"This was taken a week or two ago [early 2012] in a flat in Oxford, U.K.," says Tom. "It's a friend of mine. Freaked him out when he saw it."
Many ghost researchers refer to anomalies like this in photos as "ecto" or ectoplasm, although that's probably not what it is at all. In some cases this smoky stuff turns out to be just that -- smoke, usually from a cigarette. Other times it might be caused by fog or vapor from a person's breath in chilly weather. Still other times the source or cause isn't so easy to pin down.
Occasionally, this "ecto" takes on an eerie form, such as in Tom's photo here. We cannot say for certain what has caused this formation, but the possibilities are:
- Smoke, as from a cigarette
- Breath vapor
- Fog (although it's indoors)
- A digital (Photoshop) creation or manipulation - a complete hoax
- A thought form
- A genuine apparition
Smoke and naturally occurring fog and vapor can and do accidentally create these forms that we interpret as faces and other shapes. In this case, however, because the face is so eerily "perfect," I am guessing that this is digital creation.
My apologies, Tom, if this is not the case... and my admiration for a job well done if it is.
What do you think? A spooky accident? Hoax? Thought form? Or do you think this might be a genuine apparition?
