INVESTIGATIVE PERMISSION AND EVIDENCE RELEASE FORM

Hi Folks, Allen Tiller from Eidolon Paranormal here, I thought I would make available to those who need it, an example of an evidence release form that is similar to the one my teams use. Please feel free to download or copy and paste it, insert your details and use it for your team (or make changes as necessary).

INVESTIGATIVE PERMISSION AND EVIDENCE RELEASE FORM <EXAMPLE>

<TEAM NAME>

INVESTIGATIVE PERMISSION AND EVIDENCE RELEASE FORM
PERMISSION TO INVESTIGATE:
I, _________________________________, hereby allow <INSERT TEAM NAME>to investigate and research alleged Paranormal Activity at the following site location: __________________________________________________ , on this date of __________________ . I understand that I, _________________________________, am not responsible for any unforeseen physical injury or accident occurring during the course of an investigation.

EVIDENCE RELEASE:

<INSERT TEAM NAME> understands and respects the confidentiality of this arrangement and will not post, advertise or share our findings without your explicit permission. The form below itemises the scope of evidence and your subsequent permission for release. This encompasses all photo, video, audio and supplemental documentation pertaining to a particular investigation. In addition to permitting the release of said evidence, we also need your authorisation to share these findings. If you do not want us to publicise our results, we will most definitely respect your decision.

Select all that apply below:

o I release all photographic evidence collected on the premises.
o I release all auditory evidence collected on the premises.
o I release all video evidence collected on the premises.
o I release all documentation pertaining to this investigation.
o I release all information/evidence collected to be publicised (including websites).
o I release all the names of clients or witnesses involved.
o I release all names of clients or witnesses involved to be publicised (including websites).

I have read this agreement, understand it, and sign it voluntarily as my own free act and deed; no oral representations, statements or inducements, apart from the foregoing written agreement, have been made.

I am of legal age (18 years or older) and fully competent and I execute this release for full, adequate, and complete consideration fully intending to be bound by same.
CLIENT’S NAME: __________________________ SIGNATURE: _______________________ DATE:
WITNESS'S NAME: _________________________ SIGNATURE: _______________________ DATE:

TERMS OF SERVICE (T.O.S.) / DISCLAIMER FORM

G'day folks Allen Tiller here, founder of Eidolon Paranormal. I thought I would make available to ghost hunting teams an example of a Terms of Service/Disclaimer form similar to one I have used with my team in regard to investigating historic public locations.

Feel free to copy and paste it as a template, insert your own team's details and use it in your own investigations!

TERMS OF SERVICE (T.O.S.) / DISCLAIMER FORM <EXAMPLE>

<INSERT TEAM NAME>

TERMS OF SERVICE (T.O.S.) / DISCLAIMER FORM

I, _________________________________, understand that <INSERT TEAM NAME> is a non-profit paranormal investigation group located in <INSERT STATE>. <INSERT TEAM NAME> independent research of alleged paranormal activity does not require payment or donations.

I understand that <INSERT TEAM NAME> utilise scientific methodologies to determine the validity of alleged Paranormal Activity. <INSERT TEAM NAME> do not employ ritualistic techniques such as medium-ship or exorcisms to “remove spirits”. Furthermore, I understand that <INSERT TEAM NAME> is not responsible for the removal, treatment or cessation of the alleged paranormal phenomena or activity.

I understand that all members of <INSERT TEAM NAME> are proficient and capable individuals that will handle each experience with the utmost professionalism. I also understand <INSERT TEAM NAME> right to immediately terminate or suspend an investigation at any time during the course of their engagement if they deem ay risk or injury to themselves or others at an investigation location.
I understand that at the end of an investigation, all experiences, evidence and documentation are presented to me, the client, and I will be given the opportunity to re-evaluate my opinion in regard to public evidence release. 

I understand <INSERT TEAM NAME> investigative methods and professional conduct towards evidence collection, documentation, review and presentation. If any follow-up investigation is required or warranted, <INSERT TEAM NAME> team members will make themselves available in the future

As my own free act and deed; no oral representations, statements or inducements, apart from the foregoing written agreement, have been made by myself.
I am of legal age (18 years or older) and fully competent and I execute this release for full, adequate, and complete consideration fully intending to be bound by same.

CLIENT’S NAME: ___________________ SIGNATURE: _________________ DATE:
WITNESS'S NAME: _________________ SIGNATURE: __________________ DATE:

INVESTIGATORS PRESENT:
SIGNATURE: ___________________________ ROLE: _______________ DATE: _______
SIGNATURE: ___________________________ ROLE: _______________ DATE: _______
SIGNATURE: ___________________________ ROLE: _______________ DATE: _______
SIGNATURE: ___________________________ ROLE: _______________ DATE: _______

Formication – Feelings of Cobwebs on the Skin

Formication – Feelings of Cobwebs on the Skin

Some people report the sensation of feeling as though they have just walked through a cobweb, only to find no cobweb present.

 This is a common sensation felt by many ghost hunters in the paranormal community. The explanation expressed from experienced ghost hunters is that the sensation is caused by an ion change in the atmosphere, but there is no empirical data to verify this claim.

However, psychology explains the phenomenon as Formication (sometimes known as Paraesthesia), which is sometimes called a tactile hallucination. It is most commonly known as a feeling of bugs walking on or under the skin. In more recent times it has been reported as the sensation of one’s mobile phone vibrating in a pocket against the skin when no phone is present. [1]

Formication is also a common side-effect of amphetamine usage with many heavy users reporting instances of it. Sometimes referred to as “meth-mites”, formication can lead to sores, gouges in the skin and ulcers. The wounds come from the drug user picking, scratching or digging at their skin trying to remove the imaginary insects they feel walking across their body.[2]

Formication can sometimes be experienced in other ways, such as skin itching, pins and needles, tingling sensations.  It is also claimed that sometimes the cause can be static electricity, but in most cases of Formication, there are no physical triggers for the sensation.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2018

---

[1] Tim Jewell & Timothy Leg PhD, (2017), Formication, Healthline Red, https://www.healthline.com/health/formication

[2] Jerome Litt M.D, (2009) Formication: So What’s Bugging You?,  Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/odd-curious-and-rare/200911/formication

Kristen Luman: Ghost Mine

Kristen Lumen

One woman in a haunted gold mine, with a bunch of gruff looking blokes, explosives and ghosts, who would've thought that would be a Television show concept that production companies would go for?

Whoever pitched the idea, and made it happen, Bravo to you, because, as it turned out, the show was immensely popular among the paranormal show viewing audiences, and introduced a new female lead, that would inspire many young women to look towards paranormal investigation as a hobby, a way of life, or a profession.

Kristen Lumen, the flame-haired investigator of Ghost Mine, earned herself a BA in Psychology from Portland State University, from which she focused her studies on Paranormal Psychology and Human Development.

She has also worked as a model and an actress before landing the role on Ghost Mine

In an interview with Russell Dickson of “News Blaze” (of which you can read the entire interview via the link at the bottom of the page), Kristen speaks of her interest in the paranormal as a child and young girl.
 


Kristen Lumen: “I was just really fascinated as a child. I was the little girl at the slumber parties trying to convince the other girls to play with Ouija boards and hold séances. I constantly read books about the paranormal to the point of worrying my Mom. I first started doing investigations in college while taking a parapsychology course”
Kristen studied at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute where she became a certified hypnotherapist and also became a member of the American Hypnosis Association, from these beginnings she went on to study Pain Management and Energy Healing. Kristen is also a strong believer in the power of thought and belief, that through belief, one can achieve what they desire (Known as the Eriksonian school of thought)

Links

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kristen-Luman-Ghost-Mine/584459278237904

http://www.syfy.com/ghostmine

http://www.kristenluman.com/

https://twitter.com/KristenLuman1

http://newsblaze.com/story/20131116130823rus1.nb/topstory.html

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwpxaUePVFh7HkSasUKdlZg

© 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

All content on “Eidolon Paranormal & The Haunts of Adelaide” sites, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012, 2013, 2014

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photos used here on this site are sourced from The State Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

As In Life, As In Death - A Paranormal Theory

 

As In Life, As In Death

A Paranormal Theory

by

Allen Tiller

“David was a grumpy old man, he'd spent 40 years working in poor conditions in a factory for minimum wage, spent his life living in public housing, never being able to afford a house of his own. His children had grown up with hand me down clothing as money was tight. This led to complications with his marriage, which ended in divorce.

Even as a young man, David was always in a bad mood, the world around him got him down. He got no happiness from sport, no satisfaction from work or family and eventually, died a miserable old coot with no friends...”

Now, I have a question for you, Constant readers, If “David” from my story above lived a miserable life, and was generally a sad miserable person, would he be released from his anguish and be a happy man in the after-world, or would he be as in life?

It is an interesting question and one I have pondered upon for quite some time. Firstly let's remove religious bliss, things like going to Heaven and receiving forgiveness from this equation, and focus purely on the soul of the man that has shed his dense earthly skin.

So now David is a Ghost, he looks much like he did, he sounds much like he did.... does that mean he is the same “soul” he was when he was alive?

It is my wager that he indeed is exactly the same person, just without the dense human vessel around him.

Now, let's leave David to his misery and change the focus of emotion to something a bit darker, let's say, Anger.

Same scenario, but I'll name our Angry character "Susan".

Now Susie has been angry her whole life, and, if my theory is correct, is angry in Death.

New people move into Susie's house after her passing, she doesn’t like them much (she doesn’t like anyone much), and begins to cause trouble, little things at first, slowly building as her anger builds...

Soon the new occupants are worried and call in a paranormal investigation team.

The team begins their investigation, and Susie becomes even angrier as these strangers start asking inane questions of her...she scratches one of the investigators to get her point across...

Now, constant reader, You are that investigator, and you know nothing of Susie in life...do you jump to the conclusion of angry ghost lady, or do you jump to something “demonic”?

My belief is most would jump to the demonic theory and not even contemplate an Angry Susie ghost, this is partly because of the current trend of TV shows that come to the “demonic” theory all too quickly, partly because of the movie industry (think “The Exorcist, Amityville) and maybe a little bit of presumption on my part.

It is my belief that as we are now, we are the same person after death, of course, this is just my own personal theory, and may not apply to every living person, I imagine someone in intense physical pain, or with a degenerative disease, such as Alzheimer’s may be freed from their affliction in death, and become negative or positive, depending on their outlook, and return to something like their old self – but who is to say really? As with all things in the paranormal world, it is just a theory and probably opens more questions as to what is possible...

It is, however, constant reader, my goal to get you thinking about such theories, and hopefully adding your views, thoughts or questions to the discussion about this article in the Eidolon Paranormal forums found on our website at www.eidolonparanormal.com.au – I look forward to reading your comments (but please keep the negativity to a minimum)

- Allen Tiller

© 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

All content on “Eidolon Paranormal & The Haunts of Adelaide” sites, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012, 2013, 2014

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photos used here on this site are sourced from The State Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

 

Religious Protection - Part One

Religious Protection

Here we are offering information on Religious and Spiritual protection remedies used on ghost hunt expeditions, or in your own home.

We do not vouch for the validity of any of the protection suggestions having basis in scientific fact, or actually working - We offer them here purely for entertainment value and will not be held responsible for any resulting outcome, whether good or bad.

These will not be in depth philosophical statements on religion, or why and how faith works. The information on this page is a brief summary of some of the religious and spiritual prayers that we have come across in our time working in the paranormal community.

Prayers to Saints

Many paranormal teams offer prayers to God, Jesus or Saints before and after an investigation. You may have seen such noted investigators as the team from "Paranormal State" offering such prayers before each and every investigation.

Here are some of the prayers we have come across used by investigators

Short Prayer for Protection

The light of God surrounds us,
The love of God enfolds us,
The power of God protects us,
The presence of God watches over us,
Wherever we are, God is,
And where God is, all is well.St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, St. John,
Like unto the prophet Jonas, as a type of Christ,
Who was guarded for three days and
Three nights in the belly of a whale,
Thus shall the Almighty God,
As a Father, guard and protect me from all evil.

Protect my Journey

In the name of God I go on this journey.
May God the Father be with me,
God the Son protect me, and
God the Holy Ghost be by my side.
Whoever is stronger than these three persons
May approach my body and my life; yet
Whoso is not stronger than these three
Would much better let me be!

Prayer for Protection Against Curses, Harm, Accidents

Lord Jesus,

I ask You to "protect" our Family (whom I mention by name) from sickness,

from all harm and from accidents.

If any of us has been subjected to any curses, hexes or spells,

I declare these curses, hexes or spells null and void in the name of Jesus Christ.

If any evil spirits have been sent against us,

I decommission you in the name of Jesus Christ and I send you to Jesus to deal with as He will.

Then, Lord, I ask You to send Your holy angels to guard and protect all of us.

Holy Water

Obtained from any Catholic church for a small donation, holy water is a well known religious symbol in the removal of possessions, it is also well known in the battle against vampires - how many vampire movies have you seen where they don't use it?

Once you have obtained your holy water, place it in a bowl small enough to carry - go to the entrance ways of your house and dip your fingers into the water - make a sign of the cross in the doorway.

Some people might add a prayer to this ritual, something like "Lord please protect this house " or " I banish all evil spirits from this house, in the name of The Lord, Jesus Christ"...

After doing the entrance doors, do all the doors and window in the house, the basement and attic if you have them as well or if you are not comfortable doing this yourself, you can ask your local Catholic priest to come and bless your house for you

Holy Water is a powerful spiritual armour.  St. Teresa of Avila, whose temptations were as terrible as anyone’s, has left us these wise words of counsel:  

   “I have found by experience that there is nothing from which the devils fly more quickly than from Holy Water.  They also fly from the Cross, but they return almost immediately.  Certainly, the power of Holy Water must be great; for my part, my soul feels particular comfort in taking it, and very generally a refreshment and interior delight which I cannot express.”   

  Long before St. Teresa of Avila, Holy Water was a sacramental in the Catholic Church.  Water, which as a symbol of purification held a high place in biblical times, has retained its rich symbolism. 

Red Door

In Catholicism, the red door on a chapel symbolized the blood of Christ, and other martyrs, to signify that the ground beyond the door (inside the church) was holy, and a sanctuary from physical and spiritual evils.

In Ireland, front doors are painted red to ward-off ghosts and evil spirits.

St. Michael Prayer

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,
by the Divine Power of God,
cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls

Original - Prayer to St. Michael

“O Glorious Prince of the heavenly host, St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the battle and in the terrible warfare that we are waging against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the evil spirits. Come to the aid of man, whom Almighty God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of Satan.

“Fight this day the battle of the Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in Heaven. That cruel, ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal perdition souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon pours out, as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity.

“These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where the See of Holy Peter and the Chair of Truth has been set up as the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be.

“Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defence against the malicious power of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly find mercy in the sight of the Lord; and vanquishing the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.

V. Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers.
R. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered the root of David.
V. Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.
R. As we have hoped in Thee.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as supplicants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin Immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious St. Michael the Archangel, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all the other unclean spirits who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of souls. Amen.”

© 2007 - 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

All content on “Eidolon Paranormal & The Haunts of Adelaide” sites, blog and corresponding media pages (eg Facebook, twitter etc) is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any means or process without the written permission of the author. © 2012, 2013, 2014

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Somphotos's used here on this site are sourced from The State Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

Goosebumps: Paranormal Phenomena or Natural Reaction

GOOSEBUMPS
Paranormal Phenomena or Natural Reaction

By

Allen Tiller 

Goosebumps, those odd feeling little prickly bumps that rise on our skin from time to time, have become a recent “Ghost Hunting” sensation, due to a paranormal television show claiming they are a reaction to “energy” or “spirits” present in the area the team are in....but what are they really? And are they paranormal?

Goosebumps is a reflex action called “Piloerection”

Piloerection is also known as “Horripilation” and “Pilometer Reflex”, or as its medical term, “cutis anserina“ it occurs in not just humans, but many other mammals as well.

Goosebumps can be brought about by cold breezes or emotions, such as awe, pleasure, fear and nostalgia, many people feel it when daydreaming, or when listening to a favourite piece of music.

Animals use Piloerection to make themselves look larger when they feel threatened. Ever seen the “hackles” on your dog? That’s piloerection too!

http://www.healthyheating.com/ 

  

Wikipedia states the following:

Goosebumps are created when tiny muscles at the base of each hair, known as arrectores pilorum, contract and pull the hair erect. The reflex is started by the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for many fight-or-flight responses.

As a response to cold: in animals covered with fur or hair, the erect hairs trap air to create a layer of insulation. Goosebumps can also be a response to anger or fear: the erect hairs make the animal appear larger, in order to intimidate enemies. This can be observed in the intimidation displays of chimpanzees, in stressed mice and rats, and in frightened cats. In humans, it can even extend to piloerection as a reaction to hearing nails scratch on a chalkboard, listening to awe-inspiring music, or feeling or remembering strong and positive emotions (e.g., after winning a sports event).

So why is it called a “Goosebump”?

Basically, it is because the goosebump looks like the pimply skin of a plucked goose...

The alternate name for goose-bumps is goose-flesh. The Germans use an almost identical term Gaensehaut (gooseskin) and the Italians say pelle d'oca ( goose-skin). All of these draw from the appearance of a goose when it has been plucked.

So is it paranormal or natural?

It is a natural phenomenon and not paranormally linked in any other way than a natural reaction to one's surroundings, “fight or flight” instincts and heightened senses due to fear.

Videos with more information

References

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrector_pili_muscle>

<http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6842>.

<http://www.syncrat.com/7jn>.

© 2007 - 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

EXIF FILES - What Are They, and How To Access Them?

EXIF FILES - What Are They, and How To Access Them?

Recently it has been brought to my attention that the term "EXIF File" is being thrown around by paranormal teams and investigators, without any real explanation of what it is, what it does, and how it is used. I thought I would take it upon myself to explain to you, Constant Reader, what an EXIF file is, and what it does.

EXIF data can also be found in other photo file formats, these are "RAW" (associated with DSLR) and "TIFF" formats, we may discuss these at a later point.

 The reason behind its prolific use of late has to do with accusations from some sectors of the paranormal community in regards to teams "faking" photographs of ghosts.

EXIF Files are very useful in finding out certain information from when the photo was taken, and if it has been tampered with electronically, this is not by any means infallible information, as you will see as we get further into this research and discussion.

- Allen Tiller

What does EXIF mean?

 The Acronym "EXIF" stands for   "Exchangeable Image File Format"

So What is it?

EXIF is a non-industry-approved standard that was created by the "Japanese Electronic Industries Development Association" to capture data associated with tagging aspects of Smart Phones, Digital Cameras, Scanners, and Audio associated with these media types. It can also capture Geo-location data via satellite in certain smartphones and newer cameras.

The stored information can include but is not limited to,  shutter speeds, date and time a photo was taken, focal length, exposure compensation, metering pattern, and if a flash was used. This is what is known as a "meta tag".

So who uses it?

 Professional Photographers often examine their EXIF data to compare two or three photos taken in succession, as one photo may be considered "successful" whereas two others may not. This gives the photographer visual clues as to what may have gone wrong with the "unsuccessful" photos, allowing one to adjust or compensate in future photographic shoots.

 Paranormal Investigators are often flooded with photos from the public asking "What is it in this photo?", a vast majority of the public is honestly unaware of what an image could be, but there is that small percentage that fake a photo to try and catch an investigator out. This is where EXIF data can be utilised by the investigator to determine if tampering or photo-shopping has been done to the photo, it can also expose the current trend of phone APPs that create ghost images - however, as I said in my opening paragraph, it is not infallible.

So how do I see it?

 To view your EXIF file data you have a few options, the software that came with your digital camera should allow you to view the data. You can also find EXIF web browser plug-ins online, photo editing and organizing programs usually have an option for viewing as well.

 You will find in different programs different terminology used other than EXIF,. In Picasa the term "Photo Information" is used, whereas in Flikr it is referenced as "Properties"

Most Internet Browsers have plug-ins available that will allow you to view the EXIF data of photos posted online. This is useful if you are interested in examining different aspects of photography, or want to improve your own technique.

This link will take you to a site that shows a variety of different EXIF data from various camera makers

 http://www.exif.org/samples.html

Does it have drawbacks?

 Yes, here is a brief sample of drawbacks associated with EXIF data sourced from Wikipedia

   - The Exif standard specifically states that colour depth is always 24 bits. However, many modern cameras, such as the Nikon D70 which captures 36 bits of colour per pixel, can capture significantly more. Since Exif/DCF files cannot represent this colour depth, many manufacturers have developed proprietary, non-compatible Raw image formats.

   - Exif is very often used in images created by scanners, but the standard makes no provisions for any scanner-specific information.

  - There is no way to record time-zone information along with the time, thus rendering the stored time ambiguous.

You stated earlier that EXIF files are not infallible, how so?

 I  always check the EXIF file of any photo sent to me, it allows me to see what settings the camera was on, this is valuable information, as often cameras will be set to " night mode" which opens the shutter for a longer period of time. If the camera is focused on a light source, and that light source or the camera itself moves at any point in the duration of the open shutter, the light will have a streak effect or a glowing effect. Many people mistake this for ghosts, spirits or other phenomena. 

 I also check to see if a photo has been made on an APP, like the infamous ghost making APPS found on Apple's I-Tunes :

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/ghost-capture/id349479650?mt=8

The truth is EXIF data can be altered, changed, lost or deleted, and rather easily too, with a variety of programs available to do so. Here are some links with information about changing EXIF data:

http://www.photosurfer.com/fix-enhance/24/how-to-edit-meta-data-or-add-information-meta-tags-to-photos.aspx 

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Graphic/Digital-Photo-Tools/Exif-Date-Changer.shtml

Adobe Lightroom 3:

 http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Lightroom/3.0/Using/WS57264460-DC72-4a1f-A665-1E90907A9FFD.html

So as you can see EXIF data is not infallible and not really a valid argument when accusing another of faking a photo, because the reality is, you can never be 100% certain the data is or isn't correct. I normally recommend to all budding paranormal investigators to forget the photography and go with the video, as photography gives you an image and no data, no start and finish point, whereas video gives you a start point, an action point and an endpoint, allowing for better examination of a phenomenon represented by the images - but, video is also fraught with so many possibilities for tampering, editing and faking....but we'll leave that for a later discussion!

Researched & Written by

Allen Tiller