Photgraphing hedgehogs

I have a regular visiting hedgehog, that arrives around 2300. I would like to get some pictures while it is feeding, but I don't really want to use flash for fear of hurting its eyes. I have a halogen security light that lights up the area for short time, which does not seem to bother it. What would be the best settings to use with a K-r and Sigma 70-300 lens?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I managed it last night. Night scene set, ISO at auto and aperture priority at F8. Got a shot of it at dusk/ not quite dark and edited in PSE. Later a second one appeared but the lens would not autofocus as it was too dark, so I suppose I should see about getting some additional lighting.

I can't see the picture...... Maybe it's still dark!

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If the security lights don't bother them, have you tried a torch to aid focusing.

Generally flashes don't bother animals/birds. Happens so fast it hardly registers. They experience lightning storms after all.
Be good to see your results.

Just use flash, but dial it down a bit. Remember it is supposed to be dark. Here's a quick grab from my garden. I did have to do some processing on the eyes.


Courting Couple in my garden by Alan Wennington, on Flickr

That's a lovely shot Alan, spot on.

Flash is usually ok for animals and birds in terms of their well being providing you don't over do it. The eyes almost always need some PP. Birds rarely look quite right to me, even if a bit of fill flash is used.
Brilliant to get hedgehogs in the garden. All gone for me now and they could well be extinct in ten years time

Bit dark tho isn't it?
I lightened it up in the middle and left the edges dark for the ambiance; that looked better to me.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so no, I don't personally think it's too dark. It's a matter of choice though, so I can see that some might want to see more detail in a lighter image.

He he, I know what you're saying, but that doesn't really make sense. Otherwise all night time photographs would have nothing in them, especially in print.
I lightened the subject and kept the background dark with a subtle gradation between the two as if lit gently by a broad source. Still looked dark, but you could see something

The challenge with flash is to make it look soft and natural ... Not like that typical 'hedgehog in headlights' look!

We can do whatever we want with brightness, but without some massive soft box covering the scene, eventually it'll reach an unnatural flash-lit stage in look.

White balance is another challenge ... Is it fair to say that with flash as the only lighting then the flash WB preset is best? I wonder if dialing in more yellow adjustment will make it look like there was some tungsten lighting on?

If you know where the animals will be, it's simple enough to fire an off-camera flash through some tracing paper for a broad, soft spread, but still quite local (not washing out the scene). Flash in a card board box with paper at the end, placed down on the lawn for instance.
Flash gels will solve any localised blue hue. You can buy sample packs of hundreds of colours for about 3 quid. Just tear 'em out and tape them to your flash.

This wasn't a planned shot. It was a one off. I see a hedgehog in the garden most nights, and haven't bothered photographing it. But this was a male and a female. He was trying to mate with her (which was the shot I wanted), though she was having none of it. So, no chance to get my out my strobes, with softboxes....LOL. Went from seeing them to taking the shot in about 5 minutes and that included finding batteries for my flash. 5 minutes later he'd given up and went looking elsewhere. The initial result was brighter but I've toned it down to make it as near to natural as I dare given it was 11:20pm. Everyone will have there interpretation though

Yeah, you see .. That's the trouble with proper flash and all the paraphernalia that goes with it ..... Even a hedgehog courtship ritual takes less time.