As I sat in my backyard a few weeks ago I noticed fireflies flitting around near some bushes. I’d seen this before, but for some reason on that evening I was struck with the desire to try photographing their twinkling lights. So, over the next two weeks I set out to photograph their light flashes.
This photography experience caused me to observe the fireflies with intensity. Because of those observations I began asking questions about these creatures. In this way, photographing subjects has the ability to promote an appreciation for, and understanding of, the natural world.
This post allows you to glimpse my thought process while I photographed the fireflies. You can see how photography can help us observe our surroundings deeper, notice things we may otherwise overlook, and create an appreciation for nature.
Observing Fireflies
As the fireflies flashed around my yard, seemingly everywhere except where I had my camera aimed, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated. I had anticipated simply setting up my tripod, aiming it towards the area where I was seeing flashes, and snapping away (using long exposures of course). However, as I tried that, it became obvious that the flashes never appeared in the same place twice. So, I attempted running around the yard moving my camera in a never-ending-game of here’s a flash, there’s a flash, everywhere a flash-flash.
I quickly realized that technique wasn’t going to work. So, I started paying attention to where there was a group of fireflies flashing. That way, I could get in position, and just stick to one area. I also began intently watching when the flashes would appear. That way I could anticipate when to capture a photo and when to wait. These observations increased my chances of getting lit-up fireflies in the shot, but I didn’t have much time to shoot before it got too dark to get good photos.
Over the next few nights I began paying attention to the time of night when the most fireflies were visible at once. I tried photographing a bit earlier in the evenings then, with increased success. However, I again felt like I didn’t nail the shots before firefly numbers began to taper off for the evening. My next observation was then to get a general idea of what time the fireflies disappeared for the night.
Finally, after many nights of gathering information about the best shooting conditions, timing, and techniques to photograph the flashes of light, I got it right!
Thoughts Changed
Through this experience, my thoughts about fireflies changed. I had to watch firefly flashes and their movements over the course of the evenings closely. Because I was paying such close attention to their activities in order to capture photos of them I noticed some interesting things. Those observations led me to wonder about these interesting insects.
I found myself asking:
-Why are some lighting up near the grass while others are flying around flashing?
-Are both males and females flashing, or is it primarily one gender?
-How do they light up?
-Why exactly are they lighting up anyway?
-Are their populations stable or declining?
I won’t discuss the answers I found here as that’s not the point of this story, but you can see what I learned in this blog post (COMING SOON).
Caring About Nature
Through this process of setting out to photograph a subject, learning about the subject’s behavior and unique shooting requirements, and questioning why things are the way they are, my interest in these insects was piqued.
I will never view fireflies in the same way. I now have a huge appreciation for, and understanding of, these flying, flashing creatures. I also have a desire to help to protect them so they continue to exist and others can uncover the mysteries of these lighted insects.
In this way, you can see how photography can change the way we look at the world. It causes us to observe our surroundings deeper and to notice things we may otherwise overlook.
I believe that in today’s digital and photograph-heavy world the art of photography is perfectly poised to help us create a love for the environment and thus, help people desire to protect it. After all, in the words of Richard Louv, “we cannot protect something we do not love, and we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see.”
As photographers, we can encourage others to pick up a camera and intently observe the natural world surrounding them. We can be the teachers that show others how to peer through a lens into the beauty of the natural world. And we can be the link that helps develop people’s love for the environment.
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If you’d like to try photographing fireflies yourself, you can view my tips to get you started. Also feel free to contact me with questions, or if you would like to set up a firefly photography lesson.
