Bat Photography Workshop

Scott Linstead, one of Outdoor Photography Canada’s columnists, has a unique Bat and Owl Photography workshop coming up in shortly (June 3rd – 9th, 2010). If you want to get unique photo like the one below then this might be the workshop for you.

Be aware that there is some controversy in using flash in wildlife photography, there are those who are pro flash and those who are against it. So… I suggest researching things a bit to see if flash photography of nocturnal birds and mammals is something you want to participate in.

Here is Scott’s take:

1) For aesthetic purposes as well as ethical concerns, the flashes that I use for bats and owls at night are never pointing in the line of site of the subject — they are always lit from the sides, above and from behind.  This makes a huge difference from an intuitive POV, since we all know how different the experience of looking right at a flash versus looking away from the flash (or simply the experience of driving at night).  Subjects lit head-on also look quite flat and shadowless.

2) I have never experienced a bat or owl being killed, injured or even disoriented by flash.  (BTW, bats do use their site in addition to echolocation in order to navigate)  I know of screech owl that have flown through night time flash set-ups literally thousands of times and returned the following season to once again participate in the photography.

Advertisement