GoPro cameras have always fascinated me. They’re tiny, they’re (pretty much) indestructible and they always seem to be around – but I’ve always assumed they were for people not like me (read: people who do extreme shit all the time).
I don’t ski, I don’t snowboard, I sure as hell don’t skydive. Anything active I do isn’t GoPro friendly (imagine turning up to a netball game with one strapped to your chest) so I never bothered looking into using one.
But when GoPro asked me along to a day out in Auckland to see just what these little things can do, I thought, sure.
From cruising along the motorway on the back of a Harley Davidson, to battling some rather large waves on a Sea Auckland Jet Ski trip and hitching a ride on a Helicopter Me trip (and also a rather more sedate lunch at Waiheke’s Mudbrick Winery), I got to experience what it’s like to be one of Those People for a day – head over to Capsule’s Instagram page for more of our experience – but what I wanted to know is what else you can do with a GoPro when your life doesn’t consist of adrenaline sports.
(Normal) Holidays:
This one is a pretty obvious one, but GoPros really do come into their own when you’re travelling. However, you don’t need to throw yourself off a cliff or dive to the depths of the ocean to make use of the sturdy little cameras. On a recent Fiji trip I used my GoPro to film a tour around our resort, during snorkelling and for filming general content for Capsule’s socials when I was around water and didn’t want to risk getting my phone wet.
I also made use of our overwater bure’s glass floor by pointing the camera down, and swimming underneath. Fake drone, anyone?
Keeping one on hand was actually a lovely way to keep my phone – and all of its distractions – in my bag, and stay fully in the moment while still recording memories.
Seeing life through your kids’ eyes:
Giving your children your phone is always a risky wee game – accidental 111 calls, anyone? But there’s no harm in handing them a GoPro and letting them film to their heart’s content. Or else strap one onto one of their favourite toys, and see how they have fun from their point of view. The family videos will be priceless.
It’s a dog’s life:
Which leads me to the next point. Strap one to your pooch to see what they truly get up to when you’re not home. The TikTok content makes itself.
Social media magic:
You can film in both landscape and horizontal formats (there’s a setting called Full Frame, where you can shoot once and pull out different aspect ratios from the same video, for example a 4k 16:9 video for YouTube, and then 9:16 version for Instagram Reels) meaning you can spend more time doing what you want and fussing around social media.
Editing on the Quik app is super-easy too, even for this tech noob. GoPro have even thought about us tech-challenged folks further, and they even automatically generate highlight videos FOR you once you get back home and plug the camera in.
Time lapses:
Previously I would have thought something like a time lapse was beyond my level of tech ability too, but there’s literally an ‘easy’ mode that with one click, you’re time lapsing, baby.
Girls’ weekend:
The ability to get away for a weekend with your girls gets harder and harder as life goes on, so bringing a GoPro along for the ride is the perfect accompaniment. Again, it’ll allow you to be fully in the moment with your gals rather than on your phones, and you can pass the camera around so everyone can film special parts of your trip away.
For anything you need a safety camera for:
Because you can strap/mount/attach a GoPro to pretty much anything and control and view the camera through the app on your phone, you can use it for anything you need a little guidance on, like parking, surveillance or keeping an eye on a pot of boiling water when you’re in another room. And yes, I have done this and yes, it works.
