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9:55pm August 24, 2014

asylum-art:

Japan’s Natural Light Shows Photographed by Takehito Miyatake

Japanese photographer Takehito Miyatake’s photos of magical firefly trails, glowing squid and awe-inspiring volcanic eruptions has recently won him Grand Prize at the 2014 Nikkei National Geographic Photo Awards. Miyatake’s long-exposure photography, which can last anywhere from 15 seconds to 30 minutes, captures what he describes as the “light of Japan.”

However, as it turns out, Miyatake’s profound reverence for the power of nature is rooted not in photography but in waka, a classical form of Japanese poetry.

1. Genji botaru fireflies around a small bridge over the Shimanto River (Kochi Prefecture)

2. A flight of hime botaru fireflies light up the forest to create a dreamy, fairytale-like spectacle

3.In spring, firefly squid (hotaru ika) rise 2000 feet to the surface of the water and offer a fleeting glimpse of their magical lights

4.Volcanic lightning during the eruption of the Sakurajima volcano

5. A long-exposure shot of the Showa crater, the most active volcano in Sakurajima, underneath the stars

6.The Milky Way glittering above the woods with the green lights of fireflies dancing in the foreground.

7. Scores of fishing rafts floating in the Uchino-umi highlighted by the light from the full moon.

8. The moon lights up a waterfall against geometric rock formations

9. A close-up of the red-hot cinders erupting from the Showa crater on Sakurajima

10. Volcanic lightning over the Sakurajima eruption.

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