Good evening all! I’ve been playing with my GoPro a lot lately and since I brought it to the springs today for some footage (which should be up on Saturday I think), I had it with me as I drove home. I threw it in the cupholder and let it record. I usually drive with my radio on full blast, so I was interested in seeing how the GoPro would pick up the sound, especially since it’s in an airtight case that’s pretty sound resistant. If I hold the GoPro up and try talking to it normally, it wouldn’t pick up any sound – but with my car blasting and me screaming, it picked up both pretty well. So enjoy me acting like a fool on the drive home.
Tag Archives: camera
Blue Spring State Park and GoPro Test 1
Last Saturday, after running thirteen miles in preparation for my upcoming marathon, I had decided to hit some local springs for some swimming, both because I love swimming and thoroughly missed it over the past few years, especially after my shoulder surgery, but also to train for my upcoming Triathlon. While De Leon Springs was my first choice of park, as I had been there before and enjoyed the open space, Blue Spring was right next door and offered something new.
On my first visit to Blue Spring State Park several months back, the manatees were still chilling in the relatively warm spring water. This time, however, they manatees had ditched the now relatively cold spring water for the warmer water of the St. Johns River. On my first visit, I was able to walk around the park and enjoy the view, but not swim. This time, I was able to jump right in and get some aqua-cardio going.
I stayed at Blue Spring for about an hour swimming and testing out my new GoPro Hero 3 Silver camera that I had gotten the week before. One of the great features of the camera was being able to film underwater. One of the things that I missed from my other cameras was that the GoPro doesn’t have a screen to see what is in the shot. The GoPro isn’t designed to be used as a handheld camera, but instead as one mounted on the body somewhere to film what you see. So, I really wasn’t using it in its intended way. I ended up with a lot of shots with fingers intruding on the picture due to the wide lens, but I also obtained many shots free from lazy appendages.
The water was relatively shallow in the run, between waist and shoulder deep for my average 5’10” frame. There were many fallen trees and branches in the water, covered in moss and algae. Many people used the fallen wood to elevate themselves, though they were also slick and I slid off of one on to a sharp piece of rock. At the head of the spring, there’s a deep chasm where many a snorkeler and scuba diver ventured into. Not having any gear, I couldn’t venture low enough to get inside of it, but it looked impressive.
The only downside to my adventure to Blue Spring was the fact that someone stole my sunglasses, which are important for me to be able to see in daylight since my eyes are sensitive to light. I just hope karma wreaks havoc on the thief and they suffer greatly for their transgressions.
I tried to edit the videos into a movie using Windows Live Movie Maker, but after getting all the clips cut and set properly, when I went to save it, it decided to inform me at that moment that it couldn’t work with MP4 files. So after borrowing a Mac with iMovie, I have edited down a short video of my first GoPro footage.
I’d recommend Blue Spring State Park in the summer for swimmers, snorkelers, and divers. I didn’t get to experience the full depths of the park, but I look forward to returning someday to explore more. I would recommend leaving all personal belongings other than necessary swimming gear in the car to avoid bandit activity.
And so without further gilding the lily and no more adieu, I give to you my GoPro video of Blue Spring State Park:
Panorama Photos
One of the nice features of the new phone I have (an LG Optimus L9) is that it takes panorama photos. Sometimes the photos don’t come out great. If you’re panning from shade to light, the focus won’t adjust and the light part will get washed out. Likewise, if you pan from a light area to a dark area, it will be extremely dark. Some panoramas have obvious chopping on the photo where it didn’t splice correctly, probably due to my shaky hands or moving too fast. It also doesn’t recognize panning across a similar scene, like the horizon of the ocean with no variation. I can still get a few good panorama shots out of it though, sometimes taking the same shot multiple times so when I view it back on my computer, I have more options. Here are some of the panorama shots I have taken.
Brasstown Bald, Georgia:
View from Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s Highest Point.
View from Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s Highest Point
Britton Hill, Florida:
View from Britton Hill, Florida’s Highest Point
View from Britton Hill, Florida’s Highest Point
These pictures are from Site 1 at Canaveral National Seashore, not the ‘clothing-optional‘ area, in case you were wondering.
Canaveral National Seashore Beach
Canaveral National Seashore Inland View
Crystal River:
My friend and I bought Groupons to swim with manatees, which was in the Crystal River. The first picture was from the pier near where we started our trip. The second is from a dock where we were stranded after our boat overheated during a severe storm.
View from Crystal River Pier
Stranded During Severe Thunderstorm
View from Dam Out to Canoe Run
View of Dam and Canoe Run
Georgia:
Random Lake in Georgia
Plane and Hang Glider
Clear Blue Skies and Storm Rolling In
Beach at Honeymoon Island State Park
Beach at Honeymoon Island State Park
I took a lot of panoramas here and a few problems that I had included the shots being too dark, so they came out fuzzy, and the text on some rockets creating a shadow text due to how it pieces the photos together. These are two of the good shots.
Rockets at Kennedy Space Center
Entrance at Kennedy Space Center
Little Manatee River State Park:
Canoe Launch at Little Manatee River State Park
River at Little Manatee River State Park
Oval Park in Heathrow, FL:
Small Public Park in Heathrow, FL
Ponce De Leon Springs State Park:
Not to be confused with De Leon Springs State Park.
Ponce De Leon Springs
Salt Springs River
Silver Glen Springs State Park:
Silver Glen Springs
Lake and Mountains
Waterfall at Vogel State Park
ren3gade 