IX. Relationship Development
We also noticed that we were “greeted” quite warmly our first night out. As The Night Watchman says, “It was the initial handshake.” After that, it was almost as though the spirits sat back to observe us for awhile before deciding that we truly were interested in them and we WERE coming back. Once that decision was made, they seemed to enjoy getting their pictures taken and giving us some amazing photos to go through. The photos from the last portion of our investigation are some of the best we’ve had.
One of the Photos from Day 1
You can view our other photos and final charts by clicking HERE.
In thinking back and going through our photos, if we went to a location for the first time at night to investigate, we received this “initial handshake” on either our first time there or our second. In most cases, it was something amazing on a photo that couldn’t be explained away by background lights or flash reflection.
Of course, having done only one such investigation, we could not say for certain that we were able to create a relationship, but we believed the theory is sound. We conducted a second 30-day investigation which also gave us some incredible results - especially in the EVP area. You can check out the 2nd 30-day investigation results HERE.
We invite you to try a 30-day investigation and to share your results with our viewers. Should you choose to do so, we have provided the form at the end of this book for you to keep track of what you discover. Feel free to change this form to suit your own investigations. This is only offered as a starting point, and you may find other important aspects you wish to add.
Here are our suggestions for your own 30-day investigation:
1. Choose a place not too far from your home with easy access.
2. Go to the location in the daytime and choose a specific area – not too large. Our first area was 40’ by 26’ with 24 gravestones within it.
3. Choose the best time for you to spend 10 minutes every night (an occasional missed night is fine, but not too many) at the exact same time for the next 30 days.
4. Before you officially start, determine your routine and where you will take your photos from. We did 18 photos in sets of three – six identical locations each night. As we both worked, this was more than enough to go through after working a full day. Consider this when deciding on your routine. Our routine was to walk the area first with our gauss meter and IR thermometer. Once we’d done this, I began taking photos, inviting the spirits to have their picture taken. The Night Watchman had begun recording on the mini disc recorder at exactly 8 p.m., and inviting the spirits to leave a message. By the time all photos were taken (approximately 5 to 10 seconds in between photo sets of three), we had approximately 1 minute to spare in which The Night Watchman made known that we only had a little time left if someone wished to leave a message. At 8:10 p.m., we said thank you and we’ll see you tomorrow, hopped in the car and came home.
5. Once you have decided on your routine, pick a date and stick to it. Truly, there were some nights that we just didn’t feel like going out, but we did it anyway. We went no matter what the weather too, so if it’s raining, go anyway. Whatever you catch on camera may not be useable as paranormal evidence, but it might give you good photos for knowing how your camera reacts to different weather elements..
6. Begin on your designated date by filling in the chart information with the date/day, weather, temperature, etc. We used Weather Bug which is a free download to your computer and gives all the information except the solar x-rays and geomagnetic field which you can find on NOAA or another paranormal website.
7. Go do your 10 minute investigation and follow the routine you decided on ahead of time.
8. At the end of your night’s investigation, load your photos to your computer and go through them one at a time using some of the suggestions of things to eliminate and things to look at from the “Common Captures” chapter in this book. You can choose to fill in the charts at this point, or wait until later, but don’t let it slide by too many days in a row.
9. Listen to your recorder (if you’ve chosen to use one). If you capture something, make sure that it is clear enough for it not to be severely questioned. We did away with a few that were just impossible to hear well even with Acoustica.
That’s about it. Feel free to incorporate your own ideas into what we’ve suggested here and enjoy.
Remember, there are no absolutes when investigating the paranormal. Every location offers its own challenges and opportunities. Go with the flow and allow yourself the freedom of possibly exploring something you’ve never encountered before.
Christina M. Schumacher