Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Lee-ann, at #92 Second Street, wanted to share this photo which she calls "interesting", and wondered what everyone thought.

She said maybe she was sharing the sofa with Mr. Borden?
What does it look like to you?

please click on photo:

It looks like a classic case of lens flare to me. Thats when the sun reflects off of the front of the lens. Was a shade or blind open that would let the sun shine in onto the lens element? A lens hood would most likely prevent this.
It could also be added in via a photo program. This lens effect is a dramatic but sometimes over used effect. I've added it to the attach photo. I could have changed the brightness of the flare, the size of the flare rings, the placement of the reflecting flare and a host of other options. While her photo doesn't look photoshopped, it is possible to do.

Looks an awful lot like lens flare to me too. (Mark beat me to the punch on a demo!)

Sometimes a camera can see what the naked eye can not...

For example, in this first photo you can plainly see the lights of heaven reaching down to illuminate an Angel on earth...


The second photo clearly shows the fires of hell lapping at a devil...



Obviously neither of these photos have been tampered with....

You be the judge.


PS-- LeeAnn is so very cute!

UNFORTUNATELY...Sister Mary Audrey forgot to mention that the heavenly glare did cover up one little problem.




Tracy...

hmmm..

Well we all do know what happens to one who defiles an angel!

"PS-- LeeAnn is so very cute!"

Yes she is very pretty!

Are the "orbs" from the lens flare?
What is the white stuff down the leg?

Her friend took the photo and sent it to her. Lee-ann doesn't yet know how to use her birthday digital.
If you recall, the windows behind where the photographer is standing are still covered by the Leary Press building. There is no sun from the south. I don't know what time of day this was taken, tho, either.
Can a sun source from the north, the dining room window, say,, cause the flare to the northeast corner of the room?

From the looks of it, the orbs (or what appear to be orbs) are the result of lens flare. So far I count five separate "bubbles" in the general area of the knee. The oval below the picture - you say there's no light source that might account for that?

It's hard to say, really, without knowing the exact conditions that existed at the time the photo was taken - including settings and so forth on the camera.

The skunk stripe is hardest to account for. I've taken some weird pictures myself (accidentally) Strange things do happen!

The stripe down her leg is so obviously a safety reflective strip on her sweat pants, I don’t see why it’s even a question. Notice how it disappears behind her knee where her legs cross.

The bright “main orb” is probably an almost invisible speck of dust close to the lens being illuminated by the camera’s flash. (That is nearly always the cause of “orbs.” Because they are so close to the camera, these particles appear as large, extremely bright, out of focus balls of light.) This light source is what is causing the lighter “bubbles,” which is common everyday lens flare.

I e-mailed her and reffered her to TRIPRG - that's where I send all my photos to, and they are very good and honest.

Could it have been the light from the flash reflecting off the picture behind the sofa and back at the camera? Isn't there glass in the frame?

There is glass in the picture frame above the sofa, but it's hard to see how much reflection is coming from there. The "Lens flare bubbles" though are radiating from the bright spot, which is not on the picture frame. (If you draw a straight line through their centers, it points to the bright spot.)

The picture was taken around 3pm. The only light on in the room was the overhead, even the mantle lights were off. There was nothing to reflect light behind me, just the wallpaper. There is no reflection from the picture above and the Leary Press still blocks the south side of the house. I was sitting on the couch doing an interview for ME magazie (Rhode Island mag) The interviewer was across from me to my left and Lisa was to my right taking the photos for the article. We still don't know what to make of it.

I've added a lens flare to the oppisite side of the original. Notice how similar the lens flare that I added is to the so called original or unexplained flare. I can move the point of origin of the flare to anywhere on the photo. Can you see how easy it is to photoshop an effect? I'm not saying that it was done by Ms. Le-ann but maybe the photographer, photograper's assistant, film developer, office prankster?

Nice job, Mark.

Takes care of that.

Hello Miller!

It seems to me it's still an odd occurrence.
The opinions seem to be that this is either not explicable right now, or done on purpose- since we don't know that it was done on purpose, then we don't have an answer yet, as far as I can tell.

Good input guys! Thanks.

I still think it looks like someone is sitting next to her!

It could be a case of camera lens flare up or just the sun light going crazy, or maybe our eyes wierding out on us? Or we have very active imaginations?!

I showed the photo to Martha Mcginn (former owner of the B&B). She said that she has only seen that kind of orb once before near the sofa. Hers was a bit more to the right in the picture she had. She said that in her picture, you could make out the profile of a man within the glare. Ron Evans sent the picture to someone to have a look at it and it was never returned. The woman who was interviewing me (the pictures were being taken for a magazine article), sent the picture to a psychic friend of hers in CA....She said that the presence of the orb, being that bright, means that the spirit (Andrew?) likes me.....I guess thats why I feel like I have 'company' when I'm in the shower .....now if I could just get him to loofa my back.

That's funny!

Well, once the Press building is gone, there will be more amature explanations as to orbs over there. While the windows are blocked (and have been blocked for decades) on the south side, these pictures are priceless, IMO!

This paranormal website says that orbs are quite common in digital photos:

http://www.cambridgeparanormal.co.uk/orbs.html

Cool Avatar, Har!
One forgets the power of black and white.

Today I was reading the Jane Doherty article from Oct. 27, 2002, "Spirit reveals who did it in century-old ax murder." (Travel).

She kept seeing who she thought was Morse in her mind, without knowing anything about the case. When she finally got to the house, she decided the killer(s) were "Willie" and an accomplice named "Howard."

Anyway, has anyone seen her video she sells on the seance she held at the Borden House B&B?
It's called:
"Haunted Journeys II: An Investigation of the Lizzie Borden Case."

Thank you, Harry, for posting that website. There are other similar sites that explain orbs the same way.

Basically, orbs have only started showing up in photos, both film and digital, when the built-in flash units on cameras moved close to the lens. Back when flash units and/or flash bulbs were a bit higher and a bit farther away from the camera lens, the light did not reflect off airborne particles at an angle that reflected back into the lens.

Anyone who seriously believes orbs represent some paranormal activity is either misinformed or simply ignoring the facts.

This particular photo seems to be an example of lens flare more than an "orb" anyway, but there is nothing "unexplainable" about it.

Wait a minute, Kat! Could it be Howard the reporter? Maybe all his pro Lizzie coverage stemmed from a guilty conscience.

--Lyddie

Funny you should ask!
I was just (overnight) thinking it might turn out to be/mean Willie (You know, William Borden, OR?) And HOWE- as in Jeffery's document. He has a "Howe" helping William A. Davis!

Willie and Howe? Friends of Morse.

Maybe Jeffery got the idea from Jane Doherty?

Have you all read the article- or anyone seen this video and can report here?

OK Kat...speaking of funny in realting this to a Morse connection...and maybe this is just funny to me, but if it is Willie and Howe...I see "Will he, and how ?"


Tracy...

That sounds like Johnny Carson's used-car salesman character!


"Willie cheatum and how?"

Lee-ann @ Tue Mar 22, 2005 4:36 pm wrote:I showed the photo to Martha Mcginn (former owner of the B&B)She said that the presence of the orb, being that bright, means that the spirit (Andrew?) likes me.....I guess thats why I feel like I have 'company' when I'm in the shower .....now if I could just get him to loofa my back.

I can't see Andrew as a playful companion in bathtime fun, but if he has become one, you're welcome to his attentions. Just watch out -- he might wring the neck of your rubber duckie.

Lynn