I photographed these long-tongued bats in pitch darkness in the Costa Rican jungle near one of the lodges where my photo tour group stayed. With the help of my local guide, we suspended a flower filled with nectar to attract the bats, and we placed two flash units on light stands such that contrast between highlights and shadows would be minimized when the bats were illuminated. An electronic beam was projected in front of the flower, and when a bat broke the beam the flashes were fired. The shutter was open in the darkness by holding down 'B', and when a picture was taken, I closed the shutter and opened it again immediately. In this shot, two bats happened to be in the frame when the image was exposed. My settings were f/13 and 500 ISO. I used a 100-400mm Canon telephoto. It's amazing how the bats can navigate through the night with all of the obstacles in the dense jungle.
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