Anybody Photograph Bats?!

Tooks · 13 Oct 2008 at 14:11

I was out on an Owl hunting trip yesterday evening, but they didn't come out to play unfortunately!

Anyway, with darkness fast approaching, I was sitting on the top of a river bank, and noticed bats flying past me. It was too dark to get any focus lock on them so I pre-focused on the bottom of the bank, guessing that they were flying a similar distance above and away from me so thought it might work out.

I guessed wrong! I did get a couple that grabbed my interest though. They look more like x-rays than photographs, and I'm in no way holding these up as anywhere near good examples of bat photography, but here they are anyway!

So, anybody on here got any tips they want to share for photographing bats?!

I've done a google for some bat images, and there are some pretty good ones, but no indication on how they were taken.

They're amazing creatures, and I'd like to try again sometime!

aztechnology · 13 Oct 2008 at 14:22

The technique you seemed to have used seems to have got a reasonable shot, though you seem to have got either camera shake, or motion blur in your shots.

What I would do is keep the camera still (tripod essential) and shutter open, then expose the bats with a burst of manual flash as it comes past a likely spot. Vary the flash power until you get at the desired result.

Patience will be your friend here.

Tooks · 13 Oct 2008 at 14:32

That's a good idea! Thanks, I'll give it a go.

The location was in the fens, so there wasn't even a tree to pre-focus on, so I think I need an approach that gives me the biggest chance of getting them in focus. I have a couple of speedlites which I can use to 'freeze' them, but focus is a challenge!

I think I got camera shake AND motion blur by the way!

King4aDay · 13 Oct 2008 at 15:11

I believe a lot of the really great bat in flight photos are taken using strobes and cameras hooked up to fire when the bats break laser beams set up on their flight routes. Something like that anyway!

V-Spec · 13 Oct 2008 at 16:06

Some of the guys on naturescapes did a workshop on shooting bats, it was all hardcore flash setups - so on and so fourth.

That sort of shot would be brilliant if you got like 3 or 4 in the frame at the same time..

Seen any owls? I'm about to see if mine have returned

Tooks · 13 Oct 2008 at 19:49

Funny you should ask, I was tracking a short eared owl this evening, but never got close enough (or more reasonably it to me!) for any shots. Just some distant ones so I could check its identity!

The Barn owls have been active all summer though.

The_Max_Sti · 13 Oct 2008 at 21:03

Yes

Wife and my self were in Sydney waiting for the light to go at night for some long exposures when she perks up and shouts bat.. Yea What ever.. Then about 300+ came over the Opera House in about 15 - 30 Mins.. (OK i let her have that one).. Have also tried to take shots of them in spain but they are just so random. Iv got loads of the sky where a bat was or was going to be if it did not move randomly.

Anyway some pics
Them Comming over the Opera House.. (EDIT Cant see them in this version its too small.. they were just back dots)

Banking before the bridge.

Is batman in the bouse.

Found one outside the hotel.

Sorry about the quality they were taken with a 300D at ISO 1600
Think the EXIF should be intact.
Rob

V-Spec · 13 Oct 2008 at 21:08

Tooks said:
Funny you should ask, I was tracking a short eared owl this evening, but never got close enough (or more reasonably it to me!) for any shots. Just some distant ones so I could check its identity!

The Barn owls have been active all summer though.

hmm, out on Lincolnshire fens?

Thats interesting, maybe they're here already...

Tooks · 13 Oct 2008 at 21:42

Yep, that's the place.

I was a bit surprised to see one, but the flight characteristics were unmistakable compared to the barns (and the colours of course!), and a quick zoom on the distant shot confirmed it.

I just hope I can get some anywhere near your standard this year!!

Tooks · 13 Oct 2008 at 21:46

The_Max_Sti said:
Yes

Wife and my self were in Sydney waiting for the light to go at night for some long exposures when she perks up and shouts bat.. Yea What ever.. Then about 300+ came over the Opera House in about 15 - 30 Mins.. (OK i let her have that one).. Have also tried to take shots of them in spain but they are just so random. Iv got loads of the sky where a bat was or was going to be if it did not move randomly.

Anyway some pics

Rob

Thanks for the pics, those suckers look huge!!

They are certainly one of the trickier things I've tried to photograph!

V-Spec · 13 Oct 2008 at 21:56

Tooks said:
Yep, that's the place.

I was a bit surprised to see one, but the flight characteristics were unmistakable compared to the barns (and the colours of course!), and a quick zoom on the distant shot confirmed it.

I just hope I can get some anywhere near your standard this year!!

All sounds pretty promising, you wanna keep your eyes on him, theres a good chance they'll be there the same time every day,

Might go out for a look next week.

aztechnology · 14 Oct 2008 at 10:11

Doh!

Foolishly I forgot to say that you should set an aperture that will give you generous DoF, you won't be worried about the background anyway, and you are relying on flash power to expose the bats.

The IR triggers and off camera flashes are the way to go, though I assume you don't have access to one otherwise you wouldn't have been asking the original questions.

One thing that is useful is some form of lure. A light in the dark attracts insects and such, this will this attract the bats. Probably a bit late this year though to be setting this up. Late summer is usually the best time for spotting bats.