A Remarkable Photographic Anomaly and the Social Dynamics of Its Interpretation

This paper presents the case of an unusual photographic anomaly. A picture with an ‘extra’, an uncanny face-like shape, was taken in the depths of the night during a birthday party in a barbecue area on a hill in the south German countryside. The reported circumstances as well as the quality of the ‘extra’ itself seemed so interesting and challenging that an investigative team from the IGPP examined the case in detail and from two perspectives. The first aspect concerned the nature of the ‘extra’ itself with regard to possible conventional explanations. The second was directed towards the social processes within the group of adolescents and young adults in response to the ostensible anomaly. To be sure that the picture had not been edited subsequently, we commissioned a publicly appointed and sworn expert on the analysis of digital and analogue photography to carry out tests for manipulation. He was able to provide maximum certainty that the picture was not faked. This result makes the case interesting in the first place, and worthy of investigation with regard to the nature of the ‘extra’. We conducted field investigations, including a local survey and interviews with several individuals who were directly concerned. Interviews revealed that, among other things, there was an incubation period during which an atmosphere had been created, which is known as being favourable for the occurrence of paranormal phenomena (Batcheldor, 1979, 1984; Isaacs, 1984). We conclude that conventional explanations are implausible though they cannot be absolutely ruled out. After considering all available contextual information, a staged effect appears as implausible as the occurrence of a made-up unknown person at the location by chance. In contrast, some circumstances of the case suggest the possibility of a paranormal incident. Among typical elements known to be favourable for the occurrence of paranormal phenomena, differences can be seen that do not fit into these patterns. This seems to be an intermediate case because several factors suggest a place-linked anomaly, but there are also elements that may point to a person-centred aspect. Thus, this case study is not so much a confirmation of established knowledge concerning hauntings and RSPK cases but rather an addition to the variety of such alleged anomalies. Ultimately the ‘extra’ remained an enigma.