Many times what you see is not what you get!  This could not be any truer than with the paranormal.  This subject remains unexplained and misunderstood, even in the best of circumstances, so it can be difficult to determine if evidence shows proof of ghosts or spirits or if it is just a reflection of light or some other explainable occurance.  RIP Studies takes care to determine the measurements of our surroundings including wind speed, pollen count and electromagnetic storms.  These subjects can be found under our heading "Environment Reports".

You can find many examples of false positives all over the net.  We make statements on all of our photographs when there is a possible natural explanation for any anomaly.  It is very important for our Team to remain objective and open-minded about not only what we get as evidence but also what we actually see on investigations.  If we can see dust flying in front of the light of our flashlights, it would be unethical of us to claim "spiritual orbs" if the possiblity exists for "dust orbs" ... or if we get an "mist apparition" if the air is cold and our breath is warm.  We can take precautions to keep the posibility of false positives to a minimum, but that possiblity is still there.  Therefore, before all investigations, we take readings of temperature, wind speed, weather conditions, and other factors which could influence our evidence and bring it to the forefront.

This section will soon have pictures added that have conditions of false positive with which to give you something to compare.  Other sites, if they are credible, will also offer the same information and other photographs and recordings.

Things to watch out for:

Rain, fog, mist, sleet, snow, hail and other weather related situations
High pollen days since pollen can be mistaken for orbs
High wind days and flying dust, hair, camera straps and other wind-blown items
Dusty homes
Too much light exposure on film (aperature settings, film speed, etc.)
Reflective surfaces
Flying hair in the wind
Warm breath on cold days
Smoking
Hundreds of other things which can easily be explained if you just watch your surroundings