I use a Shelly smart switch on a lamp, and it can be alerted easily in
Blue Iris. When the deer drop by, the lights go on. No need for Home assistant or anything, just the smart switch.
set up an alert as an "http alert" in BI "alert" tab, "on alert":
" lightname:
password@192.168.1.xxx/relay/0/?turn=ON " for example.. I have an "ON", a "wait", and an "OFF" action to have them go on for (x) seconds (the wait). Simple and effective, and you can make a profile so it works only during the hours you want.