Where to Start:

Making the transition from an observer or general paranormal enthusiast to an investigator may sound difficult, but in all honesty the first and biggest step to overcome is simply to gather the determination to do it.   The rest is simply a matter of aquiring the tools to proceed and deciding how far you wish to go with it.    Also you must determine the type of approach you wish to take with it.   Whether you wish to take a more spiritual or a more scentific approach.  These are all questions you should ask yourself along the way, but by no means are you ever tied to your initial answer.  You may start investigating and find that your focus brings you in an entirely different direction.  Just simply be aware, and try to know which way you want to head so that you can make the best descision for you.

The Equipment:
 
One popular mistake when first making the move towards paranormal investigation is to get bogged down with all the equipment you will need.   I must admit, when you browse the internet for "Ghost Hunting" equipment, you will get several pages full of possible options, none of which seem to be easy on the budget.   At first glance that alone can be enough to discourage most people from moving forward.   My best and first advice I would have for you when it comes to the equipment you need is to start simple, and buy smart.    As we progress through this feature we will have several articles at different stages which will speak of the gear you may need or consider.    Start with minimal purchases, and work your way up.   The next article will give you a list of equipment which you will want to consider and the point at which you want to consider it.    This will change as you progress, but can be used as a "starting point" to go from.

The Locations:

This topic in itself is probably large enough to start an entire feature on.  This is probably one of the most asked questions in paranormal investigation.   "Where do I investigate?" and "How do I gain access to locations?".     These are all excellent questions and we will try to answer some of those as we progress through these articles.   If there is one thing I can not stress enough and  you will probably hear me repeating this over and over again, that is "DO NOT TRESSPASS!"   That is probably the worst mistake you can make.   If there is a location which there is no after hours access, do not simply trespass without asking permission.   That is the one sure way to cause yourself problems in the future and potentially lock yourself out of better places down the road.  Do not do it!   You will damage your own reputation and possible the reputation of other paranormal investigators.    We will be discussion a variety of tactics you can use to gain access.   One of your best resources as you start investigating will be to maintain a good repore' with the local police, that will help you more than many other things.    At first you may want to also consider investigating ghosts for individuals you know personally.   We will discuss "locations" once we cover some of the equipment you need.

Partners:
 
Another major topic is selecting your partners or other team members.   Its important to find people with common interests and goals.   You can be diverse with the means you use to come to those goals, but the overall vision should be common.   For instance you can have one person who focuses on scientific method, and another who is sensitive to spirits,  but both can share a common goal and vision of how to get there.     Its generally recommended that you have at least one other person investigate with you.   Aside from having independent validation of events which may not be recorded, it also provides an extra level of safety.   After all you will likely be spending a good deal of time in the dark, and accidents can happen.    On the other hand having too large of a group can also bring an entirely different set of challenges, and also make it more difficult to enter certain locations.   Once you get more established it can also aid sometimes to be a part of an established association, if for no other reason than just to validate your credentials and give you greater credibility.    We will discuss this topic in more detail as well as we progress through these articles.

Whats Next:

The next article will discuss the equipment in detail.   We hope you continue to follow this feature as we work our way together towards performing your first investigation.   Good luck, and happy hunting!