Bats!

Quicksnapper

Quicksnapper

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Sara
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So sitting in front of Saturday night tv and looking out of the window, to see a bat diving around outside. Ever tried getting a pic of a bat in flight in low light? Boy, can they move! It's still out there but light fading, but hubby promised mean a ew lens for the camera if I can crack it! Better than Britains Got Talent I guess! I'll keep you posted!
 
I agree, brill pics. But give me a break, just standing on the patio with my lowly 600D with the 70 -200 zoom trying to track it as it flies. I'll keep trying!
 
Quicksnapper said:
I agree, brill pics. But give me a break, just standing on the patio with my lowly 600D with the 70 -200 zoom trying to track it as it flies. I'll keep trying!
Click to expand...

I've watched but never tried to photograph them.

If I was trying I think I'd try and anticipate where they'd fly rather than try to track them. For example, I've seen them swooping close to street lights, I assume to catch bugs attracted to the lights so I think that's what I'd concentrate on and aim at.
 
Quicksnapper said:
I agree, brill pics. But give me a break, just standing on the patio with my lowly 600D with the 70 -200 zoom trying to track it as it flies. I'll keep trying!
Click to expand...

I see them outside my house, they're so fast I can barely see them never mind photo them. Good luck.
 
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Try getting someone to lob a piece of grit into the air when it's near - they will often go for it - you might be able to get it in frame that way.
 
I'd just set up with a WA lens on a wide DOF and a decent flash setup (off camera triggers if possible) and wait for them to fly through the subject area and hope for the best. I tried to take some pics of them in flight when I was at a wildlife sanctuary where they were in a closed off area and still didn't get anything usable.

The only shot I did get that was usable was when one had just landed on a feeding table. It was hard enough getting that TBH, light was almost non existent as you can imagine.
8169173041_6e2de825a0_b.jpg
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Go out while it's still fairly light and see how early they come out. You might be able to grab one. This was the best I managed -

bat.jpg
 
I saw some tonight and had an attempt at trying to capture them, and failed!
It was late on 10:15 so the light was non existent :(

I had to ramp up the ISO so far they are just a blurry mess.

O Well first attempt, I will keep my eye out earlier in the evening and try again.
 
Without high speed flash, you're going to need loads of luck on your side!

I was at a BBQ in a mate's house last year, and had the camera with me, just taking some fun pics. At the rear of the garden, around the pine trees, there was a bunch of bats flying around as it got dark - and everyone turnes to me and shouts "Quick! grab your camera and get some bat pics!!" .... trying to explain how that was not easy ... and I was not putting my beer down to stand there patiently aiming and waiting for a lucky shot ... :D

Good luck though, if you're patient enough. I would at least use off-cam flash, even in one hand held up in the bat's direction, holding the cam obviously in other hand. Or better yet, get a tripod or light stand and position the flash somewhere near where they are flying, pinting across them, back to your spot , wait and rip off as many shots as possible, that the flash will keep up to, as they fly to and fro. Don't stop to check the LCD, just keep cracking, check all the images later. If you only got one good one per 100, it would be something.
 
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There was a bat flitting between downstairs and the open top of the stairwell in one of the appartment blocks we stayed in last week and I managed a 1/2 reasonable snap of it in flight on my XF-1 Fuji. I zoomed so that the aperture it passed through each time filled the frame, pre set the focus on a known point, got the flash charged, opened the door and sure enough, up he came and I managed one quick shot. Still on the card waiting for cropping, resizing etc but I'm quite pleased with the result as viewed on the review screen especially given that the XF-1 is "only" a compact! I'll post it once resized etc, possibly tomorrow.
 
There's a guy on my flickr contacts does a similar crazy looking set up to shoot bees in flight. He makes all his own rigs and supports, and combines flashes and triggers and lasers!, even straps flashes onto himself on a DIY frame with diffusers and all sorts hanging out of it. Looks bloody awkward, but he has some amazing shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoopa_hs/sets/

I wasn't exaggerating:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoopa_hs/4293907256/in/set-72157611107153997

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoopa_hs/3636476930/in/set-72157611107153997
 
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Impressive images but yeah that does look an awkward way to do it. Guess it works well though.
 
Here's the full image SOOC from the XF-1
DSCF06011.jpg

and here's the crop.
DSCF0601c.jpg


Shot at the widest possible (24mm in 35mm terms) angle and wide open (f/1.7). At this magnification, the missed focus is more obvious - the distance was a guess and I just trusted to luck! Had we been staying longer (and been the only occupants for all the time - our neighbours who arrived later on the night the snap was shot were noisy and noisome [smokers] and scared the bat off...), I would have tried again but it was our last night there.
 
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