HDR – Fisheye at 65 MPH – San Francisco Bay Area – America’s Highways

Many times driving in the rush hour traffic of the San Francisco Bay Area can be boring or repetitive. Every once and a while you pass something out of the ordinary that’s up close and personal that can be captured using a Canon 15mm Fisheye lens. All these photos in this gallery were made with a Canon digital camera and the previously mentioned 15mm Canon lens.

All the images were captured with Canon cameras using the RAW format. To create the photos seen in this gallery, all of the images were processed with Aurora HDR software to bring out more of the detail and pop the colors. Many of the images were captured using fill flash from a Canon flash. The advantage of using the Canon flash is that I was able to use the high speed flash feature, and photographed some of the pictures with flash sync up to 1/1600 of a second.

Oakland - San Francisco Bay Bridge Lower Deck Motorcycle rider with Dogs Pittsburg BART station light streaks at night - Highway 4 - Pittsburg, CA Black SUV with mattresses tied to roof - Highway 4 - Brentwood, CA Blue flamed chopper rides by stopped traffic on Interstate 680 in Fremont, CA Budweiser, the King of Beers delivery truck on Interstate 680 in Concord, CA Black and White conversion of the new Oakland San Francisco Bay bridge. Colorful sky and setting sun HDR conversion with road signs on Interstate 680 in Fremont, CA Motorcycle passing by on Highway 4 in Antioch, CA - HDR fisheye image. Twilight a shutter speed that was longer than I expected on Highway 4 in Pittsburg, CA. The sun shines through support beams of the Richmond - San Rafael bridge. Photographed with a fisheye lens and Canon full frame camera.

Sometimes something a simple as a fishing boat passing by makes a nice capture.

Fishing boat on trailer with the name Fishless Today Striper at 65 mph with HDR processing. Wind turbines at sunset in the hills of Livermore on the Vasco road connection to Brentwood, CA - Note: windmills don't cause cancer despite what an Orange guy said. The use of fill flash on the high shutter speed image illuminates the face of the motorcycle drive - Highway 4 - California Fastrak lane in toll plaza of the Oakland San Francisco Bay bridge. Long shutter speed on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge through tunnel section of Treasure Island - HDR fisheye image. California CHP officer passes between stopped cars on the overpass to Highway 24 in Oakland, CA. Bicycle rider on the Golden Gate bridge photographed with fisheye lens and then HDR processed. Byron Inn Cafe closed for repairs after a drunk driver hit the stationary building. "I swerved left, I swerved right, but I couldn't avoid the tree". Motorcycle rider standing up while riding through the slow traffic of Highway 4 in Pittsburg, CA. Blue sky and Yellow field of grass at sunset along Highway 4.

The traffic slows down and you start to crawl along the freeway for miles. You wonder was there an accident, or just somebody getting a ticket and everybody really needed to slow down and see that. This wasn’t one of those occasions.

California Highway patrol car parked at accident scene - Black and White HDR conversion. The HDR conversion of this fisheye photograph on an overcast day almost appears as a selective coloring image.

Not every photo in this collection was made while on the highways or interstates, this wide load pipe was taken while parked in a Rest Area along Interstate 5.

Up close and personal with a fisheye view of Safeway truck cruising down the highway. Electric transmission towers and fluffy blue sky along Highway 4. The white California Tow Service truck driving along Highway 4. Not sure what goes in the light blue container, but the warning sign on the side says - Confined space, enter by permit only.

You should not attempt a photo such as this unless you are a professional.

This tanker truck is travelling Eastbound on Highway 24 through the Caldecott tunnel. Sunset sky with blue sky and dark clouds. Motorcycle with two people aboard drives Eastbound on Interstate 80 just off the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge. Facing west and viewing a Golden Gate Bridge tower. The Caterpillar steamroller is on the back of semi getting transported to new location. As the sign on the roller says, "Asphalt paving only" Driving alongside Red Advantage Transportation semi truck on Highway 12. This AC Transit bus which has wifi on board is crossing the lower level of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge. Toll Booth on Oakland San Francisco Bay Bridge with a $5 crossing fee. This was back before the now current system that charges more for rush hour commutes.

While most of the photos included on this page were taken on the highways and interstates of California, this large Orange construction forklift was made just down the street from my home. The rest of our subdivision was being built, and there were construction vehicles parked on the streets. I would estimate I was traveling at about 5 mph, and used a slow shutter along with fill flash to show motion when there wasn’t really much.

Orange construction forklift at construction site. Construction on highway 4 in Antioch California that would widen the highway to 4 lanes in each direction and would have a carpool lane. Motorcycle cruising East bound on the Lower Deck of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay bridge before Treasure Island with San Francisco skyline in background. A slow shutter speed was used while driving through the Taco Bell Drive Thru window. Red Interstate Cement pumping truck driving on Interstate 680 in Concord, CA. Driving alongside a loaded car carrier that appears to be carrying damaged cars. Semi Truck hauling large white parts down Interstate 880 in Oakland, California. The free direction ( northbound ) of the Golden Gate Bridge toll booth.

A slow shutter speed and twilight make this photo of passing through the toll booths on the Golden Gate bridge look magical.

Motorcycle with two riders captured on Highway 24 in Lafayette, CA passing between cars photographed with 15mm fisheye lens on full frame camera. Molten Sulfur tanker with danger code 2448 on Highway 4 in Pittsburg, California. Semi tractor trailer carrying over sized load The low sunlight reflects off my rear view mirror and the high speed fill flash illuminates the motorcycle passing by on Highway 24 with the BART tracks behind. Motorcycle passing by United Bites van. A mistake turns into an interesting photograph with a long shutter and rear curtain flash.

This image wasn’t planned at all. In fact, this image was pretty much a mistake. I can’t quite remember the sequence of events, but the image wasn’t to be made of the inside of my truck. So the shutter was open for several seconds, and then the fill flash fired on the second curtain of the camera.

Reflection in stainless steel tanker truck on Highway 4 in Antioch, CA converted in HDR to black and white. Motorcycle pass by in twilight. Quite a tight motorcycle pass by in the Caldicott tunnel. The large oversized container is identified at 34604 MC. The fill flash on the Coca-Cola van makes the red color pop against the gray sky. Tanker Truck Self Portrait made not on the freeway, but a parked truck.