Don’t you want the evidence that is collected that may document paranormal activity to be rigorously examined? Isn’t the point of all the investment in equipment, the work of investigating, and the hours spent analyzing results to produce something that stands scrutiny?

The book Orbs or Dust? A Practical Guide to False-Positive Evidence by Kenneth Biddle should be be a tool of every paranormal investigator. Mr Biddle has written this book which can help anyone determine what paranormal evidence (photo, video, and EVP) has a natural explanation and what might really be authentic.

The book is 82 pages long, has 81 photographs and is self-published by Mr Biddle copyright 2007.

The book first starts out giving the reader some basic photography basics. Not knowing much about photography other than “point and shoot”, I appreciated the clear explanations of shutter speed, depth of field, and some discussion on the basic features of today’s digital camera.

Orbs or Dust? A Practical Guide to False-Positive Evidence continues on tackling common paranormal activity that appear in photos – orbs, the vortex, light streaks, ectoplasmic mist, and apparitions. Mr Biddle does an excellent job explaining how all of these effects can easily be explained having a natural cause.

The tome includes a chapter on video footage including the use of thermal imagery. The Ghost Hunters use that type of camera often and we here at Spectral Review have questioned it’s results on at least one occasion. The chapter includes some interesting points which coincide with the doubts we have had about that particular equipment and how it was used.

The book also has a chapter on EVP collection with some good tips on their proper collection for investigators.

An appendix is included with an article entitled “Digital Photography has lost its last Bit of Credibility”. The article points out how via software digital photography can be manipulated. Being in the computer science field for the “day job”, I knew this vulnerability existed.

By far the coolest thing about the book are the “experiments” you can try yourself to duplicate the particular effects that the book is discussing. Here is a vortex trying to get our sleeping puppy Jack!

Of course it’s just the camera strap getting in the way which explains most appearances of the vortex in photos.

I highly recommend that you pick up this book. Whether you are a paranormal investigator or you are just interested in the paranormal like I am, this book is invaluable. As Mr Biddle tells us in his introduction:

…it is NOT a book to debunk EVERY claim of the paranormal. I’m not trying to say that ghosts don’t exist…far from it…I’m just trying to help cut down on a lot of the misinformation out there. In order to move this field of study ahead, we need to start setting higher standards for the evidence we accept.

I couldn’t agree more.

One last thing – we discovered the book by listening to a radio interview of Mr Biddle on the Ghost Divas. We recommend you listen to the interview also.

Orbs or Dust? A Practical Guide to False-Positive Evidence can be purchased on the authors PIRA Shoppe Paranormal Books & Goodies web site.