Photo by Yu Hashimoto.
Photo by soranopa.
…But for a select group of photographers in Japan, Summer signals the arrival of fireflies. And for very short periods – typically May and June, from around 7 to 9pm – these photographers set off to secret locations all around Japan, hoping to capture the magical insects that light up the night.
One thing that makes these photographs so magical is that they capture views that the naked eye is simply incapable of seeing. The photographs are typically composites, meaning that they combine anywhere from 10 to 200 of the exact same frame. That’s why it can look like swarms of thousands of fireflies have invaded the forest, when in reality it’s much less. But that’s not to discount these photographs, which require insider knowledge, equipment, skill and patience.
Fireflies live for only about 10 days and they’re extremely sensitive. They react negatively to any form of light and pollution, making finding them half the battle. Here, we present to you some a selection of our favorites from the 2016 summer season.
When it comes to magical things, little beats the magic of fireflies. See all the magic at Spoon & Tamago.
Very cool.
The fireflies have been spectacular this year in the yard, looking like fireworks constantly blinking all over and as high as the tops of the tallest trees. Yes, magical.
Also a thing I miss from Canada. These are gorgeous photos. Magical, indeed.
Nothing like wandering around a dark field trying to catch a firefly in your hand. :D
The second photo is just otherworldly beautiful.
Great photos!
I got to see fireflies in person for the first time recently. Was in Austin staying with a friend and saw “sparkles” in the backyard. At first thought it something in the house reflecting off the windows/glass door. Then asked “Umm, fireflies?” Answer: “Yep, pretty cool huh?”
I get one week a year when the fireflies dance in my yard. There’s a lot of private space, few bats or predators, and it’s moist and sheltered from the wind. You can stand on the porch and see fireflies for hundreds of yards in all directions. Thousands of them. It’s amazing.
I’ve never thought to unfurl proper photographic whupass on them, though, which is odd since I have the know-how and the technology. I tried a few videos with my iPhone once and of course the flies look like noise on the CCD.
Inspired! Next year.
Jim @ 4:
Oh, nice! I remember running after them when I was a child in SoCal. I’ve never seen fireflies in ND, but we have a very large population of bats, so I wouldn’t expect to see them.
Marcus Ranum @ 5:
Wow, that would be awesome to see. Even the tens of them I saw was pretty special, but to see that many at once….oohhhhhh.
Caine @ 6:
Fun! I want to do that right now! :-)
So many fireflies, it’s like from a dream.
I’ve seen a single one (probably Lampyris noctiluca) when I was a kid and maybe one after that.
I once built a 100ft long string of low power green flashing LEDs for my neighbour’s 40th birthday party and hung it through the bushes along our shared boundary. The LEDs all flashed randomly at their own rates so at least one party goer thought that they were fireflies.