Photograph of orbs where John Lennon was last alive?

In April 2006, Katherine Fulton, a freelance writer and music buff, traveled to New York City to visit and stay with friends. She wanted to visit several places while in New York and when visiting Central Park's Strawberry Fields, she found that it was close to The Dakota, the apartment building where John Lennon lived where he had been shot and killed.

When visiting the complex, Katherine was overcome with a sense of queasiness that she could not explain; she dismissed the feeling originally as being a big fan of John Lennon so her friends would not worry. They suggested that she take a picture of the place, but she felt so ill that she only took a quick shot on her digital camera and left.

When she returned home, the picture proved to be more unusual than she suspected.

“It wasn't until I got back from my trip that I took a closer look at the Dakota shot and saw the strange streaks of light in front of and behind the gate,” says Fulton. “I was especially puzzled because I couldn't figure out a reason as to why they would be there. No one was around me when I took the shot, so no one bumped into me to cause a light streaking effect... The photo was taken with a digital camera, which ruled out exposure or film damage, and the rest of the photos I took on the trip were sharp, clear and normal, which for me ruled out the possibility that there was something wrong with the camera or memory stick.”

She showed her picture to her father who worked for years as photographer and a graphic designer and he was not able to clearly explain the phenomenon. However there is another explanation for these streaks of light, which is that she managed to photograph “orbs” in the picture.

Orbs are a rare phenomenon in photography; theories range that orbs are souls or the spiritual energy of the dead to the presence of the supernatural aura. The only common explanation of the orbs phenomenon is that it is the presence of supernatural energy and they are generally not recorded on camera. In some cultures, orbs were the sign of forthcoming death and were considered spiritual creatures themselves like the Will O' The Wisps in Irish folklore or ghostly balls of flame in Japanese folklore. However more recent pictures with claims of orbs are attributed to fairies and their sparkling presence.

The problem is that most claims of orbs in photographs are legitimately explained as the presence of reflected dust particles caught in the light when the shutter went off in the camera. What makes this photo different are a couple of key elements: 1. The presence of light streaks do not all move in the same direction. 2. Without knowing any of the details of John Lennon's murder at these gates, some sensitives react with foreboding at the picture, despite that there is nothing outlandishly gory or horrifying about the actual image.

If the phenomenon of orbs is actually present in the picture, its significance is still up for debate. Three years later, Katherine still feels an ominous presence when looking at the picture. But she explains her reluctance to identify the streaks of light as a paranormal phenomenon.

“I didn't want to go around saying that I'd captured anything paranormal simply because I didn't want to jump to conclusions. Someone could easily come along and offer a logical explanation that my dad and I hadn't considered, and I'd be okay with that. And admittedly, I didn't want to give the impression that I'd taken the photo in an attempt to capture something "ghostly" or "spooky" about what is, essentially, a murder scene. I respect Lennon too much to make light of where he was killed, and I also respect the fact that for his family and friends, this was more than the loss of a cultural icon - it was the loss of a husband, a father, a collaborator and a friend.”

http://www.examiner.com/x-12989-LA-Occult--Paranormal-Examiner~y2009m6d14-Photograph-of-orbs-where-John-Lennon-was-last-alive
Thanks to Katherine Fulton for use of her photograph and interview.



Larger Image here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiji_kat/3400616622/sizes/l/