WINNER CATEGORY YOUGHT 10-17 YEARS
Lili Sztrehárszki | Tiny details

Name: Lili Sztrehárszki
Picture title: Tiny details
Category: Yought 10-17 years
Nationality: Hungary
Occupation: Student

Technical information
Camera: Nikon D500
Lens: Tamron 60mm f2.0 lens
EXIF: ISO 400, f16, 1/200 sec
Accessories: Flashlight

Lili says:

I took my picture on the last day of winter, in an abandoned mine of Börzsöny Hills in Hungary. It’s permanently closed to visitors for the protection of its inhabitants. I was allowed to enter accompanied by a professional guide. It was a very cold night, but I forgot about it thinking just about photography.

The photo shows the smallest horseshoe bat across Europe, the lesser horseshoe bat. Composing the picture in the silent darkness I only used a single flashlight with great care trying not to disturb the hibernating mammal. I attempted to frame the picture to highlight the delicate feet of this lesser horseshoe bat hanging upside-down clinging to the rock with its tiny fingers and claws, using special locking tendons. The backlight emphasizes the veins under the thin skin and the light hair on the tiny feet.

The lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) can be found in several abandoned mines of Börzsöny Hills, but the population is in a Europe-wide decrease so the species is currently considered as endangered.