GoPro: Etiquette & Faux Pas

GoPro cameras have revolutionized the industry of first-person filming, but with greatness comes a helping of ridiculousness. Here we look at common GoPro faux pas, those awkward, annoying habits of which so many of us are now guilty.

The ‘GoPro Bros’

You and your buddies are bouldering at a popular locale, you’ve shared rocks, waited in lines, and finally hiked deeper to a spot all to yourselves. Up rolls a crew of GoPro Bros. Sharp in their Nike Freeze, bro tanks, and crisp backwards bills, they loudly discuss which route to tackle, then gamely ask to hop on your problem. Generously, you accommodate. The Alpha Bro gets into position, freezes, “bro, you recording?” He doesn’t have to ask—his crew is on it. You can already hear the dubstep track of the soon-to-be Facebook video… the one we’ll all end up watching on Monday morning.

Rise Of The Selfie Stick

Because asking someone to take a picture is too much trouble, right? Sure, selfie sticks are fine for skiers, snowboarders, and surfers to catch close-up views. But the sticks have reduced many a GoPro into mere selfie generators. And those infamous sticks have become a common appendage for couples at tourist sites, too. I got whacked in the head with one last week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YC0xM4Ke3k

Noobs & Amateurs

We’ve all been one, or currently are, in one activity or another. Practice makes perfect, and it takes a lot of practice to even get halfway there. But what isn’t rad? Showing off what you don’t got. (Shout out to the dude I saw attempting to body surf a non-existent swell, GoPro, and yes, selfie stick in hand.) Footage the world needs to see? Probably not.

Mysterious Lost Footage

You toiled hours in the snow to build the jump, got soaked to the bone digging out the trail, drove hours to the surf. But it was all worth it because you got mad air, hit the landing, finally got tubed. Even better? Your buddy captured all the glory on his GoPro. Except the footage never appears. Suddenly, your epic ride is as real as Bigfoot.

The Professionals

Who do these guys think they are? Vertical drops? Sending 5.14c? Class V rapids? Jeez. On top of A+ action, pros have the slickest edits, transitions, sound and color — that or they use a ton of slow-mo. Pros show everyone up with their mad skills, and in an attempt to emulate, we strap GoPros on, crush, film, edit, and repeat, discovering the whole “pro” part of GoPro isn’t as easy as it looks.

“Damn, my jacket’s blocking the chest mount view again!” “There’s so much condensation!” “Wait how do I get the audio file on the video?!”

Yeah, the pros are annoying… annoyingly good. By documenting our adventure with those little ubiquitous cameras we hope to capture the same magic. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t, but GoPros and their owners never cease to be entertaining.