Part Two Guide to speed lights and flash photography
speed lights and flash photography
I have written this post around the Godox IT32 speed lights and Godox X5S triggers that I personally use- All makes of Speed light and there relevant triggers work using very similar settings and flash in general works universally with the same rules and principals
Part one covers these basic set ups, rules and the general principals involved , Part two is the more practical use of flash-, and at a slightly later date , a part three( not yet written) will be set around actual in the field use and actual set ups I have in use, this will be a more “this is how I set up and these are the resulting images”
How to sync, position, and power multiple Godox iT32 flashes — from your first setup to a fully weatherproofed nighttime wildlife camera trap. The following is an out line of how I use speed lights and flash photography in the natural world.
Taking It Outdoors: Nighttime Wildlife Camera Trapping
Once you've mastered syncing and lighting a human subject, the same iT32 + X5S system can be left in the woods for weeks to photograph animals no human ever sees up close.
Camera trapping flips everything from Part 1 on its head. You won't be behind the camera adjusting settings between shots — your gear sits alone, outdoors, in the rain, for days or weeks, waiting for a motion sensor to trigger it the instant an animal walks by.
The architecture of a camera trap
A dedicated infrared motion sensor — commonly a Camtraptions Wireless PIR Motion Sensor — acts as the brain. When something crosses its beam, it wakes the camera and fires the shutter. Because a flash mounted on the camera creates a flat, "deer-in-the-headlights" look, the iT32 flashes still need to sit off-camera, just like in Part 1 — only now nobody's there to hold them steady or swap batteries.
Two ways to connect the sensor to your flashes
Wireless hybrid chain (faster to set up): the PIR sensor's built-in wireless transmitter signals a receiver on the camera's remote-shutter port. The camera fires, and the X5S trigger on the hot-shoe fires your off-camera iT32 flashes over Godox Channel 7 — exactly as in Part 1.
Hardwired chain (most reliable): for long deployments where dense foliage or heavy rain could disrupt radio signals, skip the X5S entirely and run physical sync cables from the camera hot-shoe to the 2.5mm sync ports on each flash.
The battery-life problem: sleep mode
If your flashes stay fully awake the entire time waiting for an animal, their batteries drain in 10–15 hours. The fix is an "auto power off" sleep mode — but waking from deep sleep can take up to two seconds, which is long enough for a fast animal to be gone from frame before the flash even fires.
How to set the sleep timer:
For short overnight sets (under ~12 hours): turn the flashes' sleep function off so they fire instantly, at full speed.
For multi-day sets: leave sleep on, and use the sensor's "Keep-Awake" mode, which pings the camera and trigger every few minutes to keep the system warm without actually firing the flash tubes.
Layout: The Three-Light Nocturnal Array
A flat, front-on flash reflects harshly off an animal's eyes (the glowing "eyeshine" effect) and can overexpose fur. Instead, angle three flashes to build depth, the way a nature documentary would light a scene.
Deep woods backdrop PIR sensor mounted on nearby tree, facing the trail iT32 — Flash 3 Group C · 1/32 Hidden behind rock, rim light Animal iT32 — Flash 1 Group A · 1/16 Elevated key, front-left 45° iT32 — Flash 2 Group B · 1/64 Low fill, front-right 45° Weatherproof camera + X5S
Elevated key light, low fill, and a hidden rim light recreate natural moonlight rather than a flat flash-lit look.
Component | Location | Role | Setting |
Camtraptions PIR v3 | On a tree, facing the trail | Motion detection | "Still Mode" program |
X5S Trigger | Camera hot-shoe, in housing | Master radio sender | CH 07 / ID OFF |
iT32 — Flash 1 | Front-left, elevated | Key light | Group A · Manual 1/16 |
iT32 — Flash 2 | Front-right, low | Fill light | Group B · Manual 1/64 |
iT32 — Flash 3 | Hidden behind trail-side rock | Back/rim light | Group C · Manual 1/32 |
In the field: mount the key light about 2 metres up, angled down at 45° to mimic overhead moonlight and cast natural downward shadows — a diffusion dome here also helps prevent glare on wet fur. Keep the fill light low (around 30cm) and much dimmer, just enough to soften shadows under the belly and paws without competing with the key. Tuck the rim light directly behind the trail, masked by a rock or log, aimed back toward the camera to separate the animal from the dark woodland behind it.
Three rules specific to unattended wildlife shooting
1. Never use TTL — lock everything to Manual
If an animal with dark fur enters the frame, a TTL meter reads the surrounding black void as "too dark" and blasts full 1/1 power, overexposing the animal and draining your battery in one shot. Lock every group to Manual and test your exposure ahead of time with a stuffed animal or object placed in the sensor zone.
2. Let flash duration — not shutter speed — freeze the motion
At night, your camera's mechanical shutter (typically maxing out around 1/250s) isn't fast enough to freeze a leaping animal on its own. The flash's own burst duration does that work — and at low power settings like 1/64 or 1/128, an iT32's flash duration can be as short as 1/30,000s, crisp enough to freeze a bat's wingbeat.
3. Weatherproof everything
Neither the iT32 nor the X5S is naturally waterproof. Two field-tested approaches:
Camera: a gasket-sealed camera-trap housing (a modified Pelican case works well) with an optical glass port for the lens.
Flashes: a clear plastic food-storage container per flash, with a window cut out and sealed using clear UV glass or optically clear acrylic and silicone caulk — this keeps the flash dry through storms while letting the 2.4GHz radio signal pass through untouched.
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Quick-reference glossary
Channel (CH)
The radio "frequency" your trigger and flashes agree to communicate on, so nearby Godox users' gear doesn't interfere with yours.
Group (M / A / B / C)
A label assigned to each flash so you can control its brightness independently from the master controller.
TTL
"Through-The-Lens" — the flash fires an invisible test pulse and auto-calculates power for correct exposure on every shot.
Manual (M) Mode
You set an exact, fixed power fraction (e.g. 1/16) that won't change between shots.
FEC
Flash Exposure Compensation — how you nudge a TTL group brighter or darker without switching it to Manual.
Rim light
A light aimed at the subject's edges to create a bright outline separating them from the background.
Modifier tax
The light lost (measured in stops) when a flash is fired through a diffuser, soft-box, or umbrella.
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