Firefly Reflections, Selangor River, Malaysia, 2017
Elijah Gowin's Interview with Yale University Radio
In a recent podcast episode hosted by Yale University Radio, Elijah Gowin shares how Spirit and Shadow combines snow and illumination with a poetic sense of light emerging from darkness.
Gowin explains his process of photographing in the dark, and how he uses flash to illuminate snowflakes that cannot be seen with the human eye.
For the series The Last Firefly, he traveled to Malaysia and Thailand, to capture the mystical communication of fireflies, working with scientists to find their location and timing his photograph sessions with a new moon to allow the fireflies to truly glow before the camera.
Photography's ability to illustrate and construct scenes rather than purely document is something Gowin feels strongly about, and he dives into specific images featured in the exhibition. He shares the influence of his family’s spiritual connections and southern culture in his approach to metaphysical aspects of photography.
To listen to the full interview, please visit Yale University Radio's website.