# What are these "light bubbles" on my photographs?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-light-bubbles-on-my-photographs/548079>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 26, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-light-bubbles-on-my-photographs/548079 "2010-07-26T17:54:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-light-bubbles-on-my-photographs/548079/1 "2010-07-26T17:54:07Z")

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I have a Canon A620 digital camera. Occasionally, I have used the supplemental HF-DC1 flash. In some of the photographs, I have had what I call “light bubbles.” That is, there will be a circular translucent “blob.” I don’t think it’s something on the lens, and it isn’t consistent. (I’d give some examples, but I don’t have access to any at this moment."

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-light-bubbles-on-my-photographs/548079/2 "2010-07-26T18:03:06Z")

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Is [this](http://whoyoucallingaskeptic.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/garden-orbs.jpg&imgrefurl=http://whoyoucallingaskeptic.wordpress.com/page/22/%3Farchives-list) the type of thing you’re asking about? If so, then what you have is “orbs.”

Depending on whom you ask, orbs are either: a) Some kind of image resulting from light hitting dust particles (or other naturally-occurring things in the environment); or b) Paranormal entities.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-light-bubbles-on-my-photographs/548079/3 "2010-07-26T18:05:46Z")

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Well, that’s exactly the type of things I get, although since I’ve typically encountered only one or two when I do–and not a cluster–I’m leaning toward the paranormal option. One did look a little like Elvis. . .

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**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-light-bubbles-on-my-photographs/548079/4 "2010-07-26T18:15:58Z")

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Airborne dust. Most of the time there’s only a fleck or two in the air, but in exceptionally dusty environs there will be a lot of them, for example [this shot,](http://prestondrake.smugmug.com/photos/465952975_C8eZ5-L.jpg) taken immediately after completing a major wood-routing job. On m camera (Canon elph 110), each “orb” appears as a series of concentric white rings.