How to Creatively Use a Godox V100 Speedlight with Mark Wallace

Godox V100 Speedlight: Creative Portrait Techniques for Any Situation

By Conrad Knuist · Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist · 18+ years in photography · Godox Authorised Specialist

A speedlight on the hot shoe gives you one type of light. The Godox V100 gives you something else entirely: a 100Ws TTL speedlight with a full touchscreen interface, a swivel bounce head, and a magnetic modifier system that works on-camera, off-camera, and in studio setups without changing units. It reads the ambient, adjusts per frame in TTL, and puts every control within a swipe.

In this post we break down three real portrait scenarios that Godox lighting educator Mark Wallace demonstrates with the V100: balancing flash against a bright background in shade, matching flash colour to mixed tungsten ambient, and building a creative studio setup using the AK-R1 accessory kit and AKR21 projector. If you shoot portraits in varied conditions and want one flash that handles all of them, this is the breakdown you need.

In Mark Wallace's Own Words

When a Standard Speedlight Stops Being Enough

Most portrait sessions don't happen in controlled light. You're in a shaded park at noon with a background two stops brighter than your subject. Or you're in a room with warm tungsten practicals and your flash is reading daylight-balanced. Or you need shaped, directional light indoors but you don't want to carry a separate monolight.

A standard speedlight in auto mode addresses none of these specifically. It fires a burst of daylight-balanced flash and leaves you to fix the colour mismatch, the blown background, and the flat unmodified output in post. That works up to a point. But it's adding problems to solve, not removing them.

The underlying issue is that a basic speedlight is designed for one scenario: supplementing ambient light on-camera. The moment you move it off-camera, need to shape it, or need to match it to a non-daylight ambient source, the limitations show. TTL helps with exposure, but it doesn't solve colour or quality.

According to Wikipedia's article on through-the-lens metering, TTL flash systems measure light at the film or sensor plane and calculate output accordingly, making them more accurate than sensor-based pre-flash systems. According to Wikipedia's article on colour temperature, tungsten light sources typically fall between 2700K and 3300K, significantly warmer than the 5600K output of a daylight-balanced flash.

How the V100 Handles Each Scenario

Shade with a bright background. Set the camera in manual mode and expose for the background first. The background exposes correctly but the subject underexposes. Place the V100 off-camera in TTL mode, mounted on an S3 bracket with the UL Octabox 60, and position it close to the model. The flash reads the exposure deficit and fills the subject to match the background. One test shot to confirm, then shoot. No chimp-and-adjust cycle.

Mixed colour temperature. The AK-R1 kit includes CTO correction gels in three strengths, all magnetic. Snap the gel holder to the V100's round head in seconds. Set the flash colour temperature to match the ambient tungsten by choosing the appropriate gel. Add the diffusion dome to spread light off the ceiling and walls. The result reads as natural room light rather than a flash-lit image with two competing colour sources.

Studio setup with the AKR21 projector. The AKR21 mounts magnetically to the V100's round head and projects interchangeable slide patterns onto a background or subject: stained glass, geometric shapes, textures. The projector has a focusing lens so you control the sharpness of the projection edge. The V100's modeling light shows you where the light and projection fall before the first frame. Switch patterns between shots without moving the flash.

According to Wikipedia's article on guide numbers, a flash's effective output at any given distance is determined by its guide number, ISO, and aperture. This is why is why placing the V100 closer to the subject increases its effective power without changing the output setting. According to Wikipedia's article on flash photography, high-speed sync allows flash use above the camera's native sync speed, enabling wide apertures in brighter ambient conditions.

Featured Product

Godox V100 Li-Ion Touchscreen Flash

100Ws TTL speedlight with a full touchscreen interface, swivel bounce head (0 to 330 degrees horizontally, -7 to 120 degrees vertically), and magnetic round head for AK-R1 modifier compatibility. Works on-camera, off-camera via the X3 trigger, or as a bare studio strobe. Available in Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and OM System mounts at CameraStuff as an authorised Godox dealer.

Specifications sourced from the official Godox V100 product page.

Shop the Godox V100

Conrad's Advice

Sync the X3 trigger to the V100 for instant remote control. It eliminates manual menu adjustments on location so you can focus on the subject, not the settings.

As Featured in the Godox Photography Lighting Academy

Mark Wallace produced this tutorial as a Godox lighting educator for the official Godox Photography Lighting Academy. The Academy commissions working photographers and educators from around the world to demonstrate practical setups using Godox equipment. Mark's inclusion reflects his focus on real-world technique: each scenario in the V100 tutorial targets a situation that portrait photographers encounter regularly, and each one is solved with equipment a working photographer would already carry.

The Godox V100 and AK-R1 system shown in Mark's video are the same units available at CameraStuff, South Africa's authorised Godox dealer.

What We Found: How the V100 Performs Across Scenarios

Our Results: The Touchscreen Changes How You Work

The touchscreen is not a cosmetic feature. On a shoot where lighting changes between setups, being able to adjust power, mode, and group assignment with a swipe rather than a button combination matters. In the studio scenario with the projector, Mark switched between adjusting the modeling light intensity and the flash power output in seconds, without removing the modifier or breaking the setup. That speed keeps the session moving and keeps the model engaged.

The modeling light is the other standout. With gridded or projected light, you're placing light in a very specific area. The V100's LED modeling lamp shows you exactly where the beam falls and how the shadows read before the first frame. For projector work especially, this is how you get the pattern positioned correctly without a test-fire cycle for every adjustment.

Lessons Learned: On-Camera vs Off-Camera Use

The V100 covers both modes without compromise. On-camera, the swivel head lets you bounce off ceilings and walls in TTL without reconfiguring anything. Off-camera on an S3 bracket with the octabox, it becomes a soft directional key light controlled from the X3 trigger. The AK-R1 system works in both configurations: the magnetic modifiers fit the round head whether the flash is on a stand, on a bracket, or on camera. Most speedlights force you to choose between mobility and shaping. The V100 doesn't.

In Mark Wallace's Own Words

One Flash, Three Different Shoots

What Mark's three scenarios show is that the V100 isn't built for one situation. It covers outdoor fill in shade, indoor colour-matched ambient work, and creative studio setups with shaped and projected light, without swapping equipment or changing bags. The touchscreen keeps every control accessible on the fly. The magnetic modifier system means you're never more than a click away from a completely different quality of light.

For South African portrait photographers who move between locations, events, and studio days, the V100 removes the need to carry separate tools for each. The Godox V100 is available at CameraStuff with free delivery on orders over R1,000 and a 60-day return policy. Browse the full range of Godox lighting and accessories to build out your kit.

Conrad's Advice

Use the AK-R1 kit to spread, redirect, or bounce light to fit your scene. The magnetic mount makes swapping fast, and you can stack modifiers for combined effects between shots.

V100 vs V1 vs V1 Pro: Which Godox Speedlight Is Right for You?

All three sit in the Godox round-head speedlight family and share the AK-R1 magnetic modifier system. The differences come down to output, head design, and interface. The table below covers the practical distinctions.

Side-by-Side Comparison

As specified by the manufacturer. Specifications subject to change.

Godox V100 Specifications

Key Features

• 100Ws output with full TTL, manual, and multi-flash modes across all compatible camera systems
• Swivel bounce head: 0 to 330 degrees horizontal, -7 to 120 degrees vertical
• Auto zoom plus manual 28 to 105mm coverage for precise light shaping
• High-speed sync up to 1/8000s for wide apertures in bright ambient conditions
• Built-in 2.4 GHz X wireless system: sender and receiver with 100-metre range, 32 channels

As specified by the manufacturer. See the full spec sheet at the official Godox V100 product page.

Build Out Your V100 Kit

Godox X3 Touchscreen Trigger

TTL radio trigger with touchscreen. Controls the V100 off-camera with full power, mode, and group management from the camera position.

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Godox S3 Flash Bracket

Universal speedlight bracket with Bowens mount. Mounts the V100 to a light stand and accepts softboxes for off-camera portrait work.

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Godox UL Octabox 60cm

Compact quick-release octabox on a Bowens mount. Pairs with the S3 bracket and V100 for soft, directional portrait light off-camera.

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Godox AK-R1 Magnetic Accessory Kit

Full magnetic modifier set including gels, grid, barn doors, snoot, diffusion dome, and bounce card. All click onto the V100's round head.

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About Godox

Godox has been manufacturing photography lighting since 1993. The V100 sits within a product range that covers speedlights, portable battery strobes, studio monolights, LED continuous lights, triggers, and a full ecosystem of modifiers, all running on the same 2.4 GHz X wireless platform. CameraStuff is an authorised South African Godox dealer, stocking the full range with free nationwide delivery on orders over R1,000. View our Godox Letter of Authorisation for full details.

Shop All Godox at CameraStuff

Written by Conrad Knuist

Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist at CameraStuff

Conrad Knuist is Head of Marketing and Photography Specialist at CameraStuff, South Africa's specialist camera and lighting retailer. With over 18 years of hands-on experience testing gear across portrait, event, and commercial photography, Conrad has personally handled hundreds of products, including everything from entry-level speedlights to professional studio systems. He is an authorised Godox specialist and works directly with South African photographers and videographers to match the right tools to their work. Every review and recommendation he publishes is based on real-world use, not spec sheets.

About Conrad Knuist