I have seen many times what people describe as "Phantom Photographers"
Especially when I was younger, flashes of light that would originate outside my window getting brighter and brighter, then would flash directly in front of my face.
For years I thought I was seeing things, maybe it was a form of sleep induced halucination.
That changed however when I spent the night with a lady friend. We in bed, when I began to see the flashes again outside her window. She was half asleep, and didn't see anything. Then, one of the flashes originated from inside the room, and I saw our shadows cast on the wall....she saw it too.
Then there was one more flash in front of HER face....then it stopped.
I have only seen the flashes again once, when I got out of a friends car, and a bright flash came from a few yards away down the street.
It scared the crap outta me haha and hasn't been back since.

I'm confused(not the hardest thing in the world to do to me), what kind of "Cryptid" are you describing here.....I've never heard of this phenomenon.