Ten years ago, documenting adventurous moments on camera was difficult when journeys were underwater or hundreds of feet above the ground. Enter the Go Pro.
“Sometimes, I was able to record myself going on a roller-coaster, but the footage was horrible,” sophomore history major Aiden Carson said. “Other times, I wanted to record myself skating off ramps and doing tricks so I would literally duct tape my old camera to my [skateboard], but for the most part my idea failed.”
Nick Woodman, the Go Pro’s creator, felt the same way as Carson when he invented the trendy camera, according to Forbs in 2013. Woodman always wanted to show his friends what it was like to go on his surfing and rock climbing excursions. However, he felt there was not a camera that gave others a sense of the adventure.
Just like Carson, Woodman would strap his camera to his wrist to show his friends what surfing was like.
“Before I had my Go Pro [camera], I would always think to myself, ‘I wish I could record this,’” Carson said.
Woodman’s Go Pro camera is designed to attach to helmets, bike’s handlebars and even music instruments.
Since the release of the first Go Pro in 2004, sales have doubled every year, according to Forbes. Woodman also told Forbes that in 2012, 2.3 million cameras were sold leading the company to make $521 million.
In 2012, the Go Pro made up 21.5 percent of cameras sold shipped nationwide, according to the International Data Corporation.
The Go Pro has also made sale history by knocking out Sony in 2013 as the highest grossing digital image brand sold at Best Buy, according to Forbes.
Junior art major Justin Goodman enjoys the fact that, unlike other cameras, the Go Pro is waterproof and features a panoramic point of view.
“I’ve tried out other camera’s that claim to be designed for outdoor activities and are around the same price range, but there’s nothing like the Go Pro,” Goodman said. “The panoramic view is awesome, it lets you view everything without having to move the camera around.”
Goodman also said other cameras he has owned do not feature high definition.
“The Go Pro doesn’t force a compromise,” Goodman said. “I’ve been able to capture moments under water without having to give up the HD quality.”