Ghost Investigating

                                                                            The Basics.

To carry out a paranormal investigation/ghost hunt there are a few simple points you should carry out and one or two tools you will need to take with you to help capture proof of what (if anything) you've experienced.

 Research:

Once you have a location in mind approach the owner of the building or land and get permission to carry out your investigation. Then do your homework to find out its history and where the best places to set up are. Under no circumstances should you undertake a paranormal investigation alone so you also need a team of like minded people that you trust and can work with. Do not tell your team to much of the history of the location as it won't come as much of a surprise when something is seen or heard etc. If they don't know what type of haunting is there then they can't imagine anything.

Base Camp:

On entering a location always set up a base camp, this is where the drinks are made, the reports are collated and where you can sit down and have five minutes to switch off, relax and recharge.

Observation Techniques:

The main tools needed for ghost hunting are your eyes, ears, an open mind and alot of patience. Use all your senses to look at an event or occurrence. See if it can first be explained by natural events. Record and compare results, if two people experience the same event independently it carries a lot more weight than individual experiences. Remember not to let your imagination run away with you.

Your Tool Kit:

There are several important items and gadgets you should have in your ghost hunting kit. A torch and notebook/pen are the most obvious. A digital camera is next, the beauty of digital is that you can keep shooting hundreds of images and it will also show light anomalies that low light levels would fail to reveal. Next is an audio recorder, again digital is better than tape, it lasts longer and is more sensitive to picking up EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) and allows ease of analysis afterwards.

Now the more 'flashy' gadgets, an EMF meter is a device that detects fluctuations in electromagnetic fields that are believed to be disrupted by ghosts. A gadget that  can reveal hidden temperature differences is a thermal imaging camera. It shows differences in temperature by showing images in colours that correspond to the temperature of the object. Warm objects show red, cold objects show blue. This is an expensive gadget so it is easier to just use an ordinary digital thermometer.

So now your ready to go out there and find yourself a ghost, but remember a lot of ghost hunting involves sitting around in cold, dark buildings with nothing happening. A paranormal event can take place in an instant, it could be a noise, a cold spot, a shadow or a light flash. It is easy to miss if your not alert or your pointing the camera in the wrong direction. Be respectful of your surroundings and the ghosts you are searching for and always have some form of protection around you in case you get more than you bargained for.