7 Spooky Superstitions About Photography

We all adhere to superstition here and there. 

No one feels too easy about breaking a mirror or walking under a ladder. And many of us tend to knock on wood when we’re hopeful about a good outcome.

Superstitions are based on mythological and folklore beliefs, many of which had been lost to time. 

All that’s left are vague beliefs about which set of behaviors brings good luck our way, and which doesn’t.

These beliefs can create a sense of comfort and security, but can also promote irrational behavior.

In relatively modern times, quite a few superstitions have been created around photography.

A Snippet of History 

Believe it or not, the first ideas about photography were recorded in ancient times. 

A few centuries BCE there was talk of a so-called camera obscura. It was an optic device used as an aid in drawing, and it’s also the reason why the modern camera is called a camera.

The early 1800s were the time when the first permanent photographs were invented by the French.

In 1841 William Henry Fox Talbot incorporated silver chloride into the process of creating images with camera obscura, which was a huge step in the development of modern photography.

The late 1800s were when color was first successfully incorporated into photography and cameras became widely popular and used.

Photography Became Widespread and So Did the Superstitions Related to It

Humans have always been wary of their reflection.

We always held particular beliefs about our reflection in the water and in mirrors.

Photography, especially different malfunctions related to it, became a source of many spooky beliefs because it also reflects our own image back to us.

Not to mention, we absolutely created some spookiness ourselves. Remember when Victorians literally posed their dead for photoshoots?

They created a whole art around it and invented several new devices to make sure the photos come out as life-like as possible.

These Are the 7 Creepy Superstitions About Photography

1. Soul capture

2. Night photography

3. Photos of the Moon and Sun

4. A broken camera brings bad luck

5. Crossroads, churches and cemeteries

6. Double exposure

7. Death omen

Every Time You Take a Photo, Part of Your Soul Remains Trapped Within

This is a popular belief. 

In many forms of spirituality, our soul is considered to be a whole separate entity that can be captured with a camera.

On the other hand, it’s believed that a camera captures the essence of its subject, as well as the essence of their soul.

Therefore, with each capture, a little chunk of your soul is left trapped within a photo forever.

Besides, some cultures even believe that a photographer has the power to capture a soul on purpose. This is looked upon as some form of spiritual manipulation.

This superstition is mostly related to old film cameras, or it’s believed that soul capture requires special lenses.

“The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors”

Taking pictures at night is considered to be testing of fate among the superstitious.

It is believed that a photographer is most likely to capture a supernatural entity at night.

Ghosts, demons and different apparitions are especially active late in the night.

Aside from this, it’s said that the particular settings for night photography are more likely to capture supernatural beings.

This is considered to be a way of tapping into negative energy because it’s stronger in darkness.

This superstition stems from the pictures that turn murky and obscure when taken at night.

Different shades and anomalies in them sometimes assume ominous shapes.

Moon and Sun Are Gods and They Hate Being Photographed, Allegedly

It’s no easy thing to capture either of the celestial bodies.

We have all tried and failed at least once to take a photo of the Full Moon, only to end up with a sad little white dot on the screen.

It takes a camera of outstanding quality and a great photographer to properly capture the Moon or Sun.

Because they’re so hard to capture with a camera, the superstitious among us concluded they must hate being photographed.

Many cultures consider the Sun and Moon to be deities. 

It’s said that photographing them can bring bad luck and provoke divine anger.

Breaking Your Camera Is the Same as Breaking a Mirror

Breaking a mirror is not an omen of bad luck for the sake of the mirror itself.

It’s bad luck because you break your reflection into many pieces, and it’s thus believed you’ve shattered your soul.

I have already made the comparison between a camera and a mirror.

The camera holds images of yourself or whoever you’ve photographed. Breaking or smashing it then also causes bad fortune.

Avoid Taking Photos in Liminal Spaces

Liminal space is any location that is believed to be a gathering spot for apparitions, ghosts, vampires and other supernatural beings.

Such places are crossroads, graveyards, abandoned buildings and even temples.

A common superstition is that you’re much more likely to capture something supernatural in these sorts of places.

Other than that, the demons and apparitions you capture may bring you bad luck.

Taking photos at a graveyard is considered disrespectful to the dead. The craziest superstitions even suggest you could provoke the dead to rise by taking pictures of graves.

Photography inside churches, mosques and various other temples is believed to be disrespectful to the deities.

Double Exposure May Open a Portal Between Worlds

This is considered to be bad luck for the photographer.

The superstition claims that by taking two pictures at once, a photographer is somehow disrupting the balance of the Universe itself!

Double exposure is said to capture unseen energies. 

It’s even said to run the risk of opening a portal between dimensions.

And, again, it’s believed that these two pictures that are taken together can possibly trap your soul in between them.

Camera Can Predict the Moment of Death

This is the old-school camera superstition.

It’s popular in books and movies. Most notably, The Omen (1976).

It shows that the signs of doom are turning out progressively clearer with each new photo.

Likewise, this superstition claims that in the case of impending death, photographs show shadows or streaks of light crossing the subject.

However, the same is believed about a photo that’s distorted, blurry or under an ominous angle.