Infrared -vs- Color And Black & White And Their Affects on Video & Photographs

One of the most commonly asked questions I receive is, “Why do most investigations take place at night or when it’s dark? Why not during the day?” So what exactly do you tell the inquiring mind?

I have heard different answers, some such as, “Most paranormal activity occurs between 9pm & 6am, thus increasing the chances for activity to happen more at night than during the day hours.” I’ve also heard, “Because the recording equipment such as camcorders, etc. do better in darkened conditions due to their infrared capabilities, (the ability to see in the dark).” Does this mean that paranormal activity cannot happen or be recorded during time when there is greater amounts of light, like during the day? Not at all!! You may however notice a difference in the amounts of recorded anomalies you collect. You may find your chances will be increased during those times when it is dark & the infrared is used.

So What Exactly Is Infrared? ( IR )

As mentioned above, infrared allows one the ability to “see in the dark”, but by dictionary definition, it is defined as:
in·fra·red [ìnfrə réd] portion of invisible spectrum: the portion of the invisible electromagnetic spectrum consisting of radiation with wavelengths in the range 750 nm to 1 mm, between light and radio waves
infrared radiation .

What Affect Does Infrared Have on Video?

First off, if you decide to record video in darkened conditions, its obvious you definitely need to have a light source which will enable the camera to record your images or specific area. Infrared can be the perfect source of light for the invisible spectrum but only if used in proper amounts. There are times when too much infrared can wash out your area of view but with too little infrared, the area of view will be too dark & view range not clear enough.

It has been my experience that most recorded anomalies seem to “self-illuminate” on their own within the IR spectrum. If too much IR is applied or the IR field is too strong, the anomaly appears to be “washed out” where it cannot be seen that well. A decent example of this is in a recorded video clip that we have here below.   Video Clip   In this clip, you can see the anomaly start from the left side of the screen, just out of the IR field, then go into the IR field and then back out again, exiting to the right. This anomaly appears to self-illuminate fine on it’s own and can clearly be seen until it reaches the stronger IR field which then “washes” or “fades” it out. It goes in & out of the field of IR, repeating this fade in and fade out process until it goes completely out of the camera’s view all together. You have to have IR in darkness yes, but too much or too little definitely affects the quality of your video & the results of any anomalies recorded as seen here in the video clip.   
 

What Affect Does Infrared Have On Photographs?

Most experienced paranormal researchers and investigators can tell you that true anomalies are rarely captured in photographs while on a location. Perhaps that is why there is such a debate with some over orbs and their legality. I can honestly say that over the years, I have taken thousands and thousands of photographs and most times, only “orbs” will appear. I do believe however, that there are some orbs that are legit, but these depend on the surrounding circumstances when taken and the appearance of the orb itself.

So does infrared really have an effect on photographs? To a degree yes, depending on the anomaly. Infrared seems to capture the light anomalies better than normal color photographs do. I believe it is due to the “self-illumination” that these light anomalies put off, almost the same example that I gave with infrared & video.  I formed my theory on this due to extensive experimentation with an infrared digital camera -vs.- a colored digital camera & colored & black and white 400 speed & above 35mm film. Different anomalies seem to appear with each different type of film used. Let’s take a look at some of the different types of anomalies & the types of photos they show up in.

     Here to the left is an example of a light anomaly taken with infrared photography.  As you can see, the light anomaly actually "self-illuminates" and is definitely out of the direct IR field. 

 

ORBS:

Usually tend to show up in colored & or black and white film. I haven’t yet been able to capture a true orb (and notice how I say “true orb”) with infrared photographs. These orbs seem to appear more readily in the colored & or black and white pictures.  Most times these "orbs" are easily debated and their recreation is easily explained. 

 

MISTS:
Can be captured with both colored & black and white film, but seem to appear more readily in colored photographs. I also haven’t yet been able to capture a mist using infrared photography.  
 

APPARITIONS: FULL & PARTIAL
These have been captured over the years using both colored & black and white photography, but in my experience, not with infrared. Ever wonder why in most photographs or especially in video, an apparition is usually not captured when infrared is used? What makes infrared so different from color or when used in different light conditions? This is a question that I have not yet been able to answer but hope to learn more about it by extending my study a little farther.

 

LIGHT ANOMALIES:
These have shown up in not only infrared, but black and white as well, but rarely in color. What is it about infrared that allows these light anomalies to be recorded easier? Does it have anything to do with the difference in the light spectrum and if so, is this why infrared has been able to record these anomalies better? I truly believe so and think that there should be a lot more research done in this field to help figure out how big a part that infrared has in capturing these light anomalies.

 

All in all, the use of infrared has proven beneficial in researching the paranormal field. Perhaps not all the answers will be presented to us at once, but hopefully in time we will be able to determine a little more about the effects IR has on anomalies and expand our knowledge through experimentation.   My research continues on this subject and hopefully as I learn more, I can add more information to this page.