The computer I work on at home sits up against large windows that look out on the greenbelt that borders our backyard. At night, working on photos, I usually only have one light on in the room: a small desk lamp behind and to the side of the computer monitor, which allows me to see the keyboard without too much ambient light affecting my screen visibility. Of course, this pool of light projects more outside than in and the end result is a lot of winged bugs fluttering against the pane - a veritable smorgasbord for the local bats.
Every night around dusk and until I click off the lamp, flights of bats zoom by in pursuit of their dinner, sometimes even fluttering up against the glass of the window to catch the hopelessly flappy moths.
It wasn't too long after I noticed this phenomenon that I began to consider photographing the bats - but how? My experience with a camera is mostly limited to the studio setting - would I even be able to get decent pictures of them in action and would they still come if I was outside with my camera?
As you can see, the answers are "kind of" and "most definitely". While the bats (whom I've tentatively and amateurishly identified as Myotis thysanodes or Fringed myotis, part of the Vespertilionidae family) are somewhat more reserved with me sitting there and are not fond of the flash going off in their faces as they hunt, these circumstances have not kept them from continuing to fly quite near me and allow me to capture my crappy photos of them.
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I am beginning to refine the settings I am using to capture these wonderful, little creatures on my CCD but it is still very much a series of experiments.
I am using a Canon Digital Rebel with a 75-300mm zoom, ISO 800, at a pretty restrictive depth of field (between 7.1 and 9.0), so that I can better freeze these little buggers mid flight with a combination of the built in (ugh) flash and amped up shutter speed. I'd love to drop my ISO down to 400 and loosen up the depth of field but I don't know . . .
Our cat "Sparky" is becoming a regular addition to these shots as she seems to enjoy watching the bats as much as I (and the bugs as much as the bats). As distracting as her inclusion is, she makes a decent scale reference.
I am beginnning to tire of the position I am forced to use to capture cleaner shots of the bats. There seems no reliable way I can get a clear shot of them in mid-flight but, in the present situation, all my better shots are from behind as the bat attempts to trap a moth on the wall or window. I will be working towards a better shooting position of some kind in the near future - sure wish I could afford a remote flash!
I will continue to experiment and post as the summer commences, so check back!
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