ROB CONOVER

When do things go bump? In the darkness of night. Where does the bogeyman hide? In the dark closet or the darkness under your bed. When do the majority of ghost sightings seem to occur? At night or in the dark. When do most paranormal investigators investigate? At night, naturally. But, is it necessary.

Mark Nesbitt, the best selling author and creator of the original Ghost of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking tours, has said many times that paranormal investigators do not need to do investigations in the dark. If a location is haunted, it is haunted no matter the lighting conditions. Mark, a very experienced ghost hunter who has gathered a lot of fantastic evidence, is absolutely right.

So why do most investigations take place at night? There are several reasons.

First, most investigators have jobs. There are many amateur ghost hunting groups around the world but very few who do it professionally, so evenings just happen to be the most convenient time for most investigations to take place. Also, the home owners or businesses that call in ghost hunters generally have jobs or want the investigation to be done after hours. Business also happens to be one of the factors in the second reason that ghost hunter do it in the dark.

Second, nighttime investigating drastically reduces background noise, light pollution, distractions, and many other variables that can hinder investigators' concentration and ruin evidence.

There is less traffic on the roads, fewer people on the streets, and generally less going on outside of the investigation area that could interfere with the investigation. Nothing is worse than listening to an audio recording for EVPs or watching video from an investigation and hearing lots of traffic in the background, talking from outside, or seeing headlights passing in every window. A lot of great evidence could be lost or ruined if there is too much going on the background to verify what is being seen or heard.

Also, for mediums and investigators, it is easier to focus on the immediate area with fewer outside distractions. Good mediums and intuitive hunters will be able to pick up on energy and/or spirits regardless of the conditions, but most would probably agree that they are more confident with their findings the fewer the distractions.

Lastly, for this article anyway, investigating in the dark offers the best environment to see or catch on video a spirit's energy.

Orbs, apparitions, and ghosts in general are made of energy, which is why they are able to manipulate most electrical systems at the location they are haunting. It is also why they are easier to see in the dark. Most investigators have experienced what we at Team CPI refer to as a light show. Unfortunately, these light shows are rarely picked up by our cameras.

Catching an apparition on film has more to do with lighting conditions than time of day. For some reason, cameras using infrared light have produced more images than those in regular lighting conditions. It is an argument akin to the age old chicken and egg; does infrared light produce more evidence because most investigations are at night or does infrared light actually pick up the energy of spirits better than other lights on the spectrum? Either way, most full blown apparitions captured on camera have been caught using infrared light.

So, Mark is absolutely right that ghost hunting does not have to be done in the dark. If you are investigating a place that is fairly well insulated from outside interference you will be able to capture evidence regardless of the time of day. Farmhouses, basements, abandoned buildings, or any of the places off the beaten track that Team CPI has investigated have all produced paranormal events before nightfall. However, many of the locations we investigate require the insulation of night to conduct a thorough investigation. When deciding when to investigate, or to have a team come in to a location, consider all the factors that may hinder a thorough, conclusive investigation.