These astonishing images may look like stills from James Cameron’s sci-fi special effects spectacular Avatar - but they are actually long exposures of fireflies here on Earth.

The stunning snaps show thousands of the luminous creatures taking flight in a forested area.The incredible photos are the work of Spencer Black, 28, from Asheville, North Carolina.He took them in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and North Carolina’s Brevard and Shining Rock Wilderness.He used a time-lapse technique to capture the shots, leaving his camera stationary on a tripod, with a shutter remote ensuring the camera stayed perfectly still.He said: ‘I'm inspired by the element of surprise which is why I'm compelled towards long exposure photography.‘The shot that got me hooked was back in 2007 when I went camping on Table Rock Mountain in North Carolina.‘There was a forest fire off on the horizon so I decided to take a 30 second exposure and during that time lightning struck unexpectedly in the center of the frame. ‘The tripod sank during the exposure and I lost the image but after I saw what came out on the LCD screen I was in love! ‘It’s that element of surprise paired with having the ability to, in a way, manipulate time that has always pressed me to keep experimenting.’capture the images Spencer used a Nikon D3s camera, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens and a timer remote.Fireflies are actually winged beetles and they produce bioluminescence to snare prey and lure mates.There are around 2,000 species worldwide that glow yellow, green or pale red.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az