All of this has been learned the hard way.
1. Get as little of the horizon in your frame as possible. Glare is a real problem for Gopros, and it can absolutely ruin your shot.
2. Take a good pair of reading glasses to the ranch with you, and use them to check your settings. Gopros too easily change modes, and, unless you constantly check that itty bitty screen, you are going to miss some great action, as I did this past weekend.
3. Be sure to turn the "beeps" off and constantly check to make sure that it is off. There is only one thing that deer hate more than human scent and that is the Gopro beep. Ask me how I know.
4. Get the extended battery pack. Turning the camera on and off with Wifi is problematic, and will cost you some footage. With the extended battery, you can just leave it on for the duration of your hunt.
5. Keep everything charged. The battery on the remote doesn't last a real long time, so keep it fully charged.
6. Put your camera as close to where you expect the action to occur as possible. Gopro has a very wide angle lens, and, if you are more than about 10 yards from your subject, it will look like it's occurring at the other end of a football field. Along the same line, don't use the narrow field of view, as you just lose resolution.
7. Plan the location of your Gopro in advance. You can always place something natural to attach it to ahead of time. Trying to find something before first light is frustrating and leads to poor positioning out of necessity.
8. If you are using bait, don't throw it in a circle around you. Put it such that it will center the animal in the shot.
9. Hook the camera to something solid. Trying to capture a moving animal from a wind blown camera perch is not going to be very satisfying.
10. Err on the side of increased frame rate over higher resolution. You want clear action shots, not sharp scenery.
11. Get the best Gopro that you can afford, so that you get the best resolution with the best frame rate. It makes a huge difference.
12. Take a small level with you to make sure your frame is parallel with the ground. I've found it very difficult to get it lined up using just my eyes.
13. Clear the path for the shot. Small bushes that look like they aren't a problem can really obscure your action. The wide angle lens makes close objects detract from what you really want to see.
14. Don't use the one button instant record option. You will get great shots of ceilings, the inside of your pack, etc. to go with your dead battery.
I hope this helps you to avoid some of the frustrating failures that have taught me all the above wisdom. I have to say that, overall, it really adds to your experience to record your hunts. It's a lot of fun to go back and watch what happened in a less than panicked time frame.
1. Get as little of the horizon in your frame as possible. Glare is a real problem for Gopros, and it can absolutely ruin your shot.
2. Take a good pair of reading glasses to the ranch with you, and use them to check your settings. Gopros too easily change modes, and, unless you constantly check that itty bitty screen, you are going to miss some great action, as I did this past weekend.
3. Be sure to turn the "beeps" off and constantly check to make sure that it is off. There is only one thing that deer hate more than human scent and that is the Gopro beep. Ask me how I know.
4. Get the extended battery pack. Turning the camera on and off with Wifi is problematic, and will cost you some footage. With the extended battery, you can just leave it on for the duration of your hunt.
5. Keep everything charged. The battery on the remote doesn't last a real long time, so keep it fully charged.
6. Put your camera as close to where you expect the action to occur as possible. Gopro has a very wide angle lens, and, if you are more than about 10 yards from your subject, it will look like it's occurring at the other end of a football field. Along the same line, don't use the narrow field of view, as you just lose resolution.
7. Plan the location of your Gopro in advance. You can always place something natural to attach it to ahead of time. Trying to find something before first light is frustrating and leads to poor positioning out of necessity.
8. If you are using bait, don't throw it in a circle around you. Put it such that it will center the animal in the shot.
9. Hook the camera to something solid. Trying to capture a moving animal from a wind blown camera perch is not going to be very satisfying.
10. Err on the side of increased frame rate over higher resolution. You want clear action shots, not sharp scenery.
11. Get the best Gopro that you can afford, so that you get the best resolution with the best frame rate. It makes a huge difference.
12. Take a small level with you to make sure your frame is parallel with the ground. I've found it very difficult to get it lined up using just my eyes.
13. Clear the path for the shot. Small bushes that look like they aren't a problem can really obscure your action. The wide angle lens makes close objects detract from what you really want to see.
14. Don't use the one button instant record option. You will get great shots of ceilings, the inside of your pack, etc. to go with your dead battery.
I hope this helps you to avoid some of the frustrating failures that have taught me all the above wisdom. I have to say that, overall, it really adds to your experience to record your hunts. It's a lot of fun to go back and watch what happened in a less than panicked time frame.