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How many times have you heard someone say, "Don't take my picture, photos steal your soul!"?
Do you believe in this? With advanced technology, anyone can easily take your picture.
Also- do other forms of this "soul taking" exist? Ex- TV, home videos, paintings, sketches, etc?

Or do you think its all a ruse not to take their picture because they believe they aren't photogenic?

I don't believe having one's photo taken steals the soul. But, I don't like having my photo taken by anyone but myself. It's just a personal preference.

I have been known to ruin the photo opportunities of others by giving the finger at the point of flash. Strangely, those photos tend to be ones that I like. LOL!

There are many cultures that are of the belief that having your photograph taken can steal or damage your soul. Some Native American and South American tribes, voodoo practitioners, and the remnants of the Mayans share this view.

It is something I say to avoid having my photo taken. I have a very sharp, narrow, angler face and pictures never do me justice. The minute a camera is in front of me my facial expressions become forced and unnatural. I have issues with light. Even without a flash , in most pictures my eyes are shut. Something about the dimensions me lose a certain quality of what I actually look like.

I look best in photos where some one surprised me and catches me at a natural moment.

I hate my pic being taken, but not because I believe it captures the soul. I know there are cultures who believe that it does,.

As I understand it, many cultures believe(d) that images had power (in a similar way that many believe words have real power, especially names), and that if you allowed others to make an image of yourself, those people then had power over you.

When it came to photography though, a lot of it boiled down to plain ignorance. Just because people were afraid of it or didn't understand how it worked, and thus melded their fear with other beliefs, doesn't mean the new belief (that photos steal their soul) was legitimate or had any reality to it.

They don't steal your soul and the idea that a picture could, to me, is beyond silly. It's even somewhat sad that people in today's world would think a picture could steal a soul, or would be worried about the possibility, because we all know how taking a picture works. ALL it's doing is making a copy of the light reflected off you. It's sort of like you looking in a mirror, except that the mirror retains the view.

i dont like others taking pic of me i like to do it myself

X, I whole heartedly agree with you. I have to say, I loved this line though. "that if you allowed others to make an image of yourself, those people then had power over you.
"

I suppose, I will research more on that subject. Not that I believe in it, but because it really interests me as an artist. Also, I love shadows and darkness as opposed to light. That's how I capture most of my subjects on paper. Using the space unseen rather than the light. I've heard criticism that it makes people seem like they were out of the depression, or that my images are made using charcoal, which isn't the case.

Again, I do think its silly. The only power people give me is the strength to perfect my skills as the years go by.

Sure people can have power over you by a picture.. if the picture is time stamped and taken in a compromising situation of something you're not supposed to be doing. Same with video, and CCTV.. ask any Britannia citizen.

Back during the early Photo days a person had to stand still for a good spell for a picture to be taken and often a ghostly image would be cast around the subject so in a sense it confirmed the superstition. One guy even capitalized on it and invented "photoshop" to trick people into seeing their beloved in the picture. Mary Todd-Lincoln was one such sucker.

When it comes to the law, depending on where you take the picture, YOU might be at fault for even taking it. But, I'm sure there are loop holes. For example it's illegal to take pictures in public transportation here. Everyone does it through.

I agree that people have power. There are cameras everywhere these days. However, I was thinking that it was more interesting in a mythical sense. As in a good story when it came to art.
Like, the many mythical stories people can portray with "ghosts" by using PhotoShop. :)

If you want a good study wiki Blackmail and were that term came from.

I'll look into it. o:
"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."

- Michelangelo
This quote always reminded me of trying to find a spirit in something inanimate.

Animism | Define Animism at Dictionary.com
noun 1. the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.

weather or not it has a soul.. the universe is in fact indifferently and pitilessly trying to kill us.. it is entropy. Just ask Astrologist Neil DeGrass Tyson.

Essentially, what a photograph does, is that, it captures the "energy" of a person/thing/scene at that moment in time. Why else do you think looking photogenic in photographs play a huge part for models? The look in your eyes, the posture of your body, specific gestures to suit a moment. I'm not trying to say that we should all behave like models, but in some cultures - not restricted to religious cultures - capturing the energy of a person opens up a portal to the other world. There are so many superstitious beliefs. Astral traveling? A picture seems to be a mode of connection. It was tried on Rave some time ago. Apart from the madness that causes fear in people, I'd say that taking photographs can be a wonderful thing. It's a way how a post-modern culture cherishes special moments. What we have as camera now, was what some pre-modern society used with mirrors.

This sounds like an old episode of the Twight Zone or Something you would here about in a Stephen King novel in fact this sort of thing happened on the Lost Girl series not sure if it is possible but this sounds like a paranormal event maybe the camera is cursed like the objects in the Friday the Thirteenth the series.

I have used that statement all my life. A picture steals the soul. Is it true native Americans believed. It much like a mirror will capture a soul after death. I hate my picture taken. Much like we all do and its probably because our society has taught us by certain characteristics being the right body and face.

What exactly does it do with your soul? It's like, if its stealing it, does it collect it? Does it give the soul to a supernatural being?
I'm curious. :)

Yes it is true my people did not want pictures taken thus some of my great great relatives we have no pictures of them because we believed it steals a person's soul and disrespected the spiritual world. I hate getting my picture taken. I have very long hair and sometimes when I am going to a pow wow I will dress native. Many have asked if they can take a picture of me and I tell them no that I believe it will steal my soul and please respect my beliefs. LOL I always get funny looks when I say that to them and it is all I can do to keep a straight face.

Some cultures not only did, but still do. Some Mexican towns, Voodoo practitioners still share the belief that images can do harm to soul.

Mirrors also were considered a major part of the Mayan religion and culture. Mirrors opened portals into the Otherworld, allowing ancestors and gods to pass through between the two planes. They believed when praying to a saint, the soul leaves the body. To help the soul find its way back into the body, mirrors are placed in front of saint statues to reflect back the soul.

In Chiapas, Mexico, there are towns which still adhere to the old Mayan ways. In San Juan Chamula it is illegal to take photographs in church. If you are caught using a camera in church - jail time is a distinct possibility. Older generation film cameras and todays SLR and digital SLR cameras still use mirrors. The Mayan beliefs led to photography being banned inside of churches.

Most of my people (Cree) today allow their photograph to be taken, however infants are protected. It is still believed the souls of infants are fragile and are susceptible to leaving the body.

It doesn't steal the soul, it just captures the flesh.

I know when I was young I did not like my picture taken. I felt it may capture something I did not want others to see, but I was never sure why.
Today I seldom take pictures of my own self, though when I do they seem to come out distorted for some reason.
A friend took a picture of me yesterday and says to me; "Uh, come look at this." and I looked, I assumed it would be distorted as it usually is when I take it myself it was. And I simply delete it and have him take it again. I doubt he really thought much of it and its probably the simple fact my cell phone sucks in every way imaginable.
Still, I do not like my picture taken. And I am sure that a camera can pick up things that the naked eye can not see. What it is capable of picking up, I do not know.

I don't believe impromptu pictures steal my soul- just whatever ounce of confidence and dignity I had that day. Seriously, YOU SEE IM EATING, KAREN!

I don't think it steals the soul but what I find kind of odd is when I was younger my mother would take lots of pictures of me and I'd get the red eye issue like everyone else and we'd just touch it up. Well within the past 5yrs I have not had the red eye in any picture even though everyone else in the picture does. I get a white eye and 5yrs ago I was dumb and young and in love and he wouldn't date me unless I sold my soul to the devil. I went through the whole ritual. Pictures could show if you have a soul or not but I just thought you'd find it interesting.

THE AMISH BELIVE THAT,THEY LIVE BY THAT CODE.BUT YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD,YOUR POWER WITHIN YOU IS GREAT,SO NO I CAN'T SEE HOW A CAMERA CAN DRAIN OR STEAL YOUR SOUL FROM TAKING A PICTURE.GOD WITHIN YOU WOULD NEVER ALLOW IT.IS YOUR FAITH THAT WEAK THAT YOU BELIVE THIS STUPIDITY,ITS LIKE BELIVING IF YOU WEAR A CAPE YOU CAN FLY,JUST DON'T JUMP OFF ANY BUILDING'S.OR YOU WILL LEARN THIS FACT THAT YOU CAN'T AND BY THEN IT WILL BE TO LATE.LOL.

Depends what camera equipment is used, if its the same as the one used in the Peeping Tom film, then yes along with your mortal life too haha. Kidding.

I don't think having your photograph taken steals your soul, just as I don't think having your portrait done does either. I do however believe it does capture a persons essence of that moment in which it was inspired. Of course the essence that is captured is only from the perspective of the one creating the picture/painting. Which is why I don't consider it to be the "true"essence of the persons soul that is taken. :)

I do not believe that pictures steal or harm the soul.

Ah yes, the essence is indeed taken. :) Pictures are never picture "perfect". Especially when it comes to PhotoShop lol.

Photographs don't "capture" anything. The photographic material responds to the visible light being reflected off of whatever is being photographed. In the case of humans, the light being "captured" isn't originating from the person, it's being reflected off the person. So, if anything, it's "capturing" the light of the Sun or light bulb, or whatever the light source is in that specific environment.

Then the photographic material creates a kind of copy of the reflected light. Then the produced picture absorbs the surrounding light and reflects back whatever wavelengths were being reflected by the original subject of said photo.

Nothing of the subject is being captured, stored, stolen, or otherwise taken.

I said the word capture in this sentence. "That's how I capture most of my subjects on paper." And when I said it, I didn't say "Photography" so I don't know where you're coming from if you're trying to prove something to me that I already know.
I said I like the darkness of hardly light reflecting off of people, didn't mean I disproved that light exists. In art, its called positive and negative space.
The thing about art is that, it uses science and I realize that.
If that statement wasn't directed at me, I apologize for stepping in.

Think of Rembrandt and his use of Chiaroscuro.

Although I shouldn't discriminate photography and its use of light, I was taught that the nonexistent parts can be just as important.
In this subject, I full intended to ask if people felt the same way about artwork such as sketches, drawings, paintings, etc.
And science, especially becomes a part of it when it comes to optical illusions.
To close my statement,"The term "gesture drawing" means somewhat different things to different people, but the defining characteristics are that the drawing is done quickly and that its purpose is to capture the essence of subject, rather than to present a realistic rendering of details." -Quoted from this link.
http://wikihow.com/Practice-Gesture-Drawing


"A person with normal eyesight would have nothing to know in the way of 'Impressionism' unless he were in a blinding light or in the dusk or dark."
John Singer Sargent

I heard it many times but I do not believe it

People are known to create "Old Wives' Tales".
Much like "Don't paint while you're pregnant. It will wrap the cord around the baby's neck." I've done it anyway and they came out just fine.

Not sure who came up with pictures taking parts of people's souls but I think it's just as ridiculous as other things that are told.

I'm superstitious about destroying a photograph, so I don't do it. I've known people who were really weird-ed out about having their picture taken. Mostly because of the notion that they aren't photogenic. I've never known anyone who actually thought that their soul could be stolen though a picture. That's a scary thought!

There are people who use pictures of people to perform spells. I'm thinking that can't always be good.

Well I'm very photogenic

I don't like taking pictures because of it.
But I'll do it and smile

Most photos I believe are memerys and they do say a thousand words

So with that said

I understand.... But then I don't

I do it to make people happy

I don't think it takes a piece of your soul it just makes a memory

There were cultures in the past that believed their soul could be taken this way and there may still be a few isolated ones. I don't like my picture taken because they always come out awful. For example I close my eyes, sneeze as it's been taken, the wind comes up and blows my hair into my face, things like that. It makes me uncomfortable.

Just an old wives tale. Like the, "cover your mouth when you yawn or the devil will get your soul."

I don't like my picture taken, people do things with photos...like posting them on social media whether you like it or not....my opinion...

I don't like my picture taken also, but my grandparents always used that line when their photo was taken. whether it was their superstition or what, they were very superstitious. But I use that line now.

The right photo of someone.. and another [person can under certain situations bring in a tidy bank roll. Blackmail for example.

yes it seems that happens a lot Dabbler. yet photos can be enlightening and romantic and have value over the ages of places and friends and life.

This is an old tale I haven't heard of in a while. When this tale originated, as stated before by I believe Dabbler. People would have to sit completely still for proximity two minutes. You move, and it can be a hairline of a centimeter, and you get what is called double exposure. Try sitting still for two minutes. No flinching, no swaying, no slumping. It isn't easy.

Thus the origin of this tale. Now, what another theory of 'pictures can steal your soul' can also account too is this. Oddly I am surprised no one even stated this yet. We each have our own ways of portraying ourselves.

The joker, who will flip the bird, or throw bunny ears on their friends. The serious person who either forces a smile just because it is tradition or keeps a straight face. The photogenic, who might add glam the photo up just for fun.

In everyone's eyes, expression, stature, is what is called body language. Something captured quite well from photography. Look close enough and you can tell the celebrities who love pictures being taken to those who do it just for the publicity. You can tell their current moods, their personality, everything anyone needs to know about a person by a simple picture.

Thus, the term the one who takes your picture will have power over you. The trained art of reading body language is age old. It originated as a spiritual aspect, then found to be useful for gypsies and fortune tellers to see your 'future'. Now this art is used to tell various things, from who's hiding a gun in their pocket, who just stole the $50 from their nearest liquor store, and who's lying in front of a judge. Or the age old way... Is your other half or family member happy.

Thus... in a way it can capture more than just light. It can capture who you are. But, can it steal your soul? Science proves otherwise, but belief thinks that science just isn't digging deep enough.

I don't believe that a camera could steal the soul. Cameras sense the REFLECTED light off an object but certainly don't absorb light from a source, like the aura or spiritual form. Just the light bouncing off of it. However, if a spirit was feeding on that light then it might get defensive! No soul stealing though. When inside a human being the soul is dormant and well protected. However, if it weren't then the camera would still only pick up reflected light not absorb source energies!

No, I do not believe that taking a picture will steal your soul. I do not like taking pictures for obvious reasons - I am not that attractive and I prefer to take pictures of others instead.LOL!~Mina

"How many times have you heard someone say, "Don't take my picture, photos steal your soul!"?
Do you believe in this? With advanced technology, anyone can easily take your picture.
Also- do other forms of this "soul taking" exist? Ex- TV, home videos, paintings, sketches, etc?

Or do you think its all a ruse not to take their picture because they believe they aren't photogenic?"

I think this has something to do with the passage from the book of Exodus 20:4 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"

I know some Christian sects like the Amish take this very seriously but for most people its no big deal. I personally don't think having your picture taken or being recorded on video steals your soul. I do however dislike that there is very little privacy anymore. Anyone can snap a picture of you for any reason including ridicule and thats not right.

Here is another take on this:

I was in Japan years ago visiting a small town and there was an area where supposedly Samurai had executed criminals. I spent several hours there asking people to take a photo of me but they all refused, including the group that I was traveling with. They were afraid that ghosts would appear in the image with me, which meant bad luck (or even death) for me and possibly anyone taking the photograph. I was disappointed but more so shocked that even in this modern era that belief was so strong.

Wow StrangeWings.... I'm thinking that must be where they came up with the idea for that movie "The Grudge"!! LOL!! I would have took a selfie.. Just to see if the ghosts would show up.. Would love to know if you ended up with any pics at all with ghosts in em? LOL :P

CR8054 says: "I think this has something to do with the passage from the book of Exodus 20:4 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth" '

Actually.. What that commandment means is that you can't make any statues or figurines or photos in Christ's image or heaven above.

I dont know i would say now its probably there self concious im like that,i hate my picture taken cause i dont look like i did ten yrs ago,no matter how good ppl say i look i dont see it.

@ BeautifulEnlightenment: Unfortunately, I had a cheap non-camera flip phone with me at the time or I definitely would have. This also took place a couple of years before the dawn of the iPhone...

It is just superstion just like the reason for saying bless you after someone sneezes it was supose to keep deamons from getting in your body lol

its also held by native cultures in the South Pacific as well...

I don't believe it does, what they say...

Being native American myself i must say i hate having my photos taken but as i was raised outside my tribe i dont believe it will hurt my soul. I just always look fatter in pics then in person so i just hate it. Pics never look that good in person is so much better lol

If its for friends and they ask before they take them i guess it would be ok. I just dont like them im a bit shy on that aspect

I'm reminded of the portrait of dorian grey... if that were the case; take as many as you want

I have never liked being photographed. I do believe that if its someone's preference or belief not to be photographed, then that's okay too. The "mind" is so amazingly complex, that beliefs can manifest in many ways.

I personally dont like having my photo taken.....but I sure as hell dont think it takes my soul...

A very simple courtesy of politely asking will usually produce cooperation as opposed to making someone feel they have been violated by a weird creeper.

Don't steal my reflected photons. They're MY reflected photons!

Take a picture, no flash, in a dark room. If they don't protest or feel any pain, you'll know the reason.

now days with security cameras,dashboard cameras and iphone cameras you never know when your picture has been taken not to mention bus cams and stoplight cams and then you got the satellite cameras

Isn't it believed spirits can become trapped in looking glasses? People believe Bela Lugosi's mirror is haunted.
It's also where the act of Skrying comes from

I ise to say it at school to avoid picture day. Having proof of my abuse as a kid to stare at just wasn't my cup of tea. Now? I don't have enough pictures. The few I have are selfies. Hubby isn't the picture taking type and I don't have many friends to hang out with and when we do I'm so excited that I forget to ask to have pictures taken while we're out. My facebook pictures of other people, places, and pets number in the thousands. If I could do it over I think I'd have done every picture day just so I could have something of me, bruises and all.
My point, I believe very few people actually believe the soul stealing excuse anymore. It was believable before technology and education. Now, there's really no excuse. While we don't know everything, being educated has allowed us to lay certain superstitions to rest.

I think for the most part, it comes down to a person's culture. I personally do not think a photograph captures the soul as in taking it away. I do think photos can reveal more than what we may think.

For example...I know of a person who has multiple personalities. And even when he is in control (so to speak) if you take his picture in that split second- it is not him. The picture will depict one of his alters...almost always.

not sure if part of your soul is taken or if it tells if you've got a soul but i know that whenever i take a picture of myself you can't see my face clearly its always blurry...its been that way for 3years now

What is a Picture? A combination of colors on top of a piece of "paper", and the color are "scramble" by the camera to create the image that is in front. NO, if someone take your picture, your Soul is NOT taken. That is impossible. The realization about how the system work, will stop the superstition of the masses. The only way that I can take your soul, is If you give it to me in your own will.

My two cents... could it be based on the intent of the person taking the picture and what they plan to do with it? After all, a picture is a very personal thing.

photos capture so much more than what people think

At times I do feel uncomfortable when people take my picture, yeah. Always ask permission. Most of the time, I tend to take over the moment... decline the picture and ask if I can take it instead. Automatically leaving myself out of the loop. I was never one for photo time.

I feel photography can show ones Aura or soul.

http://www.atlanteanconspiracy.com/2013/07/biofield-electrography-kirlian.html

I once saw a very mysterious person in Salem, MA. I tried to follow them but they seemed to just vanish.

i can kind of understand the phrase, i myslef dont like getting my picture taken. my grandfather used to take pictures or myself and my cousins ever single change he got so now as an adult i dont like it lol

I never liked it cause I never could get the right pose or look ready or I thought if they did that the camera would brake or something to that matter. lol

sometimes being an adult is too difficult or busy to have time to take pics.

my fiances sister takes im not kidding like 300+ pics whenever she goes somewhere. and out of those 300 maybe 8 get put on social media, i personally think its stupid.

take a few thats fine but eventually the camera is just going to give up lol

I dont mind people taking my picture (obviously with my permission) however I would rather do it myself, as I am very picky on how I like pictures, especially ones with me, to look. Either they take it blurry, or at an angle i dont like, etc...I would rather just do it myself.

As for taking they're soul, I've heard of forms of magick like this, however unless you were deep in the dark arts, then generally it was just causing back luck to a person. In generally, no I don't believe this is possible.

I don't tell people cameras will steal my soul, and I've never heard that from people before in the real world.

However, I'm a Santeria practitioner, and if I become an initiate, I'll go through a brief period shortly after the initiation where I shouldn't be in pictures. They can disrupt spiritual energy -- which is to say, in times when you should be focusing intensely on your new spiritual practices, you're worried about how the world thinks of you.

I encourage people to not take my picture in general. It's rude to do it without asking, even in a group shot or a candid. As a trans person I have a very troubled relationship with my body, too, so I only enjoy being in photos if I have some control over them, and I hate looking at photos of myself.

With every act, no matter how subtle, we leave part of our soul engrained in everything we do. Our soul leaves a trail of good, bad, or indifferent with each interaction our life consumes. Staining the world with our mark on all of the lives we touch directly or indirectly.

In the vampire "mythology", the silver as a powerful anti-bacterial was dangerous for undead.
In the XIXth cetury the mirrors backs and the photography support contained silver, so these objects were somehow dangerous for vampire.

In Africa people thought that souls are the doubles of the body appearance and since you record the image on a support it can contain also the soul.

From my understanding, certain spiritual paths DO prohibit pictures from being taken

I never bought into the photo stealing your soul thing. That said, I do not like having my picture taken at all.