32 Cool Things to Do With a GoPro: Our Summer Adventure List

There are tons of cool things to do with a GoPro. In the past year, we’ve begun to see just what it’s capable of. And we have big plans this summer! Here are some of the things we plan to do with our GoPro.

In this post, I share some of the cool things we plan to do with our GoPro cameras this summer.

As the summer progresses, I’ll update this post with links to each project as we complete it.

32 Cool Things to Do With a GoPro

When we moved back to Canada last year, we didn’t own any outside adventure stuff – aside from our mountain bikes that we brought on the plane.

In the past few weeks, we’ve bought camping gear including a sweet backpacking tent, wetsuits and swimsuits, and some great GoPro accessories.

Here are some of the projects we plan on shooting this summer.

• 7 GoPro Macro Photography Ideas
• 6 GoPro Slow Motion Ideas
• 7 GoPro Time-lapse Video Ideas
• 8 Half Underwater Photo and Video Ideas
• 4 Combined GoPro Ideas

Have an idea for Dena and I? Please share it in the comments below!

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

7 GoPro Macro Photography Ideas

Although we don’t know much about it, we both love macro photography and plan to get good at it.

A few months ago, we published an introduction to GoPro macro photography and a couple weeks ago, we wrote about a DIY GoPro macro lens.

Earlier this month, our macro lenses arrived from Amazon (AGPtek 58mm and PLR Optics 58mm macro lens set).

The best macro lens option for the Hero5 through Hero7 Black cameras is the PolarPro.

Here are some of the ideas we have so far:

1. An ant feeding frenzy in slow motion / fast motion
2. Igniting matches video
3. Lots of insects and small critters: tadpoles, spiders, and caterpillars
4. Bumblebee on a flower
5. Eyeballs (mostly human)
6. Morning dew and raindrops
7. Compose an image in a drop of water

Here’s how to create a DIY macro studio for $10. We’re planning on doing this in a future post. Or we might save ourselves the trouble and buy the same one on Amazon. A setup like this is great for consistent lighting.

Of course, a studio setup isn’t necessary for macro photography. The great outdoors is calling our name!

6 GoPro Slow Motion Ideas

I love this setting but have hardly published anything with slow motion. This summer, I’m going to learn it and publish some great (I’m hoping) slo-mo GoPro videos.

1. Explosions: fire and smoke look better slowed down
2. Cracking geodes in search of amethyst
3. Bullet-time effect: Maybe involving fireworks (but I need figure how to do it without blowing off my hand)
4. Something that involves launching a GoPro with a huge slingshot
5. Spinning in a circle with my GoPro on a super-long selfie stick (10-12 feet long).
6. Blowing bubbles and popping them (soap and bubble gum)

7 GoPro Time Lapse Video Ideas

I’ve had some good success with time-lapse video – but I’ve got lots to learn.

Choosing the best frame rate can be an art.

This sunset time-lapse settings video helps show how the final product is affected by different frame rates.

Why do I love time-lapse videos? I think it’s because it captures the memory better than a photo or standard video does.

When I watch my very first time-lapse video (shot on Isabela Island, Galapagos) it brings back exactly how I felt that evening.

Here are some of the ideas so far:

1. Bay of Fundy tides – probably Hall’s Harbour
2. Driving Nova Scotia’s South Shore (Lighthouse Route)
3. Night lapse video of meteor showers (shooting stars)
4. Sun rising over the Annapolis Valley
5. Planting a garden
6. Pedestrian sidewalk activity
7. Busy street at night

Here are a few of my favorite time-lapse videos so far: Cuenca driving time-lapse, Morden sunset, and Ecuador cloud timelapse.

8 Half Underwater Photos and Video Ideas

A few months ago, Dena wrote about how to shoot half underwater GoPro photos.

Before this post, we always wondered how to get shots like this.

Earlier today, our very own dome port (special GoPro attachment) arrived so now we’ll be able to shoot our own half-underwater (halfies) photos and videos.

1. Swimmer underwater – profile and swimming toward the camera
2. Fish/squid underwater with dock/wharf in the background (we like squid jiggin’)
3. Coastal landscapes
4. Sunsets
5. Kayaking/canoeing with a boat visible above/below the water
6. Shoot lily pads with 75% underwater
7. Shoot 75% underwater and get the ocean floor in focus
8. Shoot 75% above water and get a person’s face in focus

Some of these ideas might seem confusing. They’ll make more sense when you see them.

4 Combined GoPro Ideas 

While all these ideas are great, something I’m really excited about is combining these techniques to get some super-unique shots.

Here’s what we’re planning so far:

1. Timelapse + macro = blooming flower
2. Half underwater + slow motion = diving into a pool
3. Timelapse + half underwater = dramatic sunset
4. Macro + slow motion: Closeup, slow-motion video of a hummingbird in flight

And that’s our 32 cool things to do with a GoPro that we’re planning this summer. Before I end the post, I want to clarify that we’re going to use this as more of an idea generator than a to-do list.

 I’m sure we’ll find other great things to shoot – and we might not get all of these checked off our list. But we’ll do our best. 

Curious how it will all turn out? Be sure to subscribe (see the sidebar) for free updates and you can follow our journey.

Learn more about your camera’s capability in our GoPro Waterproof Guide for all models.

Your Turn

Have an idea for Dena and me? Please share it in the comments below!

The weather is changing and summer is super close. What adventures are you planning?