This week has been slightly crazy, indeed quite batty…
The bat was flying around the garden for about 10-15 minutes, just after dusk. It's probably the most difficult subject I've tried to photograph. It's fast moving and erratic, there's next to no light, and focusing is impossible. Plus it's small. I ended up setting the camera to manual, estimated a focusing point and fired off a shot whenever it appeared to be coming into range. The results were somewhat predictable… a long series of nothing, punctuated by the occasional blur. The two here are by a long way the best shots.
No such difficulty with small flying creatures that love the sunshine. 
There are still plenty of these broad bodied chasers about. As ever, the female is easier to catch in flight.
And sometimes you're just lucky…
Damselflies
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens, except for the bats which were 'taken' with the EF70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS lens.
14 Comments
Flying bats are almost impossible to follow with eye, not to mention to make a photo :faint: Good job :up:
"…It's probably the most difficult subject I've tried to photograph." Bat, night, fast, photograph :yikes: An understatement! It's a wonder you achieved what to got. Good job :up:
You did much better with your bats than I did with owls last night. I didn't get even one bad shot – nothing at all.
You have some great sunshine shots of the dragon and damsel flies!
I would say that flying bats are amongst the hardest possible photo subjects that anyone has ever considered pointing a camera at! :faint: Well done for catching this one!
Andy, thanks. The other great challenge of course is photographing flying gnats 😉
Adele, thanks. The conditions for the bat were about as good as they get (it was circling in a semi regular pattern for several minutes).
Lois thanks. The dragonflies are so much easier to get (though I struggle with the males as they never keep still). The female hovers which makes it quite easy.
Darko, it was too good an opportunity to let go. I'm glad I managed to get something that at least looks a bit like a bat!
Erwin thanks!
I'm batty about this post. 😉
Vulpes, :cheers:
Bat (press the shutter and hope) 'photography' – Its something Ive not attempted but will – one day!
Nice dragons though 🙂
Neil, the full technique is 'press the shutter 100 times and hope". I was amazed to get anything at all!
Wow great your night photo