Radim Schreiber

I became inspired by the beauty of glowing fireflies, when I came to the United States of America. I had never seen this amazing, magical dance of lights, growing up in Czech Republic. As a macro photographer, I started to daydream about capturing the images of glowing fireflies. I wanted to freeze this special moment, when they are glowing. How will they look up close? For the past five summers, I have spent countless evenings and night hours photographing fireflies. I crawled in ditches and swamps, getting attacked by mosquitoes and chiggers – all to get the best photos. Once the mosquitoes went to sleep, I was able to start enjoying the real magic, fireflies below and stars above. When I photograph fireflies I feel connected to nature and the whole universe. Fireflies are illuminated beings guiding on my life journey. It is important to me that I portray fireflies in their natural beauty and environment. I use most advanced low-light photography equipment because I have chosen not to use a flash or artificial lighting. My approach allows the glow of a firefly to show in its true luminosity. I do not manipulate the images in Photoshop, I instead preserve the moment in time (exactly as I saw it).