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| Image 1: (the original photo) Recreated with a smoke test |
Ectoplasm is a term that means a
substance or spiritual energy exteriorized by physical mediums (or a materialization of the dead). Dr.
Thomas (TG) Hamilton was a Canadian doctor that was well know for his
paranormal investigations, and the photographs he took at seances he
held at his home in the early 1900s. His photos of ectoplasm are the
most well known and four of his photos are the focus of this episode.
During the episode, the team takes the
four photos and tries to replicate them. They travel to Dr.
Hamilton's house, where the photos were originally taken, and set up
a darkroom and shooting space. The Fact or Faked photographer uses a
Leica film camera with a Nikon Speedlight, and develops the film and
prints right there after each shooting experiment.
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| Image 2: (the original photo) Recreated with a cotton test |
(You can view the Fact or Faked episode
by checking the SyFy channels schedule for episode 203, or you can
purchase the episode on Amazon for $1.99 (It is not available
on Netflix or Hulu). The episode starts with “Raining UFO's” where
they try to re-create a UFO video and use an IR camera to capture it.
Part 2, on the ectoplasm photos starts around 26:15 of the video.)
In each of the four photo experiments,
the team uses four different materials to recreate the photos. Image
1: Smoke Test; Image 2: Cotton Test; Image 3: Dry Ice Test; Image 4:
Foam Test. After the photos are taken, they compare their photographs
with the originals.
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| Image 3: (the original photo) Recreated with a dry ice test |
It's a fun episode that includes
elements of photography, history, and paranormal myth. So if you're
interested in any of those topics (obviously you are in
photography!), I definitely suggest watching the episode.
Resources and links:
* More about ectoplasm* More about Dr. Hamilton
* SyFy Channel Listing
* Buy the episode on Amazon
Its real
ReplyDeleteBecause something CAN be faked does not mean it IS faked. Does the fact that they stage car accidents in movies mean there are no real car accidents? No, of course not. This is the type of faulty logic professional "skeptics" rely on.
ReplyDeleteI myself am not a believer in these specific photos, but i do belief in ghosts. For a mater of fact, i am Lead-Investigator in a Dutch Ghost Hunting program. But my point: The reason these people do this is to try and find something that definitively cant be hoaxed. Something that will proof to the world there is more then we can see.
ReplyDeleteThey say in the episode that this was done in a very scientific method by TG Hamilton. Even going to say he frisked the members of the seance. Wouldn't he have noticed a cigar? The smell of smoke? Cotton in someone's blouse? How did she get them to coincide with the pictures so perfectly if it was a hoax? Nor did they show the first picture in it's entirety with the smoke going far above her head.
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed with this episode as the other ones they at least give plausible explanations. These were completely overlooked and it was almost like they were trying to be the first to debunk these amazing pictures.