page_title: Backscatter (photography)
hierarchical_section_title: Backscatter (photography)
caption_attribution_description: English: House Dust Orbs, photographed, and caused by Earth100.
context_page_description: In photography, backscatter is an optical phenomenon resulting in typically circular artifacts on an image, due to the camera's flash being reflected from unfocused motes of dust, water droplets, or other particles in the air or water. It is especially common with modern compact and ultra-compact digital cameras.
  Caused by the backscatter of light by unfocused particles, these artifacts are also sometimes called orbs, referring to a common paranormal claim. Some appear with trails, suggesting motion.
context_section_description: In photography, backscatter (also called near-camera reflection) is an optical phenomenon resulting in typically circular artifacts on an image, due to the camera's flash being reflected from  unfocused motes of dust, water droplets, or other particles in the air or water. It is especially common with modern compact and ultra-compact digital cameras.
  Caused by the backscatter of light by unfocused particles, these artifacts are also sometimes called orbs, referring to a common paranormal claim. Some appear with trails, suggesting motion.
caption: The backscatter of the camera's flash by motes of dust causes unfocused orb-shaped photographic artifacts.
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "1291", "Image ImageLength": "973", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image Make": "SAMSUNG", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "96", "Image YResolution": "96", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2013:01:15 14:27:12", "Image Artist": "Picasa", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "Copyright 2011", "Image ExifOffset": "296", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1004", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4108", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/45", "EXIF FNumber": "7/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "400", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2013:01:14 19:05:51", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2013:01:14 19:06:57", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "118621/56448", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "1381/250", "EXIF ApertureValue": "723/200", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "1", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "723/200", "EXIF MeteringMode": "MultiSpot", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired", "EXIF FocalLength": "49/10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1291", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "973", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "Interoperability RelatedImageWidth": "1291", "Interoperability RelatedImageLength": "973", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "856", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "27", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "ace10866bd1e029b860f3f2b5a257706", "EXIF OffsetSchema": "0"}