Long Exposure Photographs of Fireflies

[onestepforward]

For the last month or so photographer Yume Cyan has been shooting some magical long exposure photographs of fireflies in a forested area around Nagoya City, Japan. By keeping the camera’s shutter open at a low aperture Cyan captures every bioluminescent flash of each insect resulting in dotted light trails that criss-cross the frame.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/06/long-exposure-photographs-of-fireflies-in-the-forests-of-nagoya-city-by-yume-cyan/

I love these photos

Do you have fireflies where you live?

[Hoyt]

1. That is very cool. Fantastic photos of an insect anyone can love

[marzipanni]

2. I used to see them when I was a child

in Massachusetts.
I was visiting almost 19 years ago and my brother and I were walking in the early summer night with my son, who was not yet a year old, on roads through the hilly woods. We heard funny sounds coming from the woods that sounded like a soft, repeating Donald Duck quack. My brother and I were making the sound back at them and laughing.
My brothers told me the sound was coming from some kind of large white tree cricket. I'll have to ask the naturalist brother again what they were; the only tree crickets I found on the internet make a high sound.

[Skip Intro]

3. Gorgeous and magical.

Oh, to be out there.

[mnhtnbb]

4. Yes we have fireflies

These are cool shots.

[onestepforward]

10. I have seen a sparse population in Houston by a bayou,

but that was almost 25 years ago. Sadly, I haven't seen any since.

[Curmudgeoness]

37. I must have been there about the same time.

If I remember correctly, it was at Armand Bayou where I saw them----and that was the only time I saw fireflies in the Houston area for the 14 years I lived there.

[brer cat]

5. Those are great photos, onestepforward.

Thanks for sharing. We have fireflies (North GA) who make the early evening so special.

[onestepforward]

9. You're so fortunate to have them!

I used to see them as a child when visiting my grandparents in Tennessee. They were truly magical

[Ino]

6. Oh! So magical!

Yes, I'm lucky to live with fireflies

[onestepforward]

12. They are very magical.

You're very fortunate to have them!

[DirkGently]

7. Cool. n/t

[dr.strangelove]

8. Love this - fireflies (lightening bugs) are a huge part of childhood summer memories for me

My kids are doing the same thing. They catch fireflies (we call them lightening bugs) and put them in jars with holes in the lids. After you get 8 or 10 in one jar, the lighting sometimes syncs and its amazing to watch. We are a "catch and release" family. After about 20 - 30 minutes, the kids grow tired and we open up the jar. My son always puts in some dirt, grass and leaves in case they want to "play while in the jar."

Thanks for the pics and link, these are very cool.

[onestepforward]

13. What a thoughtful son you have!

That's sweet

[CanSocDem]

11. Did you notice...

...that when they die on your windshield, they leave a prism-like rainbow of innards...????



.

[alfredo]

15. And they smell awful.

[surrealAmerican]

14. beautiful photos.

Yes, we have them here, but midwesterners seem to prefer to call them "lightning bugs". Back east, they were always "fireflies".

[alfredo]

16. In the east (Ky), we called them lightning bugs.

[surrealAmerican]

19. interesting ...

Now I kind of want to see a map of the distribution of the two names.

[alfredo]

20. Here we go:

http://www4.uwm.edu/FLL/linguistics/dialect/staticmaps/q_65.html

[kag]

28. What a great site!

My son is heading to college next year and wants to study linguistics. He may have already found this, but I can't wait to show it to him, just in case he hasn't. Thanks for posting.

[alfredo]

29. If he came to my home town, best bring an ink pin.

[Curmudgeoness]

38. How do you find all these neat sites.

It is like you can pull anything out of your butt in the blink of an eye. Very interesting site.

[alfredo]

40. Knowing the correct search terms is the key

I typed in "firefly or lightning bug." It showed "Firefly or Lightning bug dialect" as an option. I took that option.

I've been online since the days of 28.8k dial ups.

[Curmudgeoness]

41. I bow to you.

You certainly have it figured out. (And I always thought that I was competent at searches!)

[alfredo]

42. Years of practice debunking right wing propaganda on my veterans mailing list

helped teach me how to Google. Fact bombing really pisses off the Ditto heads and other right wingers.

[OriginalGeek]

17. Excellent find -

Thanks for posting it!

I haven't seen any since I was a kid visiting my cousins in Maryland. Spent many summer evenings catching and putting them in jars. Their house was on a sparsely populated road in Pasadena but that was 40+ years ago. The last time I was up there (3~4 years ago) it was built up a little more and I didn't see any fireflies.

[Dale Neiburg]

27. Maryland fireflies

I live just outside Laurel, about 10 miles west of Pasadena. For a few years we had very few fireflies and I was afraid development had been too much for them. But the last two years the display has been amazing!

[OriginalGeek]

30. That's great to hear!

I need to go visit the cousins soon.

[northoftheborder]

18. wonderful, magical photographs

i wish I could have a copy of the top one. the light in the background sets the stage for the show!

[oldandhappy]

21. beautiful photos.

I do not know what I was expecting. These are artwork. WOW Spectacular. Thank you over and over for the post. I lived in places with fireflies when growing up but now, no, and I miss them.

[CrispyQ]

22. No fireflys where I live, but when I visited Ohio I saw them for the first time & was mesmerized!

Thanks for sharing these delightful photos!

[awoke_in_2003]

33. ONe of the many reasons

why I miss Ohio.

[A Little Weird]

23. Wow - beautiful pics!

We have lightning bugs where I live (Kentucky) but I've never seen them photographed like that.

[Duppers]

24. yes, I will live near here...

Synchronous Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mtn NP.



http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72413

[Aldo Leopold]

25. Beautiful. Unfortunately, we don't have fireflies here

only lightning bugs .

[KurtNYC]

26. Reminds me of Van Gogh or pointillism. n/t

[lame54]

31. pixies do exist

[awoke_in_2003]

32. I haven't seen a firefly since 1992

when I moved to Texas.

[dem in texas]

34. Yes, In Dallas in West Oak Cliff

We have fireflies or lightning bugs as we call them down here. Not a lot like it was when I was a kid, but at dusk, they come out the hedges and start flitting around the yard. So pretty. By the way, I have not used any pesticides or herbicides in my yard, garden or grass for over 25 years. I think this makes a difference. I have also seen a Texas Horned toad in my garden two times, one time a few weeks ago. The "horny toad" is supposed to be gone from North Texas. Their primary source of food is ants and with everyone putting out Andro to kill the ants, this has been the death knell of the little toads.

[BumRushDaShow]

35. Don't forget this guy

From Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"



Yup, we have them here in Philly and we call 'em "lightning bugs".

The compound that makes them glow -

[pnwmom]

36. Not in Seattle. They're one of the few things I miss from other places I've lived. n/t

[Curmudgeoness]

39. Yes, we have them here in W PA.

I go an sit outside facing a field on summer nights just to watch them. Fourth of July is about peak time, and they are my fireworks. We called them lightning bugs.

That first picture is my favorite of the fireflies, but the third one has nice perspective.

[AllenVanAllen]

43. I wanted to thank everyone who's replied to and enjoyed this thread.

I'm onestepforward's husband and I wasn't sure this was the right place to even mention it but she passed away on Thursday. I'll do a more formal post about her this weekend. Terri loved her DU family so much she was always so happy when one her threads would make it to Cool or Greatest. So thank you for all the love, kindness, learning and joy you've given her throughout the years. I know for a fact she LOVED all of you so, so much.

Don't forget to love one another today and be as kind and forgiving to yourself and everyone you know because all our hearts depend on it. Thank you.

[AllyCat]

44. (((Hugs)))

[myrna minx]

45. I am so sorry for your loss.

[marions ghost]

46. kick for Terri

May you find peace AllanVanAllan --it's obvious your bond with Terri was strong. Sometimes people leave us abruptly and we have no power to stop it. The world can change in an instant.

We are as fragile and momentary as fireflies. If only people would live in the realization of that fact.

Thank you for remembering her here. Very appropriate. Love is all.

[lovemydog]

47. I loved Terry's posts

Thank you for sharing this here. Much love to you.

[aikoaiko]

48. "Don't forget to love one another today..." Amen.

[G_j]

52. thank you for sharing

this is a great loss to us too.

[Iggo]

49. Kick for Terri!

[CrispyQ]

50. Kick for Terri.

[Coventina]

51. K & R for Terri AND! Picture from the "Firefly" room at Phoenix Art Museum

If you ever visit PAM, be sure to see it!!!

[closeupready]

54. Yes, I've been there, and I remember this exhibit.

Awesome work, along with Jean Leon-Gerome's Thumb's Down:

[Kaleva]

53. k & r for Terri.

[WheelWalker]

55. K & R

[marzipanni]

56. This is how I'll remember you ~

[riderinthestorm]

57. Terri's love for such beauty is an incredible memory.

[FourScore]

58. fly by the light of the fireflies, Terri! Farewell.

[progressoid]

59. Rec!

[msanthrope]

60. kick. nt

[Sweet Freedom]

61. ...

[Lex]

62. ....

[Cetacea]

67. ...

[BlancheSplanchnik]

63. beautiful.

_/\_

[ailsagirl]

64. I guess they don't hang out in California

At least, I've never heard tell of any.

Exquisite photos!!

[countryjake]

65. One last kick for a most beautiful post...

Peace to you, onestepforward

[yaddle]

66. <3