Jun 272009
Some friends of mine went out to a park the other day and captured some fireflies. Taking pictures in the dark is kind of challenging, and boy, was it dark.
The fireflies were everywhere though.
(click on pics for full sized version)
They lit up in waves, making the 4 foot tall grass look like a randomized airstrip.
I am sure there are different species of firefly. Some have a very long light, others only blink. These were the blinking kind.
The shutter was open for 15-30 seconds in these, depending on my settings. I should have recorded them in RAW format. Alas.
Afterward, we played Frisbee in a nearby field.
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For the info ^-^
Each firefly species (and in some cases subspecies) has it’s own ‘language’ when it comes to the blinking lights. Some are defined by duration, brightness, color, or combination of pheromones and stuff like that. There are even certain fire flies that are Liliths. They mimic the patterns of other fireflies around them, drawing horny males to them. The male thinks its getting a hot date but winds up getting killed and devoured. Fascinating little buggers.
Also for reference the chemical they use for their lighting I believe is called “Luciferase” making them THE perfect atheist mascot ^-^
Really cool pictures!!!
And a question: Is it possible that you put a resized (smaller) version into your blog, which opens to the full scaled picture when clicked? The thing is, although I live in one of the richest countries in the world, our gouvernment and ISPs have not managed to establish a nationwide broadband network. That means every time you put up some of your wonderful photos, I can get myself a cup of tea while your blog is loading.
And *please*, only make those changes if they can be done in less than 5 minutes. If not, I’ll happily continue to enjoy your blog and the occasional cup of tea without those fancy photo functions :D
Such a magical evening! We pretend they are fairies. :)
Hey! I’m really glad you got some nice photos out of the evening. My own fave is number 3, I think. It’s fascinating how the bugs seem to have multiplied, due to the long exposure, I guess. A curious way to transcribe the experience of being there.
Cheers!
twb