Site launched on the 23rd February 2025

Long exposure photography

View of St. Nicholas's Street from the roof of Castle Keep. The long exposure creates light tracks from moving cars. — View of St. Nicholas’s Street from the roof of Castle Keep. The long exposure creates light tracks from moving cars.

Long exposure photography lies behind a lot of alleged paranormal imagery seen on the internet today – whether it be deliberate fakery or lack of knowledge on how the camera they’re using works. Accidental long exposure usually occurs in low-light conditions. In order to take the photograph, the camera in question (if set on automatic settings) will usually compensate for the low light by prolonging the image exposure… ie. instead of a single click and done, the exposure can last seconds or longer.

Long exposure photography captures all movement within a single frame covering the period of time taken. Due to this, assuming the camera is absolutely still (on a tripod or other solid unmoving object), stationary objects will appear sharp and focused but any objects moving during the exposure time may appear blurred, appear to have a ‘movement trail’ or simply appear to be transparent.

Shutter speed

Long exposure hand-held shot deliberately attempting to create an 'apparition' — Long exposure hand-held shot deliberately attempting to create an ‘apparition’

For deliberate long exposure photography, very simply put, the ‘exposure time’ (primary factor is shutter speed) in photography is physically the amount of time the camera requires to take the photograph. The shutter speed can be set on most cameras with manual settings: for example, a Nikon D3300 digital single lense reflex camera has a shutter speed setting of 1/4000th of a second up to 30 seconds. To get a clear image in long exposures, a tripod or other steadying device is often needed. Why? Just think on it. If say, the camera is set on a 30 second shutter speed, then the camera is processing data for the entirety of those 30 seconds: any movement of the camera will show in the final product, usually as blur. This also includes the movement of the camera: even the most miniscule movement will likely show as a blurring of stationary objects, or at the very least reduce quality of what would be clear imagery if the camera was still. This can clearly be seen in the image example to the right showing a semi-transparent hooded figure. This was a makeshift deliberate attempt to create an apparitional image. The location under investigation in 2008 had a previous investigation group attempt to sell them an apparition image from the same room. On being shown the image, I figured it had all the telltale marks of a long exposure, so we recreated it for them. The camera has held as still as possible on a four second exposure time. During that time, a fellow investigator wearing a hoodie walked briefly into the frame, their back illuminated by a light source to the left, then moved rapidly out of the frame, creating the transparent figure seen in the image. Below you can see the results of a long shutter speed when holding the camera:

Below you can see the results of a long shutter speed when holding the camera:

The apparition effect

Long exposures are often used to create the effect of a blurry or transparent figure in a photograph, set within a detailed focused area. The camera is set on a tripod so that the still elements within the frame remain sharp and clear. The figure creating the apparition then walks quickly into the frame for a fraction of the exposure time, stops briefly, then moves quickly out. If movement into the frame is slow, then a blurred trail will form. The longer the person stays still in the frame, the stronger the stronger the figure will be. The slower the movement out of the frame, then again there may be motion blur or trail forms. Another telltale sign of long exposure is the effect the process has on light sources, which often appear bright and diffuse. Below are three examples of ‘apparitions’ created by long exposure:

Lighting effect - will-o'-the-wisps...

In folklore, will-‘o-the-wisps are said to be ghost lights that lead unwitting travellers into danger and death in swamps and over cliffs. Long exposure photography easily replicates the visual ghost light – essentially by utilising a very long exposure, with an investigator then walking across the frame quickly with a light source. Due to the brightness of the torch, the exposure photographs the light in all its positions acoss the frame, while the person holding the torch appears not to be there. This creates the look similar to a dripping light or lightning bolt running across the frame. Its also a process that can be used for ‘light painting’, where shapes can be swirled and painted in the frame with a light – this can often create a light stream that appears to be zipping around the frame. Below are three examples of light effects created by long exposure:

Shadow figures

If positioning of lighting is set correctly, along with contrast and the target figure in strong shadow, long exposure can be used to create images of ‘shadow people’. An example can be seen here:

Camera phones and spontaneous images

So as you can imagine, reading what you have above, when the majority of apparitional photographs are snapped ‘unawares’ by folk on their phones, long exposure can play a heavy role in the images produced. Its very difficult to hold a phone steady when taking photographs with it, and while in normal or bright light conditions that doesn’t really matter, but as soon as low light hits, this can have a massive impact – depending of course on the type of phone you have. For example, my phone has a ‘night’ mode which essentially tries to adjust the shutter speed to create the best image. The phone says to hold it still, so I brace my arm where I can and try to hold still – but no matter what I do, the images produced are never in focus, always with an edge of motion blur.

Double exposure

In film photography, the same process of long exposure can be utilised as described above, but a second method can also be utilised to create transparent ‘apparitions’. This process is double exposure, where one photograph is taken of the scene, but the film is not wound on, and a second photograph is then taken over the same section of film previously exposed. When the film is processed, the images will appear superimposed over each other. If hand held or the camera is moved between shots, it will be obvious as the static elements of both will again be blurred or indistinct. If on a tripod, only the moving images will appear transparent – a good example is the ‘ghost pig’ held in the Tyne and Wear Archives: https://flic.kr/p/7dLLC3.

Historic cases

Spotting long exposures can be tricky. Its a good bet that blurred and/or transparent apparition photos taken in poor lighting will be the result of the process, but in many cases, especially with a skilled photographer, the images can be crystal clear. One telltale giveaway are light sources, especially with older camera types, often creating a halo effect around bright sources.

This simple halo tell-tale sign can go a long way toward exposing (if you’ll pardon the pun) a number of alleged ghost photographs, the most famous of which (that instantly springs to mind) is the Reverend Hardy’s famous staircase ghost image taken in 1966 at Queen’s House, Greenwich. Have a look at the link and see if you notice the telltale sign. Some might argue that the same process can be seen on the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall picture taken by Captain Provand in 1936: The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall.

Notes and conclusions

Question: Can transparent or blurred figures in photography be seen as evidence of spirit manifestation?
Observations: Beyond the first simple issue of the existance of spirits and ghosts having not been yet proven (ie, the question would be moot if spirits and ghosts do not actually exist), then other causal factors must first be examined, primarily the environment in which the photographs are taken and the photographic method used.
Hypothesis: This images are likely caused by long exposure, whether delberate or accidently produced rather than the paranormal or supernatural.
Predictions: That the effect can be produced/replicated on photographs via the long or double exposure methods.
Experiment: Multiple photographs over years in many locations and under different conditions, with tests done on deliberate long exposures with different lighting and focuses.
Analysis and conclusions: The data collected suggests that alleged apparitions caught on camera can be re-created and formed utilising long exposure or double exposure methodologies.
Issues: the main issue with the question over whether blurred/transparent figures appearing on photography can be seen as evidence of spirit manifestation as there is no proof of the existance of ghosts and spirits, and thus no way of actually recording their presence and so their ability to appear on photography.

The phenomena in question can be explained by long exposure and double exposure photographic methods, and can be re-created in the field and also under laboratory conditions. However, as there is no evidence that ghosts and spirits exist, and thus no way of measuring their presence and their effect on photography, the question over whether blurred/transparent figures inphotography being seen as evidence of a spirit manifestion cannot be answered.

Examples

Examples of long exposure imagery