Description: From Cyan B. My husband and I were at a bar celebrating his birthday in 2002. My friend took this picture with his digital camera. I was a little freaked out when I saw it because you can see through my husband to the signs on the wall behind him! You can sort of see through me but not as much.
Comments from a photographer: I would like to explain the "transparent man" phenomenon. The result of the photo is caused by sync issues between the camera's shutter duration and flash timing. Very likely, the shutter on the camera remained open even after the flash went off. In this scenario, once the flash went off, the couple very likely disengaged from their pose, revealing the previously obscured backgroud to the camera with its shutter still opened. In this instant, the camera captured very briefly, the area behind the man and also theorectically, there should be another image of the man leaving the posing position. The proof is in the signboard to the right of the picture that says "Ales". In the signboard you can see some residual image of the man after he moved away from the pose. Even a tiny splt second difference in the sync would cause an effect like the one that appears in this photo. Before the advent of digital cameras and photoshop, I used to experiment with homemade 'ghost' pictures. The method used was very similar to what transpired above. Place a camera on a tripod in a darken room. Set the shutter speed to 'B' (which leaves it open infinitely). Then using a hand held flash, flash yourself or someone else in a variety of positions. The film developed will reveal several 'ghostly' and transparent images of yourself or the subject. -- Clinton L. I am certainly no photo expert, but I still do not understand why, if the shutter remained open, why the entire image is not blurred since the photographer almost certainly did not use a tripod. Also, the subject seems to have moved a great distance in a "split second" -- and still no blur. -- S.W.
