When I finished my masters in biological photography and imaging I never imagined I’d be using those skills within a job in ecological consultancy, yet this is exactly how life has panned out, and gladly so. It’s great to be able to use my imaging skills for my job, a job which on the surface you would assume wouldn’t need such skills. The job is all about surveying and reporting – endless reporting – yet when on survey, imaging is vital. The most fun things to photograph in relation to the job are, of course, the bats (and maybe insects).
Thus far, photographing bats in flight has eluded me. I’ve managed to photograph bats during bat box checks, and bats in the rehabilitation flight cage as shown.
I’m also using IR cameras and LED lights to film bats during survey – which has become standard practice and will be incorporated into survey guidelines; and bought myself a a Canon XA-40 IR camera last year for freelance survey work. Some footage taken this weekend shown here. The quality is amazing and the lights make all the difference to the quality and value of the data. This is important when confirming presence of bats at a roost, which helps to protect and conserve important roosts and bat species.
Clare Lusher Photography 