Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 16

Thread: Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)

  1. #1
    Mark Sawyer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Stuck inside of Tucson with the Neverland Blues again...
    Posts
    6,268

    Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)

    One of the stranger traditions in photography is "spirit photography", dating back (at least) to William Mumler's work in the 1860's. It was taken very seriously in its day; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a big believer in it, as was Alfred Russell Wallace, co-discoverer of the theory of evolution. Mary Todd Lincoln had her portrait taken with the "spirit" of her deceased husband Abraham behind her.

    These days it's more an amusement. My students and I made quite a few pinhole spirit photographs when I was teaching high school photography, and it's still a fun thing to do with friends who drop by for wet plate portraits. Here are a couple from yesterday, keeping the 150+ year old tradition alive...



    "I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Summerville, SC
    Posts
    2,016

    Re: Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)

    This is a self-portrait I did a while ago, using an 4x5 pinhole camera.



  3. #3
    Tim Meisburger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Falls Church, Va.
    Posts
    1,800

    Re: Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)

    here is mine, of a ghost in Paris...
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	paris pinhole 12-10002 - Copy.jpg 
Views:	98 
Size:	41.7 KB 
ID:	165253

  4. #4
    ScottPhotoCo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    801

    Re: Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)



    Does this count?

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Arlington, Mass.
    Posts
    214

    Re: Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)

    Ha! Counts for me.

    Here's mine:


    CSC-017, Ghost by Robert Brazile, on Flickr

    Robert

  6. #6

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Syracuse, NY
    Posts
    268

    Re: Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)

    What a great idea for a thread! I finally got around to giving one of these a try a month or two ago during a return visit to the 1906 South Presbyterian Church in Syracuse together with my architect friend and colleague. His "spirit" is there on the balcony, though I didn't have the timing quite right and he's a bit, well, pale. It was fun to try anyway!

    Bruce

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	South Presbyterian 2017-4-5 Ghost architect.jpg 
Views:	87 
Size:	51.6 KB 
ID:	165316
    4x5, Shen Hao. Acros 100, Fujinon 150mm, Epson V750 flatbed scan

  7. #7

  8. #8

  9. #9
    John Olsen
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Madison, WI
    Posts
    1,097

    Re: Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)

    This is from 1996 in Albuquerque. A note blew against my fence so I staged a ghost photo to suit. It provided lots of entertainment for my neighbors who were having a front yard BBQ at the time. This is scanned from the print. (The house was built in 1883 so a little ghostliness was in order.)

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Lancaster001.jpg 
Views:	72 
Size:	174.1 KB 
ID:	165328

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    68

    Re: Spirit Photography (Post Your Ghost!)

    From Battery GodfreyClick image for larger version. 

Name:	Ghost,BatteryGodfrey.jpg 
Views:	71 
Size:	145.9 KB 
ID:	165400

Similar Threads

  1. 1st Post - LF Portrait Photography Biz
    By carlaf in forum Business
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 3-Aug-2010, 13:18
  2. NPR Post on Landscape Photography
    By Steve Hamley in forum On Photography
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 13-Oct-2009, 12:50
  3. Wwhat Is Post Modernism In Photography?
    By REBECA in forum On Photography
    Replies: 41
    Last Post: 31-May-2002, 03:36

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •