Fireflies Under the Night Stars in Tivoli

Photo Taken by John Morzen Photography

"On June 21st, I sort of unexpectedly found myself in Tivoli, New York. So, being the summer solstice, and an especially bright night, I figured I'd try to take some photos and see what I'd get. Little did I know I'd pretty much hit the jackpot of things to photograph, right then and there. Only... after taking maybe a dozen or two photos, my battery died.

Luckily, I had a second one on me, and saw something I really wanted to get, but, it was such an "on" night, that some other scenes caught my attention before I got to it. A little later, I made it to what seemed like it might just make for some of the most intriguing photos I've taken to date. I was looking into woods, that were filled with literally hundreds of lightning bugs, all under a canopy of stars in the sky. I felt as if I stumbled into my own photographic dream.

Though, as if a direct message from fate, itself, I wasn't to capture the amazing sight I beheld, at least not the way I expected to. My second battery failed as I was planning my shots - what are the odds? So, instead, with an inoperative camera, I just appreciated it for what it was, and took in the sight for a while - a dark, deep green forest sparkling with bioluminescence, under one of the clearest night skies I recall seeing last year.

Afterward, I called my Dad and told him about it, and how I didn't get the exact shots I wanted. He said, "What's important is that you were there to experience it actually happening - remember it well. You'll always have that memory." Excellent point.

I did, however, get one memento. This particular photo, here, would've been one I'd have thrown away - as I took it to help me adjust my settings, get my bearings and frame my upcoming shots. It was the first time I had ever photographed lightning bugs, and the last shot I gotten before my battery died - a prelude to the now un-taken photos I had envisioned. But, it gives you an idea of the moment I had found myself in."