Tools of the Trade
Video and photos let you document a location, keep an eye on rooms when no one is present, and review moments later. Each type of camera has strengths and weaknesses.
Thermal cameras. A thermal camera shows the surface temperature of objects as a color image. Warmer areas typically appear in bright colors, and cooler areas in darker colors.
Good for:
Finding drafts around windows, doors, and vents
Spotting hot wiring, outlets, or appliances
Showing where a person or animal recently sat or touched
Checking out reports of "cold spots"
Limits:
Thermal cameras read surfaces, not the air. A "cold spot" in the air may not show up at all.
Glass, mirrors, polished floors, and shiny surfaces reflect heat, so you might see your own reflection and mistake it for a figure.
Handprints, footprints, and warm furniture leave heat signatures that fade over time.
Infrared (IR) / night vision cameras. These cameras use infrared light, invisible to our eyes, to record in the dark. They're the standard choice for stationary cameras placed in rooms throughout the night.
Good for:
Monitoring rooms when no one is in them
Recording team members' actions for later review
Capturing movement in dark spaces
Limits:
Dust, pollen, insects, and moisture close to the lens light up brightly in IR and often look like glowing "orbs." In most cases, that's exactly what they are.
IR light reflecting off surfaces can create flares and odd shapes.
Image quality can be grainy, which leaves room for imagination to fill in details.
Full-spectrum cameras. A full-spectrum camera captures visible light along with ultraviolet and infrared. The idea is to record a wider range of light than the human eye can see.
Good for:
Photographing or recording in a wider light range
Comparing images with standard cameras
Limits:
The same dust, insect, and reflection problems apply.
Images can have unusual color tints that may look strange but are normal for this kind of camera.
Best practices for any camera:
Use tripods to keep cameras steady.
Set every camera to the correct date and time.
Take baseline photos of each room at the start of the night.
Note where every camera is placed and what it's pointed at.
Don't stand in front of stationary cameras unnecessarily.
If you see something unusual, take several photos in a row from the same spot. If it appears in only one, look closely for a natural cause.
Using tools together. No single device tells the whole story. The strongest observations come when several tools line up — for example, a sound on the recorder, movement on video, and a note in the log, all at the same timestamp, with no natural explanation. Even then, stay humble. Tools help us observe. They don't hand us conclusions.