Any tips for a new investigator?

[britt111]

So i started an independent project this summer on paranormal journalism and my team will be investigating 5 allegedly haunted sites around my university. Our first investigation is tonight and I was wondering if I could get any advice from people who have done this before. We'll be working with 2 high-def cameras, a couple different audio recording devices, an emf reader, and assortment of lights including an infrared light. The spirit reported at the site we're going to is reported as being playful and unaggressive.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[JonathanVonErich]

So your first investigation is tonight and you have decided to ask for advices.....tonight !?

You see, that's the problem these days, everybody think they have what it takes to be a paranormal investigator, that all you need is a good camera and an audio recording device. That's why I am now 100% skeptical of every so-called "Ghost Hunters" or "Paranormal investigators", seems like almost all of them are amateurs pretending to be professionals. Because of all these amateurs pretending to be real investigators I am now sick of hearing about ghost huntings and similar so-called investigations, now too many people pretends to be professionals and too many people are "investigating" so-called hauntings just because it's fun and spooky.

This is not a personal attack against you Britt ( good luck with the "investigation" by the way ), but my only advice to you is:

Don't automatically assume that everything you might see/hear is a ghost or a mysterious phenomena, there's always a more down to earth explanation to these alleged "hauntings".

Edited May 24, 2012 by JonathanVonErich

[Royal]

Welcome to UM britt,wish you good hunting,just remember to be very skeptical in what you observe and don't read too much into anything you can't immediatly explain.Although everything can't be explained away, the journey to find the answers is worthwhile and fun.

[Sakari]

Well, if it is tonight, my tips are to late.....

I would say go through this sites topics, and also investigate beyond the " paranormal"....

Research things like how radio waves travel, and what can pick them up, what EMF really is, from electricians, learn about how sound carries in certain environments, and learn about the psychological effects of : ghost hunting " ( fear, suggestive behavior, senses in the dark, and how the brain works in these environments.

That is a start.

[britt111]

I still have four sites left to investigate, so your advice will be used and i appreciate it.

We found a few odd things, but nothing major. As far as remaining skeptical goes, don't worry about that, I try to be the voice of reason as one of my friends who assists me is absolutely terrified of things that might go bump in the night and I often have to talk him down.

I don't claim to be a professional in any manner. I'm just a college student who has an interest in paranormal and thought that this would make a good use of my large amounts of free time this summer.

I love the idea of looking into the psychological effects, its amazing the sensations the brain can create when you firmly believe in anything, and i'm sure it wouldn't be beyond the brains ability to create the feeling of being touched or hearing something. I'll definitely put some research into that.

I do have some experience in the science of sound, but more importantly I have an expert to go to at my university should I find anything suspicious when reviewing the recordings.

Thanks for your help.

[CakeOrDeath]

Hi there. I have a couple of good starting tips for you.

1 - ask around and do some research as to what time these sightings occured, don't assume they were "late night" alot of "sightings" and hauntings occur during daylight.

2 - if you insist on investigating at night, don't go "lights out" there is absolutely no reason to, and it will only hinder data collection.

[Keel M.]

How much history research have you done for each site? Have you looked into any reports by the EPA on the area?

And why so late?

[Ecto76]

So i started an independent project this summer on paranormal journalism and my team will be investigating 5 allegedly haunted sites around my university. Our first investigation is tonight and I was wondering if I could get any advice from people who have done this before. We'll be working with 2 high-def cameras, a couple different audio recording devices, an emf reader, and assortment of lights including an infrared light. The spirit reported at the site we're going to is reported as being playful and unaggressive.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Always say a protection prayer. You never know what kind of spirits you may run into? Always say a prayer before and after the investigation. Let them know in a stern voice that they are not allowed to follow you home. They must remain where they are.

Some investigators use the provoking method. I don't like the method. It can draw out negative spirits. By provoking them, you welcome them to do harm onto you and others around you. I always treat them with respect as if they were a person. I think it is disrespectful to provoke.

You don't have to use sophisticated or expensive equipment. Go with the basics and keep the investigation simple. Don't bring a crowd of people with you either. It'll just contaminate everything. Especially audio. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. I don't know what kind of environment you are going to.

Just be responsible!

[JonathanVonErich]

Another advice to you Britt:

Don't ask for advices from people you don't even know only a few hours before your first investigation, make you look like a real amateur and it make you look like somebody who have no idea what she's doing.

The fact you asked for advices on an internet forum only a few hours before you went to that "haunted location" is proof that you weren't prepared to do an investigation. You should have asked advices days before the investigation. You want to act like a pro ?? Then research and do your homeworks like a pro.

[wittyusernamefailed]

1. Research local, history, everything!!

2.Electric poles, olld electricity, heck even poorly grounded stuff= EMF no workeee

3. The orbs in the camera are dust or bugs, 90% of cameras on market auto-adjusts, which makes a crapton of "Spirit entities"

4. Understand that shooting into a place for a night will most likely yield nothing; hunting ghosts are like hunting animals, you either spend loads of time learning to track em or you sit still for days on end till they waltz past you, and the later way kinda sucks.

5. There are a lots of radio signals out there, not every voice you will record will be dead Farmer ben, but rather WLSF 90.9 soft rock or something.

[MN PARA-SCI]

Start simple... read books... find a mentor... then go out and make a ton of mistakes... have some fun... make some friends... report your findings...

Then Repeat!

[Apopo]

I'm sorry if I was late on replying on this, but here are my thoughts and tips (no I am not a Paranormal Investigator etc)

- Do your research. This is a must. Interview people on the history of the site, go to Wiki etc. Just do research.

- Psychology. The power of the mind is amazing. The primal fear of darkness, sleep paralysis, and the power of suggestion (your mind playing tricks on you when you're afraid) are just examples. Remember to always keep an open mind - do not just accept any weird noises you hear as paranormal.

- Your equipment. You might need to do some research on it - like how the EMF works, and what are the sciences behind it.

That's all. An open mind that scrutinises every detail through observation and field work is what you need.

[Junior Chubb]

Good luck

[Marcus Aurelius]

The first thing I usually tell new paranormal investigators is don't expect to have any 'personal experiences'; and if you do it is likely your nerves, your mind playing tricks on you, or if you think you see a shadow figure, nine times out of ten it's just your eyes matrixing in a dark room, which happens a lot if you are doing it in the dark. It's not glamorous like the crap you see on TV. I've been doing this for almost ten years now, and I've only had ONE personal experience.

The big thing is when you do your evidence review. Spend a lot of time on it and take it seriously, because if you actually captured something, that's your real excitement. I've been to places where I was convinced there was absolutely nothing going on, and then I find a Class A evp on my recorder.

When you are doing evp sessions, always leave a few seconds in between questions. For me, a good voice recorder is your best piece of equipment. The majority of my evidence over the years has been evps. Also before you begin a recording session, it is a good idea to record the voices of all other investigators, both in their normal speaking voice and in a whisper...so as not to accidently confuse someone elses whisper with an evp.

As other posters have noted, orbs are just dust and/or bugs. I get tired of seeing all these ghost groups posting this as 'evidence.'

Good luck.

[Sakari]

The first thing I usually tell new paranormal investigators is don't expect to have any 'personal experiences'; and if you do it is likely your nerves, your mind playing tricks on you, or if you think you see a shadow figure, nine times out of ten it's just your eyes matrixing in a dark room, which happens a lot if you are doing it in the dark. It's not glamorous like the crap you see on TV. I've been doing this for almost ten years now, and I've only had ONE personal experience.

The big thing is when you do your evidence review. Spend a lot of time on it and take it seriously, because if you actually captured something, that's your real excitement. I've been to places where I was convinced there was absolutely nothing going on, and then I find a Class A evp on my recorder.

When you are doing evp sessions, always leave a few seconds in between questions. For me, a good voice recorder is your best piece of equipment. The majority of my evidence over the years has been evps. Also before you begin a recording session, it is a good idea to record the voices of all other investigators, both in their normal speaking voice and in a whisper...so as not to accidently confuse someone elses whisper with an evp.

As other posters have noted, orbs are just dust and/or bugs. I get tired of seeing all these ghost groups posting this as 'evidence.'

Good luck.

Lol, second word in Paranormal Investigator......." Investigator "

No offense, but you need to polish your investigating skills.....

This topic was posted in May, she has not been back since, and she says in the original post that they are going out " tonight ".......

[Junior Chubb]

Lol, second word in Paranormal Investigator......." Investigator "

No offense, but you need to polish your investigating skills.....

This topic was posted in May, she has not been back since, and she says in the original post that they are going out " tonight ".......

Maybe something went wrong, maybe she has been possessed and now roams the land as a lost soul, maybe she was injured fleeing the paranormal encounter she had, or maybe her investigation was so successful she has no need to hang out with us mortals.

But its far more likely she was just a one post wonder (that managed two posts)...

[Super-Fly]

LOL!