17/365 - Me as a Ghost

Since it's Halloween, I thought it was the appropriate time for some trick photography-- namely, a "ghost" image.

Back when I was younger, my parents were really into photography for a while. My father even set up a makeshift darkroom in their bathroom. In addition to the traditional portraits and landscapes they took, there was also some fun experimental photography-- lightning, fireworks/sparklers, and multiple exposures, for instance. One of the multiple exposures I remember resulted in twin Moms, even though my mother is not a twin. (g) In another, I was a "ghost", the background of the room mysteriously showing right through me. (Spoo-ooo-ooky!)

These days, it's so much easier and quicker to make a ghostly photograph. Basically, you just put your camera somewhere where it won't move (like a tripod or a table) and take two photos-- one of the "ghost" (in this case, I used a remote and photographed myself) and one of the exact same scene without the person in it (here, a brick wall). (I was planning to use some trees and shrubs as my background, but quickly realized that the breeze would make the background shift too noticeably.) Layer the photo of the person on top of the other in a photo editing program. Lower the opacity of the top layer, and there's your ghostly photo! Of course you can also do all kinds of other things in conjunction with this technique. For instance, I made the images sepia-toned. (For another presentation of the ghost technique, visit this page.)

The results aren't usually really that realistic-- no-one from the modern world will be terrified (g)-- but what would a "realistic" ghost photo look like, anyway? ;o) 

Editing: This one had quite a bit of editing. Let's see how much I can remember. . . Cropped, Resized, Grayscaled/Duotoned (two-part process to convert to sepia), Layered and Opacity changed (as described above), Curves (to lighten), Unsharp Mask. . . I used the Dodge and Burn tools to lighten and darken a few spots. . . I think I may have used the Spot Healing tool and/or Clone tool here or there. . . I used the Eraser tool (at various strengths) to erase my other hand (which had been holding the camera remote) and to soften the edges of the "me" photo and make myself dissolve a little more into the brick in spots. I also added a vignette around the whole photo and the Dodge tool to lighten it a little in the middle.