Common causes are dust, pollen, insects, drops of liquid in the air and foreign material on or within the camera lens. One or more of these items can easily show up in an image as an orb, especially when a flash is used. The items, such as dust, pollen, insects and drops of liquid, don’t even have to be in the camera’s view to cause the anomaly.Particles in the air between the camera and the focus point of the image will appear as blurry spots or balls of light. It is really just a reflection from the flash, not Mr. Ghost!
The phenomenon of orbs has increased with the transformation of the modern camera. As devices have switched from film to digital, the phenomenon of orbs began to become a point of discussion.
Upon further examination, research found that as devices began to shrink, they located the flash closer and closer to the lens, and more orbs were appearing in pictures as a result.The closer the lens is to the flash, the easier it is for the flash to reflect off of the dirt, water particle, insect, or other item, and for that reflection to enter the lens and create… an orb, not a ghost, spirit, or other manifestation. This phenomenon is known as backscatter or near-camera reflection.
Also, the higher the ISO used on the camera, the more orbs tend to appear. ISO is the acronym for International Standards Organization, the governing body that standardizes sensitivity ratings on camera sensors. When you change the ISO setting, you’re adjusting your camera’s sensitivity to light. ISO settings can be anywhere from 24 to above 6,000.These settings have a direct relationship to the camera’s sensitivity. A lower setting makes the camera less sensitive to light, while a high setting makes it more sensitive.In English, ISO also refers to how long the shutter remains open while taking a photo. When it is slower and open longer, you will likely just get blurrier images unless the camera and subject are steady. However, with a higher shutter speed, those flashes off of the particles in the air show up as a bunch of orbs. They aren’t paranormal at all, and are nothing to be afraid of. Also take a look back at all those old film taken photos and see how many orbs there are? What a surprise, none to be found.
Reflection from other light sources (including infrared illuminators on night vision cameras) is still a possibility and you may still see an orb even if you don’t use a flash. This is also where other image contaminations play a part in orbs, such as foreign material on or in the camera lens. If there is even a tiny piece of dirt or condensation on your lens, it can appear in a picture as an orb.Even if you can’t visibly see dirt or bugs or moisture in the air when you are taking photos, they are there.
Unless you are in a perfect vacuum, these contaminations are always present. This means that you can always end up with orbs in the images.
One of the biggest problems with the misconceptions of orbs is due to them being hyped up on TV and films as being paranormal. Around 2002 a theory was put forward that orbs were paranormal manifestations but was never proven. Coincidentally these theories became apparent when the cameras made the transition from film to digital plus the influx of small night vision CCTV cameras.
One of the main things that was prominent with the advent of digital cameras was the manufacturers handbooks. At the back was a trouble shooting guide, where you would find a section on blurry spots (or orbs) and how they were created my these new small digital cameras.
Unfortunately this information has been ignored, especially by paranormal media. When all of these TV shows started portraying orbs as paranormal, there was a sneaky bit of marketing going on. They knew that people would experience these same anomalies on their own cameras at home. Thereby influencing people to believe that their own homes were haunted. In turn, people would tune in weekly to watch these “so-called” experts essentially brainwash people into believing them. More people watching equals more chances for advertising, dvd sales, live shows etc. All very clever!
So there you have it, a perfectly normal explanation of orbs, backed up by the actual manufacturers of digital cameras and supported with a healthy dose of science. So if orbs are all you’re getting at home then don’t worry. If you have other paranormal activity then it may be worth contacting those with experience. But please do a simple google search on these things first a little knowledge goes a long way