New to the forum, My first year of camera trapping

[J Formstone]

Hello all. My name is John, I live in the UK and I have been camera trapping for 1 year now and am completely hooked.
My kit consists of :
DIY Peli case housing,
Nikon D3300 with 18-55 kit lens, 12-24, F4 lens and a 50mm F1.8 lens (I am also currently experimenting with a Fuji X-T2, with mixed results)
3 x Nikon SB28 flashes,
Camtraptions PIR V3 sensor and triggers.
I have been photographing wildlife for a few years now, but have managed to capture some of my best images ever with my camera trap.
I am looking forward to interacting on the forum, here are a few of the images I have manage to capture on my camera trap in my first year.

The Rat catcher by John Formstone, on Flickr
The Sentinel of the woods by John Formstone, on Flickr
Silhouetted Wood mouse by John Formstone, on Flickr
Fox low key by John Formstone, on Flickr

[-jeff]

Welcome to the forum John. Excellent images. Great lighting.

[J Formstone]

Thank you for the welcome Jeff.

[ronwoodcraft]

I just joined the site and I want to say these are incredible photos!!..I'm just getting started in this and reading all I can...I saw your settings on Flicker but would you mind sharing the distance between target area to your flash guns?..Also what power settings for the flashes? Thank You.

[ArthurV]

Those are great images.

[J Formstone]

Hi Ronwoodcraft, Thanks for the kind words. The distance between the target area and the flash is very variable. Although i would say it is usually in the region of around 5-15 foot (around 2-6m) and i usually like to set them at around 45 degrees or so to the camera, as this gives a more pleasing light than having the flash in a line behind the camera. I have the zoom on the flash to around 50mm-85mm to create a small pool of light, rather than blasting the whole scene, which i prefer.
As for power settings, again very variable but usually between 1/32- 1/8 and i usually roughly aim to get a ratio of around 2:1, with the fill light around half the power of the key/main light.
This is a very brief description of a very deep and variable topic, but i hope it goes some way to answering your question.
regards
John

[J Formstone]

Thanks ArthurV.

[ronwoodcraft]

Hi Ronwoodcraft, Thanks for the kind words. The distance between the target area and the flash is very variable. Although i would say it is usually in the region of around 5-15 foot (around 2-6m) and i usually like to set them at around 45 degrees or so to the camera, as this gives a more pleasing light than having the flash in a line behind the camera. I have the zoom on the flash to around 50mm-85mm to create a small pool of light, rather than blasting the whole scene, which i prefer.
As for power settings, again very variable but usually between 1/32- 1/8 and i usually roughly aim to get a ratio of around 2:1, with the fill light around half the power of the key/main light.
This is a very brief description of a very deep and variable topic, but i hope it goes some way to answering your question.
regards
John

Thank You J Formstone. You're response is greatly appreciated and helpful.

[stinky]

Wow, your 'Fox Low Key' image is fantastic. Good job!

[J Formstone]

Wow, your 'Fox Low Key' image is fantastic. Good job!

Thanks Stinky.