Making Friends With Your IR Camera

Okay, so you finally broke down and bought an Infrared Camera. You’ve spent about $100, and eagerly waited for the delivery of your latest E-Bay bid, and when it arrives you hook it all up (or you think you do) correctly and suddenly you realize you have no clue what you’re doing! Sound familiar? If it doesn’t your definitely one step ahead of me when I first started working with infra-red! When I first hooked up my infra-red camera I thought my bedroom was full of paranormal activity with “orbs” flying around everywhere! Much to my embarrassment I soon realized these “orbs” were simply products of two hyper cats and a man who fails to dust! I do have to admit it freaked me out though ?.

Infra-red picks up much that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Not only would that include possible orbs, but also dust balls, hair, insects, and any other small particles that can drift around a room in a very weak airflow.
As most of us already know, infra-red is hard to define. Here’s a hopefully straightforward definition. Our eyes are very limited in the total darkness. They’re also quite limited in what we see on the color spectrum. Infra red cameras aim in the part of the spectrum we’re unable to see, the infra-red, or deep red, section. Think of a spectrum. We generally see from violet to red, but we can’t see other colors that go beyond that spectrum, both infra-red and ultra-violet. The infra red camera uses the infra red beams to “see” in this band. This imaging makes use of the infrared spectral band. At the short-wavelength end of the boundary is the limit of visual perception, in the deep red. At the long-wavelength end it merges with the microwave radio wavelengths.
In other words, the camera sees what we can’t see in that infra-red band. Since the infra red band is so extreme on the end of the spectrum, the image appears opposite with the lighter being darker and vice-versa. Black looks white. Color cannot be seen on the infra-red image, since there is no “white light” to produce color images and were working beyond the color spectrum. So what you need to know in a nutshell is simply that we can’t see certain things with our own eyes, infra red imaging can see some of those images, and many paranormal researches believe we can catch images on infra-red such as orbs and ghosts.
OK, now that I confused you, let’s see what can be seen with infra-red. Many researchers claim to see orbs on the infra red cam. However, the problem comes when we can’t tell what is an orb and what’s a piece of dust, or cat-hair or an insect, or a reflection. I would advise putting the camera in a room with the door closed and allow about fifteen minutes to let the dust settle. Then watch the monitor to see what happens. If something is just going with a possible current across the camera chances are it’s dust. If it’s brighter and jumps around and acts completely random it may be an orb, but it could be a fly as well. The best bet would be to examine the room where the camera is and check for bugs. You really need to dismiss anything natural before it is deemed “unexplained”.
Some people claim they have had seen full apparitions on the IR monitor. This may be possible, but we have not had any recorded experiences of this as of yet. Personally I have heard stories of this, but no footage. So it may happen. I Hope someday to see this with my own eyes, and get it on tape! One of our guys did see a female figure on the infra red camera, but sadly no other team members saw her. Hopefully we will catch her on tape, but it seems like they can never be recorded!

Finally, one more thing. For some reason, the IR monitor always seems to attract everyone, and quite often several team members will flock to the monitor and just gaze at the screen while chatting slowly increases. Please remember that the IR camera is only one part of the investigation. Try not to focus all your time on just this device. There are plenty of other things involved, and if you choose to (and it’s adaptable) the IR monitor can be hooked up to a VCR and can be viewed at a later time. If it can be recorded, that’s your best bet. If you do have people watch the monitor, have just two, and have them limit their conversations. Conversations can be distracting, and the watchers really need to focus on what they see.

Just remember the IR camera can be used for a variety of purposes, both natural and supernatural. Not only can it monitor a sleeping infant or catch a thief in action, but it can possibly catch some good paranormal footage as well. Just remember it’s only one piece of equipment and it should have its place on an investigation. It’s not the nucleus of an investigation just an equal part like all other pieces of equipment. If you DO get any really interesting experiences on IR, please email me. I would love to hear from you!

-Al Tyas,
Founder, DCMAG

Visit Washington D.C. Metro Area Ghost Watchers

Conact Al Tyas here DC@the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com