When firefly season rolls around, in Japan’s rainy months of May and June, Photographer Kei Nomiyama cohabits the forest with the fireflies to capture their brief, wondrous lives.
Nomiyama has the intellectual backing of being an environmental science professor to help propel him into the world he now documents on camera.
For the past eight years, Kei Nomiyama has explored the forest of Shikoku Island, uncovering the magical rituals and dream-like dances of these little illuminated creatures.
“I became a scientist to protect nature, and I have an interest in photography to record nature” he says.
The artist received the incredible accolade at the Sony World Photography awards, with his stand out image Enchanted Bamboo Forest being named ‘Single Best Image in the World’.
Nomiyama’s incredible photo series transforms the tiny lights into dazzling, fairy-inspired adornments to their dark surroundings, using slow shutter speeds and long exposure effects to accentuate their sparkle.
Fireflies, through their own control, produce a chemical reaction which allows them to light up on command. This process is called bioluminescence.
In the 1900s, firefly hunters captured the innocent insects for lighting purposes, which ultimately dimmed their sparkle.
The final images produced the artist radiate a sense of authentic freedom, as the frantic flight of the fireflies are respectfully observed with curiosity, rather than disrupted or exploited.
Nomiyama documents the invaluable lessons nature has to offer us through his image series. We could all take a leaf out of the firefly’s figurative book, and let our little lights shine.
