The Bioluminescence Thread

[S.R.M.]

Hi all,

I'm sure I'm not the only one interested in bioluminescence here... so if you've got photos of glowing fireflies, glowworms, fungi or plankton, please post them here

To start things off, here are some fireflies from last night. These are the "winter fireflies" (Atyphella scintilans) that we get in Southeast Queensland, and they are a spectacular sight (like all bioluminescence).

I took multiple 5 and 10 second exposures and stacked them to produce these images. The first is about 1 minute of firefly trails, and the second is about 20 minutes.

Fireflies @ Karana Downs 24 August 2024 by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

Fireflies @ Karana Downs 24 August 2024 by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Wow. Looks amazing.

Great thread!

 

[S.R.M.]

Thanks, Levina! They are amazing to see... so much so that I went back to the same location with family this evening and got some more photos while enjoying the fireflies.

Watching the fireflies by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

 

[S.R.M.]

Self portrait with fireflies.

I revisited the fireflies at Karana Downs this evening, and played around with self portraits again. It's surprisingly hard to keep still enough during long exposures, but the occasional one works OK.

Self Portrait with Fireflies #2 by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Self portrait with fireflies.

I revisited the fireflies at Karana Downs this evening, and played around with self portraits again. It's surprisingly hard to keep still enough during long exposures, but the occasional one works OK.

Self Portrait with Fireflies #2 by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

That is so cool!

So you used the self timer or put the camera in bulb mode and then tried to sit still? With the fireflies buzzing around?

 

[S.R.M.]

That is so cool!

So you used the self timer or put the camera in bulb mode and then tried to sit still? With the fireflies buzzing around?

Thanks very much, Levina! Yes, I set the camera to do repeated 6 second exposures, and then sat as still as possible while the fireflies were flying all around me

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Thanks very much, Levina! Yes, I set the camera to do repeated 6 second exposures, and then sat as still as possible while the fireflies were flying all around me

I can imagine how hard it must be to sit still during the long exposure time, Stephen, but you got a great result with this image. Really well done. And one of the fireflies followed the contours of your arm, up to your shoulder. As if he were drawing a silhouette.

 

[S.R.M.]

I went back to the nearby firefly site this evening for what will probably be my last firefly photography session of the year. The numbers have dropped compared to 8 days ago, so the season might be coming to an end soon. But there were still enough to get some images.

"Firefly Lane" by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

 

[Capn Jack]

I went back to the nearby firefly site this evening for what will probably be my last firefly photography session of the year. The numbers have dropped compared to 8 days ago, so the season might be coming to an end soon. But there were still enough to get some images.

"Firefly Lane" by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

Those are nice images. There are fireflies where I live, but very few now.

 

[S.R.M.]

Those are nice images. There are fireflies where I live, but very few now.

Thanks Jack!

One last firefly image for this season... this is a stacked image using a different subset of images from last night, and I think it's a more balanced result.

Path to the Fireflies by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

 

[S.R.M.]

I'm re-activating this bioluminescence thread, this time with bioluminescent plankton, Noctiluca scintillans. This dinoflagellate glows a beautiful blue colour when disturbed by wave action, etc., and the blue glow is clearly visible to the naked eye. This patch was photographed on the foreshore in Hobart (Tasmania) earlier this week.

Noctiluca scintillans bioluminescence by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

 

[S.R.M.]

A clump of bioluminescent Ghost Fungi (Omphalotus nidiformis) that I found last night. The glow from these fungi is clearly visible to the naked eye.

Bioluminescent Ghost Fungi (Omphalotus nidiformis) by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

 

[Keith]

A clump of bioluminescent Ghost Fungi (Omphalotus nidiformis) that I found last night. The glow from these fungi is clearly visible to the naked eye.

Bioluminescent Ghost Fungi (Omphalotus nidiformis) by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

Great shots Stephen! Thanks for sharing.

 

[S.R.M.]

Firefly season has started again in Southeast Queensland! Here are some at Burleigh Head National Park yesterday evening. Its not my best firefly image, but it was nice to be about amongst them again



Fireflies at Burleigh NP (12th July 2025) by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

 

[Capn Jack]

Firefly season has started again in Southeast Queensland! Here are some at Burleigh Head National Park yesterday evening. Its not my best firefly image, but it was nice to be about amongst them again



Fireflies at Burleigh NP (12th July 2025) by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr

That's a nice image. July is usually the season for them in Nebraska, although I see very few of them anymore.

 

[S.R.M.]

That's a nice image. July is usually the season for them in Nebraska, although I see very few of them anymore.

Thanks, Jack! They are very localised here, but if you know where to look you can find plenty of them.

 

[S.R.M.]

A self portrait surrounded by dozens of fireflies yesterday evening

Firefly Self Portrait by Stephen Mudge, on Flickr