Most photos of little girls or other figures captured on trail camera (so they say) are fake. They are photoshopped or otherwise manipulated, often created with use of a ghost app on a phone. But the latest one, making the rounds on paranormal and mystery mongering feeds on Facebook, looks shocking, creepy, sparking speculation as to its authenticity. But it is ABSOLUTELY REAL- fascinating and beautiful.

Very spooky – what is she doing there? Why aren’t the deer running away. Is it a ghost? Is it a child lost in the woods?

It’s a piece of art, actually, done by composer and photographer William Harper. The original photo is here from a series called “Following the deer”). You can also see the sequence.



Amazing. The description of the series on his website explains that the camera is hidden, attached to a tree, and the scene is set.

A runaway child slips into the glade and joins the animals. She wants to have the coyote for her own. The coyote will stay with the runaway but won’t get too close. The photographer, tracking his discoveries, will drive the animals into hiding but will take a fine portrait. Some of the stories the photographer tells are true. Some are outright lies. He explains to the children that photographs don’t lie but he doesn’t need to; the children can tell when a lie is true and, in any case, are somewhat flexible on the issue.

Searching for the photo will take to you Harper’s website.

This is a good example of why we should not jump to ANY conclusions, paranormal or fake. We can never conceive of all the possible explanations (so you should never jump to paranormal when you can’t exhaust the normal). I suppose this isn’t “normal” or natural. It’s completely contrived. The reaction of social media and forums and paranormal sites reveals how we love these spooky, mysterious puzzles.

Tip: Tkay Anderson