Matrix photos

[sherryp]

Hi all,
While new to the boards, I have followed the site for years. Recently, I submitted an uexplainable photo for an opinion. One of the staff said it may have been matrixing, "...where your brain makes sense of what it sees..." or something like that. Anyway, I suggested to Brad that perhaps they include a matrix tab on the website to help better explain to those of us who think we've captured something. Although I feel my photo is unexplainable, I wasn't satified with the opinion I got-but oh well. It's still fun examining and taking pictures, and like Forest Gump says, "You never know what you're gonna get." I think by seeing other examples of the phenomenon of a matrix, it may help me better understand.

What do yall think?

[paranormalis50]

Could you send me a copy of the image? Possibly I could explain matrixing better if I knew more about this specific image.
[e-mail]

THX for the post and the question.
John/

[paranormalis50]

A GENERAL COMMENTARY ON MATRIXING

Matrixing is simply another name for paredoilia. Two two terms are pretty much interchaangeable, but we'll use matrixing. It's the term used when people take photos, and later spot something there, that they're pretty sure wasn't there when the photo was taken,
and generally involves a face or human figure. One possibility for this single-minded fixing is that when a human baby is born, its first associations are faces (mother), and the human form. It's also part of the basic survival instinct, to spot enemies or predators that are hiding in areas of foliage, etc. It's a basic and natural instinct. We have a tendency to try to make order or find patterns in what is otherwise chaos. We want to "understand", or "to see".

When light is reflected off an object, into a camera lens, or the human eye, an image is formed, or perceived. In the eye, the light focuses on the retina, where rods and cones interpret the signal, and pass it on to the optical nerve. It eventually ends up in the visual cortex of the brain, where the image is actually formed into what we call sight. So, what you see is what you get?? No, not with ANY individual. And it's not "new age" philosophy, that we each create our own reality, it's both quantum mechanics and psychology/physiology. When the signal leaves the optical nerve, it passes through the frontal lobes of the brain. There, the image passes through "filters", and everyone's are unique. These are composed of past experience, prejudice, expectations, comparisons, and the whole of our past experiences. It is estimated that FIFTY PER CENT of the visual data gets changed between the optical nerve and the visual cortex. Ever hear war stories about the hit-and-run accident with ten witnesses, and they all swear the hit-and-run car was one of five different colors??

Matrixing is more common with digital cameras of LOW resolution, having larger pixels, and therefore more data that is inexact. The brain goes to work solving the puzzle of the missing pieces, and each person may see the image differently. (Those filters). Matrixing is more common in unfamiliar places, as the brain has no past references as to what is not supposed to be there, or to remember what actually was there.

Bottom line, photography is fun, and there will always be a few matrixed images, law of odds. You still have to take the shots, and take chances. Many excellent images are obtained in "spec" shots where the final image was seen by the camera, but not visible to the eye. The human eye can see only a limited portion of the entire light spectrum. The camera may cover a wider range. It's also best, if you are able to do so, to try to mentally recapture the moment the image was made, if a possible anomaly may be present in the image. We are pretty smart animals, and get more data input that we often credit ourselves with. Data may have been received, other than visual. Sometimes, it's just mood, or feeling. It's the same thing that gives us a warning that someone in a crowd may be staring at us. Even though the anomaly is probably harmless, we still may feel unease, as something feels "not right" at a particular moment. Gather the supporting data, mentally, for the image.

Thanks for the inquiry and posting.
John/Paranormalis50
La. Spirits

[Rachael-LA. Spirits]

You're the greatest, John!!

[paranormalis50]

Thank you, Rachael! Quite a compliment, coming from one of the greatest EVP analysts on the planet

[sherryp]

Thanks for the detailed explanation, John! I look forward to your opinion.

[Jennifer-LaSpirits]

Very well put, John

[Brad-LaSpirits]

Sherry, thanks again for the suggestions, and I havent forgot about you! Once I get multiple examples of matrixing photos, I will add a section for it in our photo gallery on the website.

[sherryp]

Brad,
After having someone else review it, who did not feel it was matrixing after all, I am wondering now if you'd like to see the photo in question?

Let me know.

Sherry

[Brad-LaSpirits]

Sure thing. Like I said, photo analysis is an opinion-based issue. 10 people may view the pic, with 10 different opinions. Hope we can give you an answer that you are looking for.