What is Kirlian Photography?
Is Kirlian Photography a paranormal effect? Here’s an extract taken from The Hidden Whisper endnote 63.
Semyon Kirlian discovered back in the late 1930s that if you photographed an object placed on a photographic film and subjected it to a powerful electric field, the developed image would often produce a ‘halo’ around that object. Some people believed that this halo represented a form of paranormal or supernatural energy, and even suggested that Kirlian photography was a window to the soul.
In reality, any object will give out an aura (caused by electrical/corona discharges around the object’s edge) if placed in a high voltage field. This can be captured on photographic film that has been placed in contact with the object. The electric field pulls electrons from the object’s surface (and any surface moisture) and pings them into the film emulsion, resulting (once the film is developed) in the appearance of unseen, additional imagery. Photographic film is not always required. A darkened room and the naked eye can sometimes suffice. The shape and relative moisture levels of the object being photographed will affect the shape and size of the aura produced, as will additional factors including environmental moisture, temperature and the voltage employed.
