and will no doubt continue to have. Orbs are a tricky topic when dealing with the paranormal. It is easy to believe that this is all just dust and reflections like the people at Fujifilm would like us to believe. Then there are the educated and completely reputable people who are capturing these anomalies behaving strangely with other verifiable evidence of something paranormal going on who want to know more. Keep in mind the entire population at one time believed the sun revolved around the earth and it was considered witchcraft to believe otherwise. Then there is witchcraft and that whole mess. We've come a long way in scientific terms as a global community and we continue to open new doors in leaps and bounds every day. Just remember to keep an open mind when dealing with orbs and use common sense. If you have any inkling that it's not paranormal, discard it as evidence and move on.

Doug,
Other Side Investigations
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

* Updated 20/06/2010