Definitions

Ghost Investigation - going to a known haunted place and recording data (video, photos, audio, temperatures), notes, interviews and other evidence to prove/disprove the haunting and to assist the owners and the spirits in moving on and leaving the place if they want that.   The assistance can be either you directly assisting the owner with the situation or putting them in contact with experienced groups or individuals that  will try to resolve the situation.  Your assistance can be something as simple as educating them on what is going on and their options.

• Check out the area in daylight so you are familiar with the area.   Look for dangerous places and obstacles that you will not be able to see in the dark.
• Look for no trespassing signs.  Make sure you are not trespassing.  If you are on private property you are risking getting a ticket or arrested in some areas.  You can get permission from many owners and or caretakers.   We will often notify the local Police that we will be in a grave yard "taking pictures" so they are aware of our presence.  If you are asked to leave do so immediately, you will not win this argument and you make other investigators look bad if you make a scene.
• Make sure you bring you ID. (drivers license, etc.) so if you are questioned by the police you can prove who you are.
• Never go alone.  This is just common sense.  If you get hurt, who will get help?
• The best times are from 9pm to 6am, these are the psychic hours, but anytime can produce results.  Photos have historically been better in the dark but don't let that discourage you from taking them during the day.
• Find out all you can about the history of the locale.  Newspapers, town historians, WWW and books can be helpful finding folklore or hard facts about the site. 

The Basics:

* Camera - Nothing fancy with at least  400 speed film.  800 speed film seems to get the best results outside l and black and white is also something good to try.  If you are more experienced photographer you may want to try infrared film.  I have seen results from Polaroids but I suggest you only use these along with a 35 mm cameraso you can compare the results.  If you use a digital camera make sure you have one with a good flash or a slave flash.   I use a 35 mm Canon Sureshot 80 and a Olympus 450 Zoom digital camera on investigations.  I have used Fuji film primarily but I have also used Kodak and a department store brands with similar results.  When you develop them you don't need to go to a camera shop, the local drug store or department store is fine.  Let them know you want all the pictures developed so that you get the pictures that they might think are bad ones.  These "bad ones" are normally your best ectoplasm mist photos.

*  Flashlight w/ spare batteries - a common sense item.  Remember to bring spare batteries for everything.  Due to spirit activity, batteries often run down very fast and you don't want to miss anything because of dead batteries.   I recommend using a red lens flash light to help preserve your night vision. 

*  First aid kit - just in case, it's very easy to trip in the dark and get cut.

*  Notebook w/ pens and pencils- you need to write and log in everything  that happens.  If you don't then you really don't have much research information.
An example of this is one investigator gets a EMF reading that's high and never writes it down.  Another investigator takes a picture of the same area but is not aware of the reading and gets a anomalous image.  Without that EMF reading the picture may be good evidence, but with a report noting the reading, the picture greatly increases in evidence value.  Many investigators use a pocket tape recorder in stead and that is fine, just make sure you have spare batteries and tapes.

* Jackets or weather appropriate clothes - if you are cold you are not at your best and your observation skill could suffer, pretty common sense.

* Watch - so you can log in the times of events and your arrival and departure.

Advanced and Optional

*  Video camera  (optional tripod) - A regular camcorder can be used for video taping in lighted or day light conditions.   The Sony line of camcorders has an infrard nigth shot feature that enables you to video tape in complete darkness and see beyond what the human eye can see. 

*  Tape recorder w/ external microphone and high grade tapes - You have to use a external microphone when recording EVPs (ghosts voices).  If you rely on the internal microphone you will also be recording the internal gears and motors and this will make your tape worthless.  Any sound you hear on the tape could not be used as evidence because of this, so use the external mic, they are pretty inexpensive.  The type of tape that is most often recommended is high bias tapes or metal tapes.

*  Digital audio recorders - This recored is small and easy to carry.  You can also use the voice activation feature so there is less audio to review.    I use this for my notes as well.  Most units record teh time of the recording as well which is very useful.

* EMF Detector - These meters read the electromagnetic fields in an area.  It is a common theory that spirits disrupt this field in such a way that you can tell one is present by higher than normal readings with this meter.  There are many types and price ranges.   You need to be aware of the natural readings in an area or building before you assume that your reading a ghosts presence.  Make sure that you know where power lines, electrical line, major appliances and electronics are before you begin your readings with this useful and easy to use tool.   You can try using a compass in place of this , the needle compass would move or shake when something was interfering with electromagnetic field the compass relies on the work properly.  

* Night Scope - This tool may be useful in viewing some spirit activity and many groups , including mine, have reported some success with them.  They are pricey and a good one can run into the 1000's of dollars.

*  Cellular phone - if you have one it can come in handy in case of an emergency.

*  Candles & matches - batteries often run low during hunts so you may run out of them and still need a light source.  Another good idea is a camping lantern that runs on lamp oil.   Be careful using the candles around motion detectors, they will set them off.

* Motion Detectors - these can be used to sense movements by often unseen forces or spirits.  You can get battery operated ones for about 20 dollars and they are great for inside but I have seen them used successfully outdoors as well, just watch the placement.  you don't want a tree branch setting it off.

*  Thermometer or Thermal Scanner - You can use a digital thermometer that you can get for 25-50 dollars or spend a bit more to get a point and shoot thermal scanner.  All of these are good for detecting cold spots that are often found in haunted places.  I recommend using the thermal scanner guns in indoor areas because they shoot out a beam that reads the temperature of whatever it hits.  It's easier to keep track of areas indoors with this type.  A regular digital or analog thermometer works better out side because it is detecting the air that is currently in, so if you hold it in a  cold spot and them move away, you would get a temperature increase and that would give you a truer reading of the temperature difference. 

*  Hand Held Radios  -   Or Walkie Talkies are very useful in a large outdoor area and a building with groups spread out in various rooms.  They could be great in emergency situations or just to rotate groups.  Be sure to be aware they could interfere with your EVP recording though.

Here's a condensed version the most popular procedures for conducting outdoor ghost hunts:

1. Have everyone meet near the location and decide who will work each piece of equipment and divide into teams if necessary.  Pick a person or leader that will talk to anyone who comes in contact with the group (i.e. Police, Reporters, etc.)  Do not load film or tapes yet.

2. Enter the site and either privately or as a group ask for blessing or protection for the duration of the hunt.  I do encourage everyone to take the 10 seconds this takes and do this.  What can it hurt?  It's better to be safe than sorry.  Many experienced groups believe that there are evil spirits in many areas such as cemeteries and by saying a 10 second prayer you can safely go about your business without worrying about them.  An experienced demonologist will tell you that by doing this in the name of God or whatever good deity you worship, you will keep any non human spirits at bay since they have to leave you alone when told so in this manner.  You will not provoke an attack by doing this and I say it's just as simple as saying your prayers at night.

3.  Walk around the area to get a feel for the surroundings and allow the spirits to get a feel for you.   Do this for about 20 minutes.  Log in your start time and weather conditions and any other relevant information.   You can also begin to set up any stationary equipment like camera on tripods or motion detectors.  Make note of any areas that may cause you to get false readings or false positive pictures.

4.  Now you can open all your film and tapes and load the cameras and recorders.  Now go out there and get some pictures and recordings.  Be sure to note anything unusual that happens especially meter and temperature readings, visual sightings and strange sounds.  Also make notes of any feelings or emotions you feel that may be odd or out of place.  You can compare notes after the hunt and look for similarities in readings and feeling in certain areas or at certain times.

5.  Whether you stake out a spot or you walk around try to give everyone the opportunity to try everything and be everywhere.  This keeps every one fresh and at attention.  Rotate a few times during the investigation.

6.  When you are done have everyone meet in one spot and ask the human spirits here not to follow you home and to remain here.  Tell the others they must remain here in the name of God (or other good deities).  Again this takes 4 seconds, it's simple and it can save you some problems down the road.  If we are wrong about these prayers at the beginning and end of the hunt and they are not necessary then you wasted 14 seconds of your time.  If we are right about them, you saved yourself from allot of problems and grief.

* Every investigator or team should  keep a log of events/times - everything needs to be logged, not matter  how trivial.  You sneeze, log it in, it may have sounded like something else to another member elsewhere in the building.

* All members and clients if possible, walk through the location. One members map location noting: air vents, heater, electrical appliances, fuse boxes, computer, etc.  Mark down the temperatures in the rooms and any EMF reading you get during this walk through.  One member take 5-10 test photos during the walk through.  Do not discuss the details of the case during this walk through.

* Any witnesses that have not been interviewed before should be interviewed by 1-2 investigators and taped/videoed if it’s ok with the witness.  The other members should walk around the location and record any feelings or observations.  Only the interviewers will know the location of events and sightings. 

* Make no conclusions.  Share no conclusions or opinions with the witnesses or owners until all the reports, photos and tapes are reviewed.  You need to see the evidence and corelate it before you can give an educated opinion.

* Open your film and load your camera after walking around the location for about 20 minutes first.

* Use at least 400 speed 35 mm film.  400 and 800 speeds work the best.  1000 speed film develops too grainy and I would avoid using it although many investigators do have success with it.  Black and White film also works well.

* If you are an experienced photographer, you may want to try infrared film which also has had excellent results in the past.

* Make sure you note any other lights in the area so when you view your developed pictures you will not think a street light is an orb.

* Make sure you clean your camera's lens regularly.

* no smoking at the location, this can appear like mist on the photos so you don't want to contaminate your evidence.

* Watch for dust or dirt being stirred up in the area you are photographing.  They can give flase positive pictures.

* All long hair should be tied back or under a hat, again this is to eliminate any false positive pictures and to give the skeptics less ammunition.

* Remove or tie up any camera straps so you don't take a picture of that, it looks like a vortex when photographed. 

* Watch for reflective surfaces and make notes of them.   The flash reflected off shiny surfaces such as windows, polished tombstones, etc. can look light an orb or other anomaly.  Make note of street lights and any other light source that may appear on the film.

* Let fellow investigators know when you are taking a photo so that you don't get double flashes and the night scope operators can look away.  If you think you have a double flash photo or any other false positive, log the picture number so you can exclude that photo from the batch when they are developed.  Night scope operators can get eye damage if they are looking at a flash through the scope so this is important.

* In cold weather be conscious of your breath so you don't photograph that, it'll look like ectoplasm mist.  If you think you may have, log that picture number and discard it when you develop the pictures.

* Many people like to ask the spirit if they can take their picture , it can't hurt.

* Take pictures anywhere and everywhere.  If you feel some thing or someone else does, take a picture.  Did you think you saw something, take a picture.

* Sometimes you will see an orbs, mist or sparkles in your flash or others flashes, take more pictures right there, you are near a spirit.

* You may only get about 1- 2 pictures for every 50 you take, that's about the average, so don't get discouraged.  I've been at sites where I didn't get any and others where 30% of the ones we took were positive.

* Don't pay for fancy developing , you can get them developed anywhere.  Just let them developers know to process and print every photo.  I use the local discount stores photo service.

* Load the tapes when you are loading the film so you've given any spirits in the area a chance to get used to you. 

* You can set up stationary recorders and just let them run or you can walk around with them.  During audio recording, ask questions whether general ones or one specific to a certain spirit.   You can find a few ideas of question on or near the gravestones (i.e. how did you die, ask who left flowers, etc.)

* Make sure you view or listen to the whole tape.  EVPs are usually not heard at the time of recording but are heard only after the tape is reviewed.

*  Review notes where you should have recorded any normal sounds as well as unexplained ones (dogs barking, cars, etc.) This way you can tell what a sound is that wasn't heard by you at the time but is now on the tape.

* Cemeteries - The age of the cemetery doesn't matter but the older it is, the more time it has had to accumulate restless spirits.  Why cemeteries? Well there are theories such as they are portals to the other side or that some spirits are drawn to their former bodies.

* Schools - Schools and former sites of schools may have the build up of psychic energies and imprints of all the highly emotional events that have transpired there.

* Theaters - The actors have run the gambit of human emotions inside the walls of a theater plus many have interesting hauntings attached to them.

* Battlefields - These are great locations simply because of their nature.  Many violent deaths in one area will always hold some spirits and psychic energy there.

* Churches - There is a long history of the faithful returning to the church they worshipped at.   They may be looking for the salvation they were promised and cannot find.

* Hotels/Motels/Boarding houses - Many dark dealing and highly emotional events take places in these rooms.

* Historic Locations - Many historic buildings, because of their age, have had more time to have spirits attach to it.  These buildings are often open the public and can give you a easy place to start.  Many even have known histories of hauntings and you may be able to gain access to the building after hours after speaking with the caretakers.

* Keep an open mind, any negative feelings may drive the spirits away.Be respectful of the locations and the dead.

* Be skeptical, look for causes for any phenomenon such as natural or man made causes.  As an investigator you have to make sure your final evidence will stand up to scrutiny.  By eliminating all other explanations, your evidence becomes stronger proof.

* No smoking, alcohol or drugs at an investigation for mostly obvious reasons.

* No whispering, it can taint your recording results.

*  The Tax Assessors Office can give you historical info on many locations you visit.

*  Do not wear perfume,  cologne or anything else with a very noticeable scent.  This is so someone does not mistake the smell for a supernatural occurrence.  Spirits often use scents and smells to get our attention. 

*  Make sure you let someone know where you will be so they will know in case of emergency.