A rescued and released tiger in Russia with the help of IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) and pictures with a GoPro.

This is not a commercial, an endorsement, or even a plea for free GoPro equipment. First of all, that would be unethical, boorish, and against the imaginary code of conduct for bloggers. Beside how would GoPro even find a way to get a hold of a complete stranger named Zulu Delta. Really, it’s not like he has a website named Zulu Delta 45 and if GoPro actually went there, who’s to say they would find an email address labeled zuludelta45@yahoo.com; please, I mean that’s just crazy!

Oh, and as I was saying……….

I’ll tell you what I think is the most amazing aspect of GoPro. I have a GoPro camera. I’m just beginning to get the hang of it, so it’s not the fact that I have tons of amazing footage and cool shots. It’s not the fact that when I actually hold the camera without the case, that I’m reminded of the cheap, lightweight 35 mm cameras many companies would mail to your home if you signed up for a subscription to their magazine back in the 90’s. No, it’s much more simple than that.

I just love walking into REI or Best Buy and watching the GoPro footage on the display TV. Sometimes, it’s the most important part of the visit. Many of the clips are professional, but many are not. Sure, there are the crazy scenes of the “winged flying men,” and the insane guys who jump off cliffs with skis, along with the suicidal bike nuts who I can’t seem to stop watching with a combination of awe and horror, but it’s not just the adrenaline- junkie movies. When at home, I hate the idea, and looks of HDTV, but standing in front of a new screen watching GoPro footage, I’m thrilled, and warmed to the bone by the footage of whales, and tigers in the wild, birds on the fly, flowers blooming in the sun, little kids pushing shopping carts, trains ripping by, Geologists climbing around a lava gurgling volcano, and who can forget the curling wave of a surfer, who might just be the company’s founder and reason the camera was developed in the first place.

When all the action themes are stripped away, and nature is blasting us with her brilliance, what we’re left with watching the videos in the store, is Mankind and the Earth at their very best. Everyday people doing great things. The world void of ignorance, violence, waste and abuse.

Just bear cubs, powder snow, rock castles, bike trials, and dolphins.

Sometimes I forget why I came into the store in the first place, but I never forget what I saw while I was in there.