Blog Post Legend:

• Things to Initially Consider
• Capturing Adventures
  • Framing
  • Video
  • Angles
  • Horizontal vs. Vertical
• Viewpoints & GoPro Mounts
  • First Person
  • Water Level Locked View
  • Wide Shot
• Video Capture Comparison
• Phone Camera
• GoPro 9 Settings
• GoPro 9 Setting Tips & Suggestions
• Downloading & Creating Content
• GoPro 9 Review
• Don’t Forget This!
• Other GoPro Resources

Things to Initially Consider:

• What equipment do you already have?
• Phone or an older action camera. All my shots last summer were on my GoPro Hero 4 that I had purchased years ago for SCUBA Diving and it worked well!
• If you don’t have a waterproof phone or floating device, you’ll need to buy these items.
• Don’t have anything or want to upgrade? 
• What’s your budget?
• Do your research. There are lots of cameras out there and tons of comparison videos and reviews. The blog goes more in-depth for GoPro 9.
• Where and what are you using the shots for?
• Skip ahead to see Horizontal vs Vertical

Framing:

Maximize your subject. This is especially important for GoPros since it’s a wide lens. Even if you think the camera is close to the subject, it’s always further away than you think. 

• Having someone or something close in the frame makes it more immersive and interactive for the viewer. 
• A reference point also gives a sense of scale, movement and provides a contrast between the subject and the background

Video:

• Capture video vs still shots. It will give you more options later. You can pull stills from the video footage.
• Keep your clips short. It’s overwhelming to go back over a massive amount of footage.
• Don’t just leave it on because it’s easier. This will be more challenging if you mount the device on the front of your board. See below for point of view.
• GoPro is not designed to get artsy shots, it’s made for action and wide-angle capturing. Therefore a GoPro is not good for close shots or capturing wildlife from afar.

Horizontal shot was taken with GoPro Hero 4 on Pole Mount. The photo was taken as a still from the video capture.

First Person Point of View:

• The camera is mounted to your body or held in your hands
• Great for quick immersive shots 
• Perfect hands-free capturing while paddling (mounted)

GoPro Mounts:

• Head Mount: I’ve never used this as I like to switch up the angles more often and this mount makes that difficult to do.
• Chest Mount: I’ve only ever used this mount for sailing and would prefer to use the Paddle Mount with the Bite Mount attachment.
• Bite Mount:
  • Floaty is a must if you don’t have your GoPro on a floating hand stick
    • The GoPro 9 floaty is a pain in the butt.  It’s bulky which makes it difficult to mount plus it’s a hassle changing the battery as you have to take the camera fully out of the floaty case. However, you can still see the front and rear screens. 
  • Bite Mount is kinda weird but works well if you don’t need to talk!
  • I use this mount since it has a quick-release mount in addition to the Bite Mount. That way I can mount the GoPro to my paddle too; making it easier to switch between viewpoints.

Water Level Locked View:

• The camera is locked and secured to your paddleboard at water level looking at you or in front of you. 
• You have to commit to the angle and the view it captures.
• The issue with this shot is having a lot of footage to store and go through since the camera needs to run non-stop.
• You can make yourself the subject or capture what is in front of you. It’s not the most flattering view for leisure paddling but it can create a cool shot if you’re surfing or engaging in something you see. This Instagram Reel captures my reaction to seeing a beaver where my camera is mounted on my board facing me. It also shows a Bite Mouth Mount shot along with a lot of shots with my favourite mount, Pole Mount. Skip to it here.

GoPro Mounts:

• Surfboard Mount:
  • I have never used this since I have a Red Paddle Co board with built-in threading for mounts. I’ve heard some people have great success while others are not fans. Make sure you have a floaty on your GoPro just in case!
• 2020 Red Paddle Co boards and newer have an M6 thread (M8 if you have an older board) on the front of the board. Paddle board camera mount from Red. *note that this will give you locked in horizontal capture. You’ll need extra extension GoPro hardware to capture vertically. 
  • M6 Ram thread
  • Ram medium clamp
  • Ram GoPro attachement
•  GoPro Clamp Mount: I have it because it came with the GoPro 9 as part of their bundle. You can use this for clipping the GoPro to you in between shots or clipping to a handle on your board. I wouldn’t recommend this as a worthwhile mount for paddleboarding but if you already have it, it can be put to use. 

Wide Shot:

• The shot most people want is of themselves on their board or them with other paddlers.
• This is my number one way to shoot content and the number one question I get asked about: How do I get my shots?

GoPro Mount:

• GoPro Pole Mount. This mount utilizes the paddle as a “selfie stick”. Unfortunately, unlike 360 cameras you can see the pole in the field of view for the GoPro.
  • It gives you the opportunity to easily play with angles, frame and capture closer or further away and easily switch between horizontal and vertical (see below tips for Gopro 9 settings).
  • You can also remove the camera to hold or place it in different locations. Be sure you have a float on it! 

Tips & Things to Think About Using the Pole Mount:

• Voice command On (GoPro 9)
• Front Screen on to see what you’re capturing (GoPro 9)
• Capturing horizontally or vertically (with GoPro 9 horizontal lock you’ll need to frame first and then record. The camera will hold whatever frame you start capturing)
• Weight on the unit & your paddle comes into play
• Play around with this so understand what you are capturing and what you like best. 
• Find what works best for you – mounted closer to the paddle or to the handle
  • I mount my GoPro closer to my paddle vs the handle. That way it’s easier to start capture and utilize the pole as a selfie stick. I know some people who put it closer to the handle.

GoPro Paddle Boarding Mount Tips:

• GoPro Athlete Kai Lenny
• MicBergsma is great for other GoPro tips too!

GoPro 9 Bite Mouth Mount  (Captured horizontal by default)

GoPro Hero 4 Pole Mount on my paddle. Captured horizontally.

Preferences:

• Turn off beeps. 
• Quick capture. If your GoPro is off you press the capture button and it turns on and records. Make sure you’ve set your Default Presets so the camera captures using these settings. 
• Voice Command on. A little buggy but it helps when the camera is mounted is on your paddle
• Front screen on and Actual to see what you’re capturing
• Horizon lock – all – You must put the camera on the angle you want to frame and capture, then press record. Once recording it holds that viewpoint. 
• LEDs on – easier to see when the camera is capturing when it’s sunny.
• Rear screen auto-off – this will help save battery if you are using it on pole mount – you won’t be needing it anyway. Front screen is where it’s at. Keep it on if you are holding the GoPro.

Presets:

I haven’t played around a lot with the presets but here are some tips.

• With the Max Lens Mod, you want the Superview and you can only go to 2.7k. Most of the Max Lens Mod settings are set.
• Frame rate – higher frame rate if you’re moving super quickly for fast action. Simple things will look epic for slow motion. 
• The resolution video format will depend on what you are capturing, what you’re using it for and where it’s being viewed. You don’t need anything beyond 2.7K if you’re using it for social.
• Remember the high resolution means more space on your micro sd card and your computer/phone!
• Linear high lens will help stabilize the camera acting as a gimbal 

GoPro 9 Review:

Major Pros for me:

• Stabilization
• Voice command
• The camera is fully waterproof vs having a case so the audio is super clear. 
• Ability to change the lens for Max Lens Mod (currently only available on GoPro.com. They ship outside the US but you are charged USD)
• Clarity of video is obviously much better than my Hero 4

Cons:

• For the most part, I love the GoPro 9. I went with it because it’s what I know and I have all the accessories from my Hero 4
• Sometimes buggy – the only issue I’ve had with filming bugs is turning it on with voice command. Where I have issues is connecting to the app to load media but this is minimal.
• The positives outweigh the negatives. GoPro 9 is a big step up from my Hero 4!

Overall:

• • Get the pole mount, extra batteries & charger and Max Lens Mod.
  • Big wins
    • Front screen 
    • No waterproof case needed *unless SCUBA diving * therefore the mic pics up great audio
    • stabilization with hyper smooth

Don’t Forget: 

When you subscribe to the blog you’ll get a downloadable PDF checklist so you never forget items. 

• Extra battery
• Extra micro SD card or space on your phone
• Waterproof case
• Floating device
• Mount(s) or something to attach your divide to you or your board.
• Anti Fog strips for cameras that need a waterproof case. 
• TIP – lick the camera lens to remove any water drops. 
• Enjoy your paddle!

Other GoPro Resources:

• GoPro Tips for Beginners
• Tips from a Kayaker using GoPro8
• GoPro Hero 9 Settings Guide – YouTuber who does reviews and comparison videos
• MicBergsma – Another great YouTuber with lots of GoPro videos.