Best light to photograph nocturnal bats

Emperor of all Maladies said:

What's the best light to photograph bats undisturbed in a cave (e.g., Kitum cave in Mt. Elgon)?

I understand they don't use light to navigate, but since they are nocturnal, perhaps they can still see it?

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Bats are very sensitive to vibrations as such as soon as you hit focus the AF motor is going to drive them crazy

Alex Ridgway said:

Emperor of all Maladies said:

What's the best light to photograph bats undisturbed in a cave (e.g., Kitum cave in Mt. Elgon)?

I understand they don't use light to navigate, but since they are nocturnal, perhaps they can still see it?

Click to expand...

Bats are very sensitive to vibrations as such as soon as you hit focus the AF motor is going to drive them crazy

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Wonder if the bat's ultrasonic vision is upset by ultrasonic AF motors?

JimH123 said:

Emperor of all Maladies said:

What's the best light to photograph bats undisturbed in a cave (e.g., Kitum cave in Mt. Elgon)?

I understand they don't use light to navigate, but since they are nocturnal, perhaps they can still see it?

Click to expand...

If you have an IR modified camera, there are IR flashes, and even IR lights. Just google "ir flash"

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+1

I bought a small IR "flash trigger", which is really just a cheap manual flash without an IR blocking filter and the addition of a visible light filter. It works fine as long as you don't mind experimenting it exposure.

I've also read that you can remove the IR blocking filter from old flash units and accomplish the same thing (requires a bit if DIY work).

JP Scherrer said:

Emperor of all Maladies said:

a_c_skinner said:

They judge prey by size of echo and so on, in any case they don't eat photographers though there are sporadic reports of transmission of rabies, even in UK I think.

Standard flash with AF illumination will work for roosting bats, used sparingly; it won't upset them as much as arriving with a load of gear and setting it up. Google Stephen Dalton if you are after in flight images.

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Thing is, I was wondering if they could be made tamer/slowed down like they do with bees using smoke.

so they are less likely to attack and bite.

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You can also kill them and hang them on a string, to photograph them !

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Two seasons ago, I discovered a tiny hole in the barn from which they all flew out en masse--like a huge black plume of smoke--at twilight.

I would have plugged it (because they screeched like they were possessed, scaring the simple townsfolk), but feared those trapped inside would turn to cannibalism.

Ever since then, I consider myself a local steward of their burgeoning population, though they have given at least 3 dogs rabies and tainted an aquifer with their prodigious amounts of guano.

Twilight on a full moon. Also have a low light LED for illuminating the foreground to give that blue sky some contrast.