Avoiding false positives in paranormal photos

A strange image is not automatically evidence. Cameras are machines with limits, and low light pushes those limits hard.

The best photo review starts by protecting the original file. Keep the unedited version, note the device, and avoid cropping away the context that might explain the image.

Check the scene

Look for mirrors, windows, shiny paint, polished stone, water, metal, glass cabinets, phone screens, torches, and car headlights.

If possible, recreate the shot from the same position with the same light sources. A repeatable reflection is useful, even if it ruins the mystery.

Check the camera

Dust, insects, rain, breath vapour, lens smears, rolling shutter, autofocus hunting, and long exposure can all create shapes that look intentional.

Compression and social-media resizing can add blocks, halos, and edge artefacts. Review the original file before judging a screenshot.

Check the story around it

Ask what was photographed before and after the image, whether anyone saw the anomaly in person, and whether similar images were captured nearby.

Share photo claims as questions when the context is incomplete. The community is better at review when it is invited to investigate, not pressured to agree.