text: The father of the little girl who starred in a photograph that sent the internet into a frenzy because of a mystery pair of boots has 'no idea' what the object could be. Martin Springall, 38, photographed his young daughter - who he wished not be named - standing near a rocky outcrop in Zushi, Japan, in July 2014. He said he was living and working in Tokyo, around an hour north, and wanted to send a picture 'to my wife, who was at work'. 'I took a series of them,' Mr Springall said via email. 'It wasn't until I was checking them later in the evening that I just happened to notice the boots behind her in that one shot.' 'I showed my wife immediately. She was considerably more upset by it than I was, to be honest. Martin Springall (pictured with his daughter, who he wished not to be named) said he had 'no idea' what the item could be . A trick of the light or paranormal forces at play? There is chatter online about what the cause of this apparent black boot apparition is . Eerie: A pair of black boots are clearly seen behind the little girl - even though her photographer father apparently does not recall a person standing there . The Reddit user who posted the controversial image online suggested they could be samurai boots - although others are not so sure . Mr Springall gave permission for his friend, Brian, to post the image to Reddit - where it became a topic of 'mostly negative' discussion - until it resurfaced this week . 'I just kind of obsessed over that one photo for a couple of hours that evening and then tried to forget about it. 'I really don't like dwelling on stuff like this, to be honest - it freaks me out.' The photograph has sparked considerable debate on the website Reddit, with sceptics arguing whether the picture was modified, if there was a person standing behind the girl or if it was all a trick of the light. Mr Springall insisted there was 'no one' else in the vicinity - and said it had not been Photoshopped, despite sceptics believing otherwise. 'I certainly would have noticed someone standing behind her in one of the shots,' he said. 'She likely wouldn't even have posed for the picture in that case, because she's incredibly shy'. In this picture from the same set, no one appears to be standing behind this little girl . However, in this other supplied picture, the black boots have returned . 'I have no idea what the boots are, where they come from or what they could represent. 'All I can tell you is that I totally get the cynicism.... If I saw that online I would view it exactly the same way. 'I can assure you, though, that it was just the two of us in the area and the photo is 100% untouched. He said he showed his friend Brian Publicover, 38, the picture on a camping trip around a month later. Mr Publicover, a Canadian, then posted it to Reddit under the username Obiaruf. 'We're not saying it's a ghost,' said Mr Publicover, who is working in Japan, where his friend was also living until a few months ago. Friends: Brian (left) posted the picture to Reddit, where it took off. Both Martin and Brian . Sceptics have noted the presence of a blue piece of fabric lingering behind the little girl . He added that he had just been 'speculating' previously when he said on Reddit that the boots appeared to be 'samurai boots'. He said there were more convincing posts on Reddit that argued it was actually the image of an American World War II era uniform. Particularly given a flash of blue fabric that appeared above her left arm. 'I hope someone can put this through some sort of image-analysis software,' he said. 'We aren't trying to pull some sort of scam here. We're just saying "we can't explain this, and it's a bit unsettling".' Mr Springall, who lives in Toronto with his wife and child, has an open mind. 'I'm about as skeptical as they come when it comes to the paranormal, so your guess is as good as mine.'
target: Photograph showed mysterious pair of boots behind little girl .
  No one else was there, says the little girl's father, who took the picture .
  Martin Springall said their picture was not Photoshopped .
  He also said no one was standing behind the girl .
  Sceptics believe it could be a rocky outcrop or trick of the light .
  'I really don't like dwelling on stuff like this, to be honest - it freaks me out'
  'I'm about as skeptical as they come when it comes to the paranormal, so your guess is as good as mine'