TIPS: Videoing while snorkeling (GoPro)

TIPS on videoing your snorkel trip - Equipment, Camera Settings, Getting the shot and editing. Details below. EQUIPMENT 0:18 Selfie pole - YES. Stable, close to action. I prefer non-floating so buoyancy doesn't impact holding pole/camera steady. Make sure it will work in salt water & won't be corroded. 0:30 Headmount - NO. Unstable & not close to action. Tough to tell if on or off. Just trust me. 0:45 Tray - possibly. Scuba divers use. I haven't tried them. 1:02 GoPro Hero4 Silver - worked well. Much improvement over my original GoPro. 1:20 GorPro LCD screen - didn't use much underwater. Camera at the end of 5' pole, tough to see screen :) 1:25 Anti-fog inserts - worth considering. Going from AC in room or car to humid environment can cause fog. 1:50 Lanyard or floating pole or bobber. Happy to have good lanyard in 100' of water. Didn't use it most of the time since I can dive to 20'. 2:07 Buoyancy considerations. 2:30 Filters - I didn't use & footage is good enough for me. Probably depends on water clarity, depth of filming, sunny vs. cloudy, etc. CAMERA SETTINGS 3:25 Camera settings (some GoPro specific) 3:30 Frames per Second - FPS - 60fps seems most agreed upon for underwater 4:18 Resolution - 4k, 2.7k, 1440, 1080. General recommendation is highest resolution with the fps you want (and your computer can handle editing). My computer can't edit 4k, and 2.7k only currently goes to 30 fps, so I chose lower resolution with a tad higher fps. 4:45 POV 4x3 - 1920x1440 vs. 16:9 - I used 4:3 to capture more vertical area - I was missing shots below camera. Most would use 16:9 if you aren't an idiot. * Field of view - I used wide so I could crop in post later if desired. 5:34 PROTUNE = OFF did not use. Use if you are really into advanced color correction 5:52 ORIENTATION=DOWN. Due to Camera mounted upside on pole. You can also fix in post. Not a big deal. 6:24 WIFI = OFF. Saves battery 6:30 AUTO-OFF = 1 Minute. Saves battery for times when you forget to turn off your camera. 6:43 LED = 4. Red blinky lights on front/back of camera - easier to tell if it is recording underwater - again, so you don't leave camera recording for 10 extra minutes then curse. 7:00 TOUCH DISPLAY = SLEEP 1 MINUTE. Saves battery. And rarely used underwater since camera is on a pole 5' away. 7:37 Storage - 32 GB (or more) for a day. I used laptop to dump files to at night. Roughly 10 days of shooting - 160-200 GB. (I deleted some as I went along) 8:02 Spare batteries - One or more. I don't shoot long takes so adjust accordingly. I have a Wasabi dual-charger, so I actually had 3 total, but never used the 3rd. 8:25 Touch case - forget it. Not worth risking camera underwater and only works in super shallow water GETTING THE SHOT 8:52 Practice ahead of time in pool if possible. Good time to tell if you can change settings with a mask on - I was blind w/o glasses. 9:30 Watch other professional video to see how they frame shots & keep interest. Ex: YouTube CBS SUnday Morning Virgin Islands 9:50 Limit direct overhead footage. Get some shots slightly under fish 10:05 Combine elements - Fish and interesting coral. Coral and people diving down. 10:26 Don't chase the fish. A lot of times they will come back into frame. 11:17 Hold your shot steady. Most important. Use 2 hands. Also why handheld or headmount aren't the best choices. If one handed, use a good lanyard around your arm to help. 11:35 Hold the shot. Film for awhile longer to make sure you get good footage. Gives you more choices when editing footage. 11:51 Move around object (slowly) to get different perspectives 12:08 Shorter shots (30-60 seconds) vs. 15 min. Focus on shorter quality shots than long takes. it will save you editing time as well. 12:50 LICK THE CAMERA to clear waterspots. And no I am not kidding. It works. Credit: MicBergsma & I am sure others. VIDEO EDITING 13:30 Color correction - How much will you do? I do enough to make clips look good enough but not pro quality. It's a matter of time, as every clip can be color corrected. 14:06 GoPro Studio has some "easy" color correction options (at a minimum) 14:30 Video Editing software - GoPro Studio (I used sometimes on this trip). I mainly use Sony Movie Studio but recommend downloading free trial software of top video editors and see what you like & to test. You can typically find the prior version of whatever software online and save some $$. Trial software also allows you to test your computer to see if it has enough power to edit clips - such as 4k, 2.7k, 120fps, etc. 15:23 YouTube / Copyright audio - See www.youtube.com/audiolibrary to download YouTube copyright-free music. You can also search the Ad-supported music section to see if the song you picked out will be blocked or not. Drop a comment below if this video helped.

TIPS: Videoing while snorkeling (GoPro) sentiment_very_dissatisfied 8

Snorkeling 9 years ago 16,485 views

TIPS on videoing your snorkel trip - Equipment, Camera Settings, Getting the shot and editing. Details below. EQUIPMENT 0:18 Selfie pole - YES. Stable, close to action. I prefer non-floating so buoyancy doesn't impact holding pole/camera steady. Make sure it will work in salt water & won't be corroded. 0:30 Headmount - NO. Unstable & not close to action. Tough to tell if on or off. Just trust me. 0:45 Tray - possibly. Scuba divers use. I haven't tried them. 1:02 GoPro Hero4 Silver - worked well. Much improvement over my original GoPro. 1:20 GorPro LCD screen - didn't use much underwater. Camera at the end of 5' pole, tough to see screen :) 1:25 Anti-fog inserts - worth considering. Going from AC in room or car to humid environment can cause fog. 1:50 Lanyard or floating pole or bobber. Happy to have good lanyard in 100' of water. Didn't use it most of the time since I can dive to 20'. 2:07 Buoyancy considerations. 2:30 Filters - I didn't use & footage is good enough for me. Probably depends on water clarity, depth of filming, sunny vs. cloudy, etc. CAMERA SETTINGS 3:25 Camera settings (some GoPro specific) 3:30 Frames per Second - FPS - 60fps seems most agreed upon for underwater 4:18 Resolution - 4k, 2.7k, 1440, 1080. General recommendation is highest resolution with the fps you want (and your computer can handle editing). My computer can't edit 4k, and 2.7k only currently goes to 30 fps, so I chose lower resolution with a tad higher fps. 4:45 POV 4x3 - 1920x1440 vs. 16:9 - I used 4:3 to capture more vertical area - I was missing shots below camera. Most would use 16:9 if you aren't an idiot. * Field of view - I used wide so I could crop in post later if desired. 5:34 PROTUNE = OFF did not use. Use if you are really into advanced color correction 5:52 ORIENTATION=DOWN. Due to Camera mounted upside on pole. You can also fix in post. Not a big deal. 6:24 WIFI = OFF. Saves battery 6:30 AUTO-OFF = 1 Minute. Saves battery for times when you forget to turn off your camera. 6:43 LED = 4. Red blinky lights on front/back of camera - easier to tell if it is recording underwater - again, so you don't leave camera recording for 10 extra minutes then curse. 7:00 TOUCH DISPLAY = SLEEP 1 MINUTE. Saves battery. And rarely used underwater since camera is on a pole 5' away. 7:37 Storage - 32 GB (or more) for a day. I used laptop to dump files to at night. Roughly 10 days of shooting - 160-200 GB. (I deleted some as I went along) 8:02 Spare batteries - One or more. I don't shoot long takes so adjust accordingly. I have a Wasabi dual-charger, so I actually had 3 total, but never used the 3rd. 8:25 Touch case - forget it. Not worth risking camera underwater and only works in super shallow water GETTING THE SHOT 8:52 Practice ahead of time in pool if possible. Good time to tell if you can change settings with a mask on - I was blind w/o glasses. 9:30 Watch other professional video to see how they frame shots & keep interest. Ex: YouTube CBS SUnday Morning Virgin Islands 9:50 Limit direct overhead footage. Get some shots slightly under fish 10:05 Combine elements - Fish and interesting coral. Coral and people diving down. 10:26 Don't chase the fish. A lot of times they will come back into frame. 11:17 Hold your shot steady. Most important. Use 2 hands. Also why handheld or headmount aren't the best choices. If one handed, use a good lanyard around your arm to help. 11:35 Hold the shot. Film for awhile longer to make sure you get good footage. Gives you more choices when editing footage. 11:51 Move around object (slowly) to get different perspectives 12:08 Shorter shots (30-60 seconds) vs. 15 min. Focus on shorter quality shots than long takes. it will save you editing time as well. 12:50 LICK THE CAMERA to clear waterspots. And no I am not kidding. It works. Credit: MicBergsma & I am sure others. VIDEO EDITING 13:30 Color correction - How much will you do? I do enough to make clips look good enough but not pro quality. It's a matter of time, as every clip can be color corrected. 14:06 GoPro Studio has some "easy" color correction options (at a minimum) 14:30 Video Editing software - GoPro Studio (I used sometimes on this trip). I mainly use Sony Movie Studio but recommend downloading free trial software of top video editors and see what you like & to test. You can typically find the prior version of whatever software online and save some $$. Trial software also allows you to test your computer to see if it has enough power to edit clips - such as 4k, 2.7k, 120fps, etc. 15:23 YouTube / Copyright audio - See www.youtube.com/audiolibrary to download YouTube copyright-free music. You can also search the Ad-supported music section to see if the song you picked out will be blocked or not. Drop a comment below if this video helped.

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Most popular comments
for TIPS: Videoing while snorkeling (GoPro)

Gary Bell
Gary Bell - 6 years ago
Very useful. Thanks
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 6 years ago
I hope you get some great footage. Drop me a link to your video after your trip if you remember.
Alex Kurbiel
Alex Kurbiel - 7 years ago
For snorkelling I recommend the backscatter flip systems with the snorkel filter and if you want to get any close up shots the macromate 15+ 55mm lens and the 55mm lense adapter for the flip system.
Louis HD14
Louis HD14 - 8 years ago
thanks for sharing! I just ordered a polar pro "snorkling" filter so I hope it turns out ok for my Mexico trip
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 8 years ago
+Louis HD14 Enjoy your snorkel. Let me know how the filter works if you think of it.
Orlando Biotechnology
Orlando Biotechnology - 8 years ago
I had challenges with the GoPro studio software. I have the basic model Surface Pro 3, which comes with an i3, 4 GB RAM and integrated graphics card. I can't use the software because it tends to crash and restart every four to five minutes. The recommended hardware is an i7 and at least 4 GB RAM, even though "minimum requirement" is a Intel duo core...
Orlando Biotechnology
Orlando Biotechnology - 8 years ago
I had challenges with the GoPro studio software. I have the basic model Surface Pro 3, which comes with an i3, 4 GB RAM and integrated graphics card. I can't use the software because it tends to crash and restart every four to five minutes. The recommended hardware is an i7 and at least 4 GB RAM, even though "minimum requirement" is a Intel duo core...
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 8 years ago
TARGUS MONOPOD DIY -15-30 min estimate, not including drying time - I don't recall how long that took.

You will need some JB Weld, a GoPro (or knock off) Tripod mount & some cordage for a Lanyard

1) Remove the footing on the head of the monopod (see video link below). That should leave a small piece of plastic with a flat circle still attached. Go ahead & remove the flat circle piece as well.
2) I then adhered the flat circle part to the monopod with JB Weld - this is not shown in the video. This gives you the monopod, with the small plastic flat circle.on top, firmly held in place by the JB Weld.
3) I then adhered the Tripod mount (which has a flat circle) to the flat circle on the head of the monopod with JB Weld. That's really it for the head. Super easy DIY.
NOTE: I did not use a screw like the video in the link below. I don't believe the screw was actually attaching to anything in the pole itself & I felt the JB Weld more than made up for me not using the screw.

Video that was my inspiration - as I said, I did some thing differently, but it helped me visualize it.
https://youtu.be/ofpOn0FAEow

Buoyancy: I did the next steps because I didn't want any buoyancy in the pole & to provide a better lanyard.
4) I took off the bottom part of the monopod & left it off. This allows water to enter the pole from the bottom.
5) At the very top (say 3" below where I attached the Tripod mount, I drilled some holes so air could escape
6) Finally.. the lanyard. I pushed the grippy cushion up from the bottom of the pole & drilled a couple small holes. I then threaded my cordage thru & made a loop. This acted as my lanyard. Eyeballing it.. I'd say it is around 10-12" circumference. Play around with it & see what you like.
Side note - when filming, I would hold onto the handle normally & have the lanyard around my wrist. Other times, to get a steadier shot, I would put my forearm thru the lanyard. I would grip the pole about 18" up (kind of choking up on it if you will) and then my forearm would rest against the bottom part of the handle. In effect it gave me 2 contact points - my hand & forearm - to hold things steady.
7) Completely optional: I had some marine grade reflective tape laying around as I was trying it out for some backpacking applications (basically to help find my hammock in the night with my flashlight). Anyway, I wrapped some of that around the pole, figuring if I did drop my pole, it might make it easier to see from the surface. I never dropped the pole, so it never came into play.

Inspirational Credit:
NextLevelNerd: https://youtu.be/ofpOn0FAEow
DIYGoProGuy - suggested the JB Weld - https://youtu.be/vCdJhjiQzsM
TeamPCBeach
TeamPCBeach - 8 years ago
Great video as I am about to take my camera Snorkeling for the first time. I just bought the Monopod stick at Walmart. How did you modify it to mount the GOPRO on what is normally the bottom.
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 8 years ago
p.s. let me know if the instructions are good or if there is anything I need to change so it makes sense.
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 8 years ago
I just added a comment - look for "TARGUS MONOPOD DIY" in my comments of this video. I would have posted it here but it would have been harder for others to find :) Let me know if you have any questions. It will probably take as long to read my comment as to do the actual DIY (well, not including the JB Weld drying).
Diane Damian
Diane Damian - 8 years ago
Thank you, you really helped me for my 1st time out.
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 8 years ago
Excellent. Hope your video turns out great.
Zoya Picklesimer
Zoya Picklesimer - 8 years ago
I recently purchased the Targus for hiking and filming waterfalls. The spike is on the thin end on my monopod. How did you mount your gopro on the telescoping end by the spike?
Zoya Picklesimer
Zoya Picklesimer - 8 years ago
+SoutheastBackpacker Thank you for the quick reply. I'm going to attempt this modification!
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 8 years ago
+Zoya Picklesimer On YouTube, search for "DIYGoproGuy extendable pole". In a nutshell, you remove the mount and replace it with a GoPro mount. Super easy DIY.
For snorkeling, I also drilled holes thru the botttom of the pole and attached my own (studier) lanyard. I also drilled holes in the top to allow water to enter/exit easy.

10. comment for TIPS: Videoing while snorkeling (GoPro)

Storslaktarn
Storslaktarn - 8 years ago
It says gorpro in the description :)
Ketchup
Ketchup - 8 years ago
Videoing isn't a verb.
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 8 years ago
enjoy your snorkeling and hope you can capture the beauty.
Palfray Guitars
Palfray Guitars - 9 years ago
really useful info, thankyou. i also get lots of footage of fish fins in bottom of frame...LOL
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 9 years ago
Glad the video helped. Hate getting the fins on the bottom of the frame! In my case it was a shot I really wanted too.
Toby Barnett
Toby Barnett - 9 years ago
Great job on the tutorial. I used the selfie pole while diving and snorkeling. Years ago, I used the headband, which sorta works, but never had to use the anti-fog.
Atlas918
Atlas918 - 9 years ago
Good advice. I'm looking forward to using my GoPro for filming snorkeling on my honeymoon. Excellent video.
Atlas918
Atlas918 - 9 years ago
Good call on the selfie stick. I never would have thought of that. I was just going to use a hand held floaty attachment from GoPro. 
SoutheastBackpacker
SoutheastBackpacker - 9 years ago
+Atlas918 Congrats on the upcoming honeymoon. It is pretty fun videoing while snorkeling, even better if you can get decent footage. I was disappointed at my efforts a few years ago, so I studied up this time :)

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