Take a Ghost Picture With Almost Any Camera

Have fun taking pictures of ghosts around you with fireworks mode! The images I made are a ghost of Dr. Pepper and a picture of my soul after I died and it's seeing the light. Check this Instructable out to find out how you can make your own.

No Photoshop was used in this! Just a camera.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Camera

Most people have a digital camera of some sort laying around. The best part of this fun type of picture taking is that the camera doesn't have to be new to enjoy taking these type of pictures. All you need is a digital camera that has some picture taking options like macro, nighttime mode, and some others. The mode we will need for this is the fireworks mode.

Fireworks mode is a longer exposure picture setting of usually about 3 seconds or so. Some cameras let you adjust the exposure time within this setting but if its within 3 -5 seconds that will work great.

If you don't have a fireworks mode on your camera, you can use one of the nighttime modes that doesn't use the flash. What you need is an exposure that lasts 3-5 seconds.

One last requirement camera wise is a tripod or someplace to set the camera because it cant move while it's taking the picture.

Step 2: Setting Up the Scene

In order to make the best of this type of picture taking is to do it indoors with lighting that's not too bright or too dark as the exposure will brighten it up a bit anyway.

If you're going to use a person as the ghost or an object you're going to need a way to either have the person move twice within the few seconds of the image.

If you're doing an object you need to able to move an object out of the frame without putting your hand in the frame, or set the object in the frame at the last 2 seconds.

Step 3: Taking the Picture

Time to have some fun!

Let's focus on having a person as a ghost. This is the easiest and most fun type of this kind of picture. The best way to have the camera do this is to set up the camera on a timer so you can run to get in position or have a friend take the picture for you.

Make sure the camera will not move during the picture (put on tripod or table)
Set up the camera in fireworks mode or night mode if you dont have the first option
Set timer to take picture

Once you have an idea of what you want to do, either start the timer and wait outside the frame until it starts taking the photo and jump in the frame at the last 2 seconds or so, or you can start the timer and get into position in the scene and once the picture starts taking wait a couple of seconds and quickly get into another position. This is what I did in this image here.

The reason it looks like a ghost in the image is because of the exposure time. For most of the time you need to stay still in the image and the last second or two you move to a new position and it makes a dim transparent image of you in the photo for the remaining exposure time.

Doing it with an object is also fun and easy. Just set up the timer, start the picture and once it starts put the object in the frame in the last few moments so the background will be solid and clear but the object will be dim and transparent.

It can take a few tries to get it down but once you do its way fun!

If you're really good at it or feel really confident, this can also be done with a film camera and a longer exposure setting for a vintage look.

As as side note the time stamp in the images are not accurate :)