Shooting Your GoPro Masterpiece

It's hard to imagine moviemaking being more fun than when you shoot with a GoPro. All those "Do you know what would be really be cool?" situations can become reality, even if that means mounting the camera to your dog while he runs through a wheat field as the sun sets. If you don't understand how the camera works, however, the sun will go down much sooner for your moviemaking spirit.

Here are a few things to do when shooting:

• Use the Capture App. Without the Capture App, you can't see what you're shooting, and you may also have trouble controlling the camera, especially when it's mounted on something far away, such as a surfboard. Use this app to compose your masterpiece.

• Be careful of lens flare. On a sunny day, sunlight may hit the lens causing flare. Keep an eye out for it.

• Watch those angles. With such a wide-angle lens, image distortion is common. Keep the camera's back perpendicular to the scene to limit distortion (unless, of course, you want to capture distortion in the shot).

• Keep the lens clean. If you love your GoPro, keep it in its case. Unless, of course, it's a HERO 5, which has a built-in case. In any event, be sure to keep the lens area clean.

• Double-check your settings. There's no sense in beginning a new shoot with the settings you used the last time. Open the GoPro App before you shoot, and make sure that all the settings meet your needs for the current shoot.

• Shoot a healthy variety of shots. A movie isn't a single clip, but an array of clips that go together nicely. Shoot variations of each shot, and don't be afraid to get creative by sticking your GoPro in unusual places, such as looking out of a garbage can.