Finalist, Himebotaru by Masahiro Hiroike

"Himebotaru is a type of firefly, between six and eight millimetres long, that lives in the forest. When courting females, males take to the air emitting short bursts of light much like a flash. Females, on the other hand, cannot fly and sit on leaves, emitting light in response to the male display.

I’ve been researching the fireflies’ habitat for seven years now - these pictures were taken in the mountains of Tottori, Japan, in June and July 2019. Exposure times ranged from 13 seconds to 10 minutes. The purpose of the project is to share this phenomenon with people in the hope that it will encourage them to protect these wonderful creatures."