How to photograph an object in the foreground with fireworks in the background

[Smitty91]

As a personal project, I am wanting to photograph a local fire company whose district includes a ballpark. The ballpark holds "Friday Night Fireworks" for every home game on a Friday night. I am wanting to get shots of the fire company with the fireworks in the background.

I'm guessing I just have to set to expose for the apparatus and the fireworks will turn out ok. Being that it will be at night, set the camera up for aperture priority and keep the ISO as low as possible in order to get the proper shutter speed for the effects of the fireworks that are desired (trailing light).

Does this sound correct or am I missing something? I plan on practicing with my personal ride in order to keep from having the apparatus setting up on different nights.

Thanks in advance.

Smitty

 

[Mike K]

I'm a newbie so take this with a grain of salt. It's all about relative light on the ground versus the sky. Try metering both individually and see what shutter speeds the camera gives you. If one is significantly brighter (faster shutter speed chosen by camera), either use full manual and split the difference, or use a graduated neutral density filter to "darken" the brighter area by 1 to 3 stops.

As always, take numerous test shots and use auto exposure compensation "bracketing" to get 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 stop variations. Trial and error is your friend. It's not like you've got to develop a roll of film to find the answer

 

[kasperjd4]

Flash.

 

[OrionsByte]

Drag the shutter. Use a flash (preferably off-camera if possible) to light the equipment and leave the shutter open long enough to get the fireworks in the background.

 

[Smitty91]

I was hoping to use natural light and not a flash. However with that said, I'll have to scout it out when I do my practice run to see what kind of light is available (street lights most likely) and how much. I may play around with the lights on the apparatus as well. We'll see.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Dao]

Try shot with bulb mode and control the shutter with a heavy dark (black) cloth or jacket. (cover the lens front). In that case, you can capture multiple fireworks in the same frame.

bulb mode -> press shutter (with shutter remote) -> remove the cloth for the first firework -> (wait for firework work to finish) cover the lens -> remove the cloth for the 2nd firework -> release the shutter

Of course, in between you can flash the subject.

 

[photolamorte]

My thought is to expose for the fireworks and use a flash for the foreground. Even if you have to set it for full power.
I did this exact same thing on the hudson river for the Macy's 4th of July fireworks and it worked flawlessly. I was assigned to get the Coast Guard patrols in the foreground working with the fireworks behind them

 

[bazooka]

Depending on when they start, fireworks may look better if there is some post-sunset light still in the sky. If that's true and if that's something you want to do, then you might try doing an exposure for the sky/fireworks (should be about the same), and an exposure for the building and blend the two in post.

 

[christian.rudman]

there is no way around the use of a flash in this shot it sounds like. you dont have natural light at night, you only have ambient, so you are just going to assume control of the ambient lighting by using a flash.

as dao mentioned above, using a long shutter to capture the fireworks and a flash to expose your foreground subjects is an excellent solution. be sure to get out there and test shoot a friday night with a buddy that wont mind getting a little blinded from all your test flash shots. the fire company will be much less willing to work with you if all you are doing is killing their eyes.

use some lightpainting techniques and a little common exposure sense, and you should turn out a real nice series. i'd love to see the shots when they are done.

edit: and no, exposing for the apparatus will turn out bad. your fireworks are going to be much brighter in comparison, and will blow out the frame. expose for the background, and use light to bring out the foreground.

 

[bazooka]

you dont have natural light at night, you only have ambient, so you are just going to assume control of the ambient lighting by using a flash.

Natural = Ambient = Any Constant (non-strobe) Light