A darkening forest in Japan seems to be full of ghostly orbs in this series of photographs by Yume Cyan, but what you’re seeing is actually the flying patterns of fireflies. Taken with a long exposure, meaning the shutter was left open longer than it would be in a standard photograph to capture trails of movement, these images give the woods a magical feel.
Cyan is known for setting up his camera in the woods around Nagoya City, Japan to produce these beautiful photos. Each little line of little yellow orbs shows a single firefly in motion. Cyan has many more long exposure images up at 500px, including entrancing photos of mist, water, bubbles and ice.
Long exposures are often used to capture movement in progress, with the results often appearing dreamy and a bit surreal. Check out photos of long exposure air and sky photography, lightning, and Australia’s amazing bioluminescent lake.

