EPIC Update — 5 Min Read
Spirit Photography: Capturing the Essence of Winter Hauntings
Written by Autumn Ware
Photos by L. Terrell Gould, III
EPIC Update — 5 Min Read
Spirit Photography: Capturing the Essence of Winter Hauntings
Written by Autumn Ware
Photos by L. Terrell Gould, III
For as long as we’ve told ghost stories, we’ve sought ways to prove the existence of spirits—or at least to capture the fleeting shiver they leave behind.
In the Victorian era, photography itself became a séance of sorts, as double exposures and long exposures gave rise to spirit photography, eerie images where the dead seemed to linger beside the living. Whether sincere attempts to commune with the beyond or clever hoaxes playing on the era’s fascination with the supernatural, these ghostly images reflected something deeper: a desire to see what we only half-believe, to make the invisible visible.
At Winter Hauntings 2025, that spirit lived on in staged apparitions, in the allure of dramatic storytelling, and in the communal hush that falls when an audience leans in for a scare. Capturing this ephemeral magic was talented Carteret County photographer L. Terrell Gould, III, whose lens became the medium through which the night’s energy was preserved.
Winter Hauntings Audience by L Terrell Gould III
The Details That Haunt Us
A great photographer doesn’t just document an event—they unearth the hidden stories woven into the smallest details. Terrell saw Winter Hauntings the way only a keen observer can. He found the flicker of candlelight against aged wood, the spectral glow of stage lights on a storyteller’s face, the intricate shadows cast by a single, staring eye.
Haunted Doll Award by L Terrell Gould III
Skeleton Crew by L Terrell Gould III
Stage Details by L Terrell Gould III
Stage Details by L Terrell Gould III
A Stage Bathed in Spectral Light
Thanks to the magic of theater, the world of Winter Hauntings was drenched in the deep monochromes of the stage lights—a Mario Bava film come to life. The host, yours truly, bathed in ominous red. The young Carteret Community Theatre actress Kennedy Brooks, our spectral “Abigail Rumbarrel,” cast in ghostly blue. The storytellers, framed in flickering green and purple. The resulting color-drenched imagery is hypnotic—an otherworldly vision of an evening where the veil between fiction and reality was at its thinnest.
Winter Hauntings Host Autumn Ware by L Terrell Gould III
Emily Carter by L Terrell Gould III
Kennedy Brooks as Abigail Rumbarrell by L Terrell Gould III
Alex Russell Reading with Kennedy Brooks in the Background by L Terrell Gould III
Kimberly Murdoch Reading by L Terrell Gould III
Matt Brooks Reading by L Terrell Gould III
A Gathering of Kindred Spirits
While Winter Hauntings was a night for ghosts, it was the kindred spirits—coordinators, performers, writers, and guests—who made the event unforgettable. Terrell had a knack for capturing that energy, putting people at ease with his friendly confidence and sharp eye for those in-between moments—laughter shared over a drink, a storyteller’s animated gestures, the collective hush before a chilling reveal.
Cullen Gage and Lindsay Baily by L Terrell Gould III
Jack and Autumn Ware with Lala McCarthy by L Terrell Gould III
Host Autumn Ware and Ghost Story Contest Winner Jessi Waugh with Haunted Doll Award by L Terrell Gould III
Heidi Skinner at the Skull-astic Book Fair by L Terrell Gould III
Alura Acosta of The Neigh Bar by L Terrell Gould III
Rebekah Brooks by L Terrell Gould III
John Carter by L Terrell Gould III
In the end, Terrell’s photographs captured more than eerie tableaus and shadowed silhouettes—they made the intangible tangible, just like the spirit photographers of old. But instead of cheesecloth ectoplasm and pesky poltergeists, what emerged was something far more powerful: the living, breathing force of a community that shows up for one another. Even in our darkest nights, there’s light to be found in those who gather close, ready to listen, ready to give, and—thanks to Terrell—ready to be remembered for their positive contributions.
Some say a good ghost story changes you. We have photographic proof. See the before and after transformations of our brave Winter Hauntings attendees in next week’s post.
Don’t miss out next year!
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