GoPro demonstrates its camera at Photography Committee event

A team from GoPro, an action camera maker, showed off video clips showing Felix Baumgartner skydiving from space, a fireman resuscitating a kitten, a pelican learning to fly, a lion hugging a scientist, a car crash in France, wild horses running, and other amazing footage, at a Photography Committee event Nov. 12.

GoPro is a small, powerful, lightweight, wearable, and mountable camera that has sold millions and has made its founder and CEO, Nick Woodman, a billionaire.

Mounted on a skier's helmet, on the handlebars of a bicycle, or on the head of a dog, these cameras allow users to take videos from totally unique points of view. The striking results often go viral on the Internet and draw millions of viewers.

GoPro has 500 million views per month and 2.8 years of uploaded video content, said Jeff Brown, vice president of corporate communications. Brown said GoPro emphasizes “user-generated content.”

Wil Tidman, head of Media Production, said GoPro is a “life-capture company,” and its cameras “enable the world to communicate in a new way.”

Jim Geduldick, GoPro’s cinema, broadcast and photo marketing manager, said the cameras take both stills and 4K video. Geduldick said the company encourages users to send their photos and video to GoPro. Many of those uploaded three-minute videos tell stories, which shows the camera's journalistic potential. One video showed astronauts on the International Space Station playing with a GroPro camera floating inside a water bubble.

The GoPro camera is far more than the camera of choice for those who want to take action selfies, speakers said. For example, the small camera has an even bigger future in feature films. Movie makers have used GoPro cameras to shoot parts of 40 feature films so far, with more expected.