GoPro camera guide for beginners

(Last Updated On: 23. Oct 2019)

You don’t need to be involved in professional extreme sports to own a GoPro camera and make awesome videos. This GoPro camera guide for beginners will help you shoot awesome videos! Since new GoPro camera HERO4 has been introduced, the prices have dropped and it has become affordable to virtually anyone. So what makes GoPro camera so special? One of the main features are countless accessories. One of the coolest ones is waterproof case which comes as standard feature.

Now imagine you are riding your bike to school or going to the beach with friends. Even better – climbing a mountain or riding a motorcycle. All these cool activities could be turned into a great little movie for your collection. You can even upload it online and make some money off it.

GoPro camera guide: Where to start?

First of all, get yourself a camera. You can even go for pre-owned camera as long as it is in one piece. Second, get some accessories. Here is a tip – original accessories are quite pricey but there a way to get them cheaper. Try looking at some Chinese websites like Aliexpress – they have tons of great accessories for pennies. The quality, however, is directly related to price – you get what you pay for! Before purchasing, however, think of the places you can mount your camera – it may be practically anything from car roof to snowboard. Make sure to check the quality of adhesive so that your camera won’t fall off. Sometimes it is safer to overpay a little and get original accessories that will last better.

Off to adventures!

You are all set now – camera is ready, battery fully charged, memory card empty. Consider more than one point of shooting – this will make your videos more enjoyable to watch. Looking at bike ride for 15 minutes from the same angle may be daunting, so be creative! As I mentioned earlier GoPro’s can be mounted almost everywhere – on the helmet, to the bike handlebar, on your head or chest and even on a surfboard
.

Check this example video made with GoPro Hero 3 White Edition:

Keep your camera safe!

Camera can be lost quite easily, especially when you are riding on high speeds. Make sure to have an extra safety strap just in case it falls off or the glue dries out. For underwater shooting there are special dry inserts that will prevent camera from becoming blurry due to condensation. Keep in mind that the case needs to be closed fully in order to stay waterproof. The camera itself is not waterproof! When shooting with a monopod make sure to look out especially when snowboarding. When you hold the camera your balance me be off and if you are not an experienced rider there is a good change you will fall. Therefore always use waterproof case when shooting in snow.

Software

GoPro camera offer free video editing software which I found was very easy to use. First step is to crop all necessary parts, then you convert them to the right format, add some text and music and there it is – your shiny new film ready for upload and sharing with your friends. When you collect all the pieces together try to recreate your journey by combining different angles and speeds – speed up the video where necessary, change color scheme to add more contrast and colors. Sometimes the reality needs to be made brighter. This awesome software allows you to play around with the film as much as you like so there is no limit to what can be done.

Tip: when shooting yourself extend the monopod as far as possible to get the better picture. GoPro cameras are wide angle which means they are only great within 1-2 meters range. However, it is possible to shoot from a car like it is in this video (GoPro Hero 3 White Edition):