Top 10 Best Ghost Photos Ever

By Joan Seth

It can be said that ghosts are notoriously camera shy. Most evidence of ghosts that people produce usually end up as trick photography, hoaxes or orbs. Some photographic evidence of ghosts does exist, however. This photographic evidence has stood up to scrutiny and stood the test of time. Here, we look at ten of the most compelling reasons to believe that ghosts exist.

1. Freddy Jackson's Ghost



This photo was taken in 1919 of a group of men who served on the HMS Daedalus of the Royal Air Force during World War I. The story goes that Freddy Jackson, an airman, was in a freak accident involving an airplane propeller. It was said that his funeral was held on the very same day this photo was taken of his squadron mates.

Later, some of the men insisted that they recognized the face in the photo as Freddy Jackson. We can only speculate that he did not want to miss the photo shoot, no matter what it took.

2. Corroboree Rock Ghost

The Reverend R.S. Blance took this photo at Corroboree Rock, near Alice Springs, Australia in 1959. He claimed that there no person was in the frame when he took the picture. Notice how the areas in front and back of the figure are consistent with its surroundings? Thus a double exposure can be eliminated as the cause. Moreover, Photoshop did not exist in 1959.

Since the Reverend was said to be a honest man of the church, nobody doubted his story at that time. However, looking it at another angle, it could have just been a woman sitting there after all. A real woman.



3. Ghost in back seat

In 1959, Mabel Chinnery was visiting her mother's grave at the cemetry. She had brought along a camera to take photos of the gravesite. Finally, she took an impromptu photo of her husband who was waiting in the car for her.

After developing the photos, she noticed a figure sitting in the backseat of the car. Mrs. Chinnery immediately recognized the image of her mother. A photographic expert who examined the print determined that the image of the woman was neither a reflection nor a double exposure. "I stake my reputation on the fact that the picture is genuine," he testified.



4. Lord Combermere's ghost

This photo of the magnificent Combermere Abbey Library was taken by Sybell Corbet in 1891. Sir Stephen Cotton, or Lord Combermere as he was later known died in 1891 after being hit by a horse drawn carriage.

Corbet took this photo after making sure no one else was in the library at the point in time. After developing, she was surprised to see the Lord sitting in his favourite armchair. Corbet checked with the servants and they were absolutely sure that no one else was in the library then.

Since photo manipulation techniques did not exist back in 1891, we would like to consider this as one of the best evidence ever.



5. Boothill Graveyard ghost

As most people would probably agree, a graveyard would not be a suitable location to indulge in some self photographing. However, this was not the case for Terry Ike Clanton. He thought that it would be cool to dress up in a cowboy costume and tasked his friend to take photos of him at Boothill Graveyard.

After developing, he noticed a figure behind him in the field. By height, the man appears to be either legless, kneeling or rising up out of the ground. Clanton insisted that there was no one else in the background when the photo was taken. Furthermore the figure did not seem to have a shadow (notice the shadow of his friend who took the photo in the foreground).

No matter what Clanton claims, this could easily be hoaxed by getting someone to kneel in that position and doing some photo manipulating.



6. Stairway Ghost

Reverend Ralph Hardy took this photo in 1966. He was visiting the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England. This staircase was located in the Queen's House section of the museum.

Upon development, a figure in a shroud seemed to be climbing the stairs with both hands. Photography experts from Kodak examined the photo and its original negatives and declared that it had not been tampered with. It was further said that many people have experienced seeing ghostly figures and hearing unexplained sounds near the staircase.



7. Bachelor's Grove Cemetery Ghost

Mari Huff, a member with the Ghost Research Society in Chicago took this photo in 1991. The GRS was on a field trip and no one else except for the members were in the cemetry at that point in time. The photo seemed to show a white lady sitting on a tombstone.

Bachelor's Grove is reputed to be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the U.S. It has been the site of well over 100 different reports of strange phenomena, including apparitions, unexplained sights and sounds, and even glowing balls of light.

However, for this photo, it can easily be staged and with some clever photo manipulating skills, could pass off as authentic easily.



8. Ghostly girl in burned building

In November 19, 1995 Wem Town Hall in England caught on fire. The fire raged on all through the night until the building was nothing but rubble. A local citizen, Tony O’Rahilly, decided to take some photos of the firefighters fighting the fire.

A ghostly figure of a little girl could be seen in one of his photos. No one remembered a young girl being at the scene and there was definitely not a young girl in the burning building. O'Rahilly sent the photo to an expert, Dr. Vernon Harrison who concluded that the picture had not been doctored. However, he did offer that this could just be a simulacrum - a trick of light, fire and smoke.

Local citizens believe it could be the ghost of Jane Churm, who died in a fire she started in the very same building in 1677.



9. Church monk ghost

This was taken in 1963 by Rev. K.F. Lord at Newby Church in North Yorkshire, England. The Reverend said that there was nothing visible in front of him when he took the photo. Yet after developing, there was a strange cowled figure, what appears to be a monk with a ghastly face.



This has been considered controversial because it was just nice. The figure looking directly into the camera makes it look like it was posed – a clever double exposure. Yet supposedly the photo has been scrutinized by photo experts who say the image is not the result of a double exposure.

10. The Brown Lady



This has got to be the most famous ghost photograph that has baffled experts for many years. Till today, it is still unexplainable. Two photographers, Captain Provand and Indre Shira, were on assignment at Raynham Hall for the magazine Country Life, took the photo on September 19, 1936.

The Brown Lady is thought to be the ghost of Dorothy Townshend who lived in Raynham Hall with her husband, Charles Townshend, in the 1700s. Legend has it that Charles found out about her infidelity and imprisoned her in the hall till she died from her abuse. Official records showed that she died in 1726.

Photographic experts had examined the photo and decided that nothing was amiss. Yet the photo continues to bewilder experts till today. Was it just an elaborate hoax? Remember, photography manipulation techniques did not exist in 1936. Is this the final nail in the coffin - that it provides beyond any doubt, the existence of ghosts?

You decide.

Some pictures and text in this article are granted permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; and as such are reproduced in this article.

Follow @AsiaParanormal