"Top Eleven" Ghost Hunting No-No's

  11. "Investigating" Cemeteries

  10. Charging for Investigations

  9. Using Ouija Boards

  8. Not Doing Your Homework

  7. Trespassing

  6. Gadgets! Gadgets! Gadgets!

  5. Smoking During an Indoor Hunt

  4. Over eagerness

  3. Not Being Able to Recognize

      Common Camera Errors

  2. Believing those stupid ass TV Shows are real!

    ...And the Number One No-No of

                  Ghost Hunting:

  1. DIGITAL CAMERAS!!

                    Explanations

11. "Investigating" Cemeteries... I've put "investigating" in quotes, because the use of the term investigating or investigation is far overly used and misunderstood in this field. An investigation is a fact finding mission that answers the questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

Merely going to a cemetery to take pictures is not an investigation!There are no answers to be found. Most will tell you a good place to start out, is by going to local cemeteries at night...

For one, cemeteries close at dusk. Trespassing is still illegal and will get you into a boat load of trouble.

Two, "Grave Stomping" is Disrespectful to the grounds and families.

And Three, it doesn't prove a damn thing!

How many times I've heard people talk about, "We investigated a cemetery last weekend....", I'll ask them, what did they find out? They're stumped by that. They cannot for the life of them answer that question. Then they get mad when I tell them they were just sight seeing, and didn't accomplish anything.

Big deal, they got an "orb" or two, they still didn't answer any of the required questions to conduct a proper investigation, and they are unable to discern if their "orbs" were bugs or dust. Another thing is, is going when its cold outside. Let's use a little common sense here just for a second. All the "ecto" photos they have are very close to the camera, not ten or twenty feet away, so they shot their breath...

Just stay out of cemeteries period, unless you're going to pay your respects to a loved one, and do it during normal visiting hours...

10. Charging for Investigations.... How does one honestly put a price on something like this? Is there a going rate?

There are a few out there that will ask for money to "Cover Expenses" or will ask for donations to go toward their "research". That's ridiculous. These so called Cleansers and such that charge exorbitant fees offer no guarantees, or proof of what they claim they've accomplished. Organizations that ask for donations for their cause, are too lazy to get day jobs, and should be incarcerated for scamming.

Beware of any "Ghost Hunting" website that has PayPal...You shouldn't accept any payment from anybody what so ever!!...If your client offers to pay for film processing, graciously decline, and offer them copies and honest explanations if you get anything. You'll make lasting friends in these people, for you've just shown them that you are sincere in your endeavors, and not out to make a fast buck.

9. Using Ouija Boards....What can it hurt, right? It's just game, isn't it?No, it isn't....For every success story using a Ouija Board, there are a thousand nightmare stories.

It depends on the user's intent, doesn't it?....Nope, when you "call upon" a spirit to communicate through a board, its like an open invitation for anyone or anything to come through. I liken it to living on the ground floor in the worst part of town, and not having a front door...you never know what will come wandering in.

My partner and I have been to many private residences where playing with a board was the evening's entertainment at a teenage slumber party. The residents tell us, "Everything was o.k. up until then. Then things started happening around here." This is one time where I will just say, don't question it...just leave them alone.

8.Not Doing Your Homework.... Meaning not being able to answer questions accurately and honestly. Not being able to conduct a proper investigation by doing follow-ups and being able to actually identify the spirit in question through record searches, or find a rational or natural explanation for any odd occurrences, such as animals in the attic, banging water pipes, trapped pockets of air, or unlevel hinges that make doors open by themselves. Not being able to analyze photos for errors and accidents.
Just the simple things that are expected of you when you get a call to check out a house.

7. Trespassing....Do not go into cemeteries or abandoned buildings because you're bored. Not only is this very illegal, but dangerous. Use some common sense.

6. Gadgets! Gadgets! Gadgets!....See the section of the same title. All the toys out there that claim to make you the world's greatest ghost hunter, are only making someone else rich. Save your money for better things. Learn to develop your own natural abilities. The gizmos out there cannot provide names, dates, and events likeyour own insight can.

5. Smoking During An Indoor Hunt/Investigation....Pretty self-explanatory. Smoke may show up in a photo and ruin any good chances of getting any genuine results.

4. Over eagerness.... This goes back to not doing your homework first. You just can't jump into this with blazing enthusiasm, without having a general knowledge of the subject first.

Shakespeare said, "Iron bars, does not a prison make."  Well, "Running out to the nearest cemetery or local urban legend with a trunk load of gear, does not a ghost hunter make." ~Dr. Ken~

3. Not Being Able To Recognize Common Camera Errors.... Tons and tons of photos on the net are misleading because, they are nothing more than everyday camera "whoopses" that happen to everybody. It's no big deal, until someone makes a big deal out of it. Learn the ins and outs of basic photography...what causes Lens Flare, how to identify camera straps by the weave pattern in so many "vortex", etc.

2. Believing those stupid ass TV Shows are real!.... I can't name names, but you know which ones I'm talking about...the "ghost hunting reality shows". There is absolutely NO reality to these at all!! Fact of the matter is, if there was a show that showed how it's REALLY done, it would be the most boring thing on television, and nobody would watch. Ergo - no sponsors, no merchandizing, no drama, no terror, no panicking, no hokey 'evidence', no one to ride the coattails of the people on the show, and above all...no money!!

I have it on good authority that these shows are, for the most part, SET UP. Its all about ratings, and again...MAKING MONEY FROM YOU!!

These shows should start out with a disclaimer, "FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!!", and be taken for what they really are...television en-ter-tain-ment!!

If anything SHOULD be learned from these cheezy wastes of air time, is how NOT to do things.

...And the Number One No-No of Ghost Hunting...

1. DIGITAL CAMERAS.... This new boon to the cause is more of a curse than a blessing. Too many inner workings of the cameras themselves cause false positive artifacts, that have too many kicking up their heels because they "got something". If the lighting in a room isn't just right for the camera, it will produce "orbs"...If there is a high amount of dust in the air, the Image Sensor will pick it up, once again producing "orbs"....

(See "Digital Myth" section for in-depth explanations.)

So you see, there is a lot more involved in this than just taking pictures to "Oooo and Ahhh" about.

I believe that if you're going to do something, do it full-fast....not half-fast...

~~~copyright 2004 Dr. Ken

None of this material may be used without
the written consent of Dr. Ken