Salem Mass Ghost Hunting Photography
A bloodcurdling location

Pictured Above: The Pickman House is located on Charter Street (taken while ghost hunting), behind the Peabody Essex Museum. This is where Caleb Pickman lived when he tortured and killed his wife and daughter. Paranormal entities are said to lurk near this house, built circa 1664. They are lingering around this structure, which remains from the Salem Witch Trials.

Salem, Massachusetts Ghost Hunting Photography

Take a look at some of the images of The Burying Point and scroll down to see the searing story. Check the photos for ghostly activity.

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At my own expense, I offer all of this to you: a humble tribute to Mother Gaia. It is my hope that you will spread my art and message to others, uplifting and inspiring their souls.

May my works guide photographers illuminating their path toward creating dynamic and impactful images that show the raw beauty and essence of life in all its transcendent glory. —Pamela Goodyer

Images above show a plethora of paranormal activity along the Salem Night Tour Ghost Walk. Buy Ghost Walk tickets at their website.

We reveled in the festivities and encountered a myriad of otherworldly beings. The air was alive with their energy, pulsing and shimmering around us like a veil of magic. Each encounter was more enchanting than the last, leaving us breathless and eager for more. As we danced among the spirits, it felt like we were floating on a cloud of pure joy and wonder and at the same time, somewhat scared.

survival food and gear with an alien guy with food buckets

GHOST HUNTING SALEM INFORMATION

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME FOR GHOST HUNTING PHOTOGRAPHY?

When to Go: Any time is okay, but traditionally, the best results for hunting have been documented after 9 p.m.

Best Time of Year: Halloween season!!

HOW LONG SHOULD I PLAN TO PHOTOGRAPH?

Take at least a full day to experience all this area has to offer and spend at least one whole night, if not two.

WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR SHOULD I BRING?

Full-spectrum digital camera: This camera documents high-quality full-spectrum photos and videos. It has been professionally modified to accept deeper Ultraviolet (UV) and Infrared (IR) light, allowing pictures to be taken deep into the usually unseen spectrum of light. It features an easy-to-use interface that makes your job easier and effectively documents evidence.

As with all cameras, this is best used with an external light source such as UV, IR, or Full-Spectrum (white) light.

Infrared (IR) Digital Camera: – Takes quality IR photos and video with the convenience and ease of a compact digital camera

DSLR camera, tripod, wide-angle lens.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I BRING?

EMF Meters: Measure fluctuations in electromagnetic fields (or EM fields). These fields directly result from electrical appliances in a home, cell phones, power lines outside, and even solar activity and weather fluctuations. Beyond that, a primary theory in the paranormal world is that entities can manipulate these fields to manifest themselves or interact with our world. When your meter goes off, do a long exposure on your tripod.

HOW DO I GET THERE?

From the North:
Take I-95 South (Maine) or I-93 South (New Hampshire) to Route 128-North. Take exit 40A and follow Route 114-East into town. Follow signs to the Visitor Center, Museum & Historic Sites and Downtown Parking. So that you know, Interstate 95 North and Route 128 North share the same road for the loop around Boston. When the roads split, stay on Route 128 North.

From the South:
Take Route 93 North to Massachusetts. Pike (I-90 East) via the Ted Williams Tunnel (Exit 134B) East to Route 1A North. Take Route 1A from the north.

From other areas and airports are linked.

HOW BUSY DOES THE TOWN GET?

The area is a prominent tourist attraction and gets busy during our suggested Halloween time. You can try midweek to reduce the crowds.

WHAT IS THE BEST TOUR IN SALEM?

The Salem Night Tour rocks! We’ve included below all the ghostly activity we documented during the tour. Read the details below.

WHERE SHOULD I EAT?

Our absolute all-time favorite restaurant is Life Alive!

Life Alive is the holy grail of healthiness and delightfulness, satisfying even the most die-hard health fanatic!

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, CAMPING & WEATHER BELOW.

WHAT TO SEE IN SALEM

HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES:

115 Derby Street, Salem, MA

TOURS

Constructed in 1668 for Captain John Turner, the House of Seven Gables is an impressive colonial estate. The Turner family owned and resided in the house for three generations before it became famous as the setting for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel bearing the same name. Originally called the Turner House, it was eventually renamed to reflect its literary significance.

OLD BURYING POINT:

Charter Street, Salem, MA

The old burying point is the location of our article’s story above. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in the United States. The final burial place for those executed, according to some people. (You can see some of our pictures with the activity in our article.) Despite common belief, some say the graveyard does not contain any of the convicted Salem witches. As it was not permitted for convicted witches to have a Christian burial, their bodies were likely taken by their families and buried on private land. Although there is no concrete evidence, some family legends suggest this is true. READ OUR STORY OF THE APPARITIONS BELOW

THE WITCH HOUSE

310 1/2 Essex St. (978) 744-8815

The old walls still echoed with the haunting cries of those accused during the terrifying Witchcraft Trials of 1692—Judge Jonathan Corwin, notorious for sentencing nineteen people to death by hanging.

Judge Corwin resided here. Despite its name, Salem’s Witch House was never inhabited by anyone accused of witchcraft. Its infamous connection to the trials stems from its previous owner, Jonathan Corwin, who served as a judge during the notorious Salem Witch Trials. Under his jurisdiction, 19 individuals were wrongly sentenced to death by hanging.

GALLOWS HILL:

7 Lynde Street, Salem, MA

Some believe this is the site of the witch-hangings. There have been reports of skeletal remains found on this site. The debate arises whether these bones belong to the victims of the notorious 1692 witch trials. According to the Peabody Essex Museum, bone fragments have indeed been discovered. However, it is impossible to determine exactly where they come from.

Tim Maguire, proprietor of the Salem Night Tour, disclosed to author Sam Baltrusis that Gallows Hill holds a dark past beyond its connection to the infamous witch trials. According to Maguire, there have been reports of multiple suicides and unexplained incidents at this location.

A GREAT PLACE TO GHOST HUNT

This is one of the most blood-curdling locations for a hunt in the USA. Apparitions are looming at every corner, waiting to vaporize you and send you into the depths of hell, never to return. Just kidding, but this is an insane location for a colossal amount of paranormal activity.

Salem Halloween City

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Rare photo of Pamela Goodyer. A ghostly one.

SURVIVAL FOOD

The story behind the area certainly sets the mood as you quietly walk through graveyards and around buildings known to have entities lurking in the night. The images below were taken during our Ghost Walk with Salem Night Tours. Paranormal Pam highly recommends you attend this 75-minute captivating, spine-chilling walk through Salem, Massachusetts, to meet all its ethereal beings.

OUR SALEM GHOST STORY

As we ventured to Salem, Mass., for a brief detour from our coastal Milky Way photography expedition, the atmosphere grew increasingly ominous. The Burying Point beckoned us with its ancient gravestones and haunting history. Justice John Hathorne, ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne and one of the Witchcraft Court judges, is said to prowl these grounds, seeking revenge on any curious visitors who dare to disturb his eternal slumber. We couldn’t resist exploring, but little did we know the horrors that awaited us within the twisted cemetery walls…

As we arrived at the abandoned cemetery, we were drawn to the rear. I walked over to where Carol had been standing by a gnarled tree for what felt like hours, her eyes fixated on something unseen. As I approached, a sense of dread washed over me, like an evil presence lurking behind the tree.

Carol’s voice trembled as she mentioned hearing the faint cries of a young girl or a baby. I stood still, feeling a heavy and malevolent presence lurking nearby. The hairs on her arm stood on end as she sensed the sinister aura of an abusive man. And then the sound of a woman sobbing filled the air, with Carol calling out to her in desperation as if she could hear her pleas for help coming from beyond the veil.

We lingered in this desolate place for what felt like an eternity, attempting to communicate with the tormented spirit before us. We could sense her overwhelming grief and confusion, trapped in this limbo between worlds. It was clear that something horrific had befallen her child, and she was doomed to relive the agony over and over again. Carol could sense the presence of a young girl but could not determine the true extent of her suffering or the horrors that plagued her.

I quickly sensed the nasty man and focused on him. (Possibly because if there is a bad man out there, I will find him.) Was it because this man was indeed a man of evil terror who emitted a toxic soul so intensely it could not go unnoticed? I kept focusing on how abusive he was to a woman.

So we wandered around Salem all day long. There was an invasion of paranormal activity at almost every turn. After an exhausting travel and exploration expedition, we mustered up the energy to go on the Salem Night Tour, and we were so glad we did. It was a great group with a very competent guide. He knew his history, and we became engrossed as he told the haunting, riveting stories along the walk. This is a great tour.

Our guide seemed too knowledgeable, as if he had lived through the horrors he had shared with us. As we followed him down dimly lit streets, we couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread creeping in. This was no ordinary tour—it was a ghost-hunting expedition in one of the most haunted cities in America. We held our breaths as the guide revealed terrifying tales and even eerie photos. Our minds were forever scarred by what we experienced on that fateful night.

BACK TO THE BURYING POINT STORY

We arrived at the Burying Point at night. Remember, we had already spent quite some time there earlier in the day. We wandered away a bit, but suddenly, Carol’s eyes almost popped out of her head. “Did you hear what he just said?” she yelled so nearly everyone could hear her. We couldn’t believe our ears as we quickly drew closer to hearing the horrific tale. He was telling a story about The Tree! We were flabbergasted! He had said something about a woman, a man, and a baby. With our complete attention on every word out of his mouth, we stood there with our jaws dropped. These were the entities we were communicating with earlier in the day!

THE HORROR STORY AND GHOST HUNT

The guide told the story of a husband, wife, and a 7-year-old daughter. Demons had overcome Caleb Pickman, the husband who had gone insane, as he chained his daughter up in the attic. The compelling story continues as he describes how he tortured, starved, and tied his wife up to Carol’s tree and killed her. Sadly, he goes on to say that the young girl also died!

We took photos of the house, and I still sensed the evil that Carol had felt earlier when she knew nothing of the story. The ghost of the seven-year-old girl is sometimes seen looking out the attic window. We found an enormous orb floating in the area, and we were all sensing apparitions and a deep sense of staggering pain in the air. We had communicated on a very intense level that night. You can see the images of the Pickman house at the very top of the page and in our galleries.

WE SET HER SOUL FREE

The same woman followed us around for several days while in Salem. We commanded that the evil man Pickman did not follow us, and thankfully, he did not even try. At the end of our travels, after leaving town and being almost back at our home base, we suddenly heard, “NO! You cannot come with us! You must go back to where you belong!”

We initially suspected Pam had another stalker, but it turned out Carol was shouting at the woman. We explained that there was a better place for her to go, where she would be reunited with her daughter. We assured her that her daughter was waiting for her on the other side and that it was time for her to leave the in-between world. A sense of calm washed over us as she seemed to understand and decided to move on. We were relieved knowing we had helped set her free and that she would be safe with her daughter in the higher realms where they belonged.

HOW TO TAKE PICTURES OF GHOSTS

Use a Tripod – You must be on a tripod. Turn off vibration reduction whenever using a tripod.

Manual – Set your camera to manual.

Lighting—You cannot shoot a DSLR in total darkness. You will need light sources such as a flashlight, church lights, or a full moon.

Focus – Use live view. To focus in the dark, use your camera’s live view and focus on a bright spot. You can also use the infinity setting on your lens. You can also shine a flashlight, focus the shot, and then, without touching anything else, change the lens to manual focus; if it is so dark, there is nothing to focus on. You would have to do this each time you move the camera to refocus. This may disturb the apparitions, though. You can also use infrared light to help your camera see.

ISO – Start with ISO 1600. This is a common starting point, and you will adjust from here. The higher the ISO, the more grain, but these are ghost pictures, not milky images. See ISO Settings for more info.

Aperture—The depth of field isn’t significant in these shots, but letting light into the camera is; therefore, you shoot wide open. We like 2.8 or (the lowest aperture your camera will allow). Aperture Details.

Shutter Speed—After setting the aperture, roll the shutter speed so the exposure level indicator on the exposure scale on the bottom of the screen goes to ‘0’.

White Balance—In live view mode, you can change your white balance settings and see which one looks best on each shot.

LEARN YOUR GHOST HUNTING TERMINOLOGY

Apparition – A ghostlike image of a person.
Automatism – an action performed unconsciously or involuntarily caused by spirits.
Banshee – A female spirit whose wailing warns of impending death in a house
Collective Apparition – A rare type of sighting in which more than one person sees the same apparition or phenomenon.
Digital and analog audio recording – Gets any unexplained noises and electronic voice phenomena (EVPs).
Direct Voice Phenomenon (DVP) – Voices spoken to the Medium at a séance.
Earthbound – A term referring to a spirit that is attached to the earth and unable to leave this dimension.
Ectoplasm – A supernatural, viscous substance. It is supposed to exude from the body of a medium during a trance.
EMF Meters – Measures the fluctuations in electromagnetic fields (or EM fields). These fields directly result from electrical appliances and can be cell phones, power lines outside, and possible fluctuations in solar activity and weather. Notably, a theory in the paranormal world is that entities can transform these fields to manifest themselves and make contact with this world.
Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) – Voices and sounds from beyond are recorded.
Ghoul – A Demonic or parasitic entity that eats human remains.
EMF Meters – Measures the fluctuations in electromagnetic fields (or EM fields). These fields directly result from electrical appliances in a home, cell phones, power lines outside, and even fluctuations in solar activity and weather. Beyond that, a primary theory in the paranormal world is that entities can manipulate these fields in their attempt to manifest themselves or interact with our world.
Orb – The term orb describes unexpected, typically circular artifacts in photography, sometimes with trails indicating motion.
Paranormal Vortex: A vortex in everyday life is a whirling mass of either air or water. Some believe a paranormal vortex is a space where apparitions can travel between our world and theirs on the other side.
Radio Voice Phenomenon (RVP) – Receiving the voice of a spirit through a regular radio.
Reciprocal Apparition – A rare phenomenon where humans communicate directly with spirits back and forth