This summer you know that you, your family and friends are heading to the beach, lake or pool. You also know that you are going to post photos on social media. How do you get that perfect shot? Here is a great way to get the perfect shot while you are splashing about. Get a GoPro. Put it in video mode, 1080 HD or 2.7k, and do selfie movies. Then go through the frames one at a time and export a still frame. You will have 30 images per second to pick from. It will be a good size for social media at 72 dpi. In the sun the GoPro will use a shutter speed of 1/2000 second which freezes the wave crashing on your head as in the above photo of my son.
Just push the shutter button to start recording as the wave slams you. keep recording until you come up for air. Remember to stop recording. Of course you get more dramatic images if you are surfing or water skiing.
My daughter prefers to dive under the waves
The GoPro software is easy to use. After you import the clips in step 1, do this;
1. Step 2; Edit.
2. Select the desired video clip so that it is displayed in the Player window.
3. Scrub through the footage till you see the perfect image and the frozen splash. Place the playhead so that the frame you want to export is displayed in the player window, then selecting Share > Export Still.
4. Then just select the image Name, Location and Size to Export (small, medium, large, & native) and click Export.
5. Check out the location you specified to verify that the image was created.
Use burst mode for high res images for printing
In continuous photo mode you can capture up to 10 photos per second but it will stop at 30 photos, or 3 seconds. It needs a few seconds to write all that data to the SD card. you can miss some good action with this mode. Here are directions from GoPro’s web site.
Getting Started – Changing Burst Settings
1. Navigate to settings screen using the ‘mode’ button.
2.Select using the capture button.
3. Press the ‘mode’ button three times, you should notice a small camera icon at the top of the LCD display, a number divided by another in seconds. Eg. 30/1s meaning 30 frames per 1 second.
4. Press the capture button to enter this where you will see a range of settings to choose from.
5. You then choose the setting which best suits what you wish to capture.
Video cameras normally use a shutter speed of about 1/50 second which blurs most action. The blur helps to give the illusion of smooth motion. The GoPro may record at 1/2000 second which freezes the water splashing for crisp still photos. They are low res but perfect for social media.
If you plan to use a GoPro for social media photos you should buy a floaty ($9), or, I would suggest the “handler” ($29) to keep the GoPro afloat, a must for young children. Be sure to stop recording.