There’s a sense of awe the first time you see footage shot with a wearable camera. It’s as though you’ve been trans-ported into someone else’s body. But in this case it’s not John Malkovich we’re inhabiting—it’s surfboarders and stuntmen, artists and astronauts.

The wearable camera is a piece of technology that not long ago would have been considered science fiction. Now, not only does it exist, it can be lost, dropped, crushed and easily replaced for about $200. GoPro, the brand leader in the market, makes a camera that is about the size of a large pack of gum. It comes inside a waterproof housing, shoots HD video and stills, and can be easily mounted to your body or practically any object, creating camera angles and viewpoints that were previously unachievable and often unimaginable.
 
Set it and forget it; that’s the magic of these cameras. Strap one on your forehead and hit “record” to document your every moment, hands-free. Ice-climb Mount Kilimanjaro, scuba dive with great white sharks or try that new mashed potato recipe at the family barbecue (hey, we’re not all daredevils). For a culture obsessed with sharing everything, the wearable camera is the ultimate toy, bringing your audience right into the moment. “It’s like you’re somebody else for that split second, biking through the mountains or riding waves on surfboards or skiing down incredibly steep mountains,” says Jake Brusha, producer at Leo Burnett. “Those aren’t normal things I would do in my life, but it’s a really cool experience to almost be there.” The feeling of almost being there, that sense that there is no filter—no art director, stylist or retoucher—between you and the shot, is what makes this footage so unique. Plus, anyone can create it.

The Internet has witnessed an explosion of user-generated content (UGC) created by wearable cameras, along with other consumer cameras (hello, iPhone). It’s an ocean of imagery, and the sea level is rising. One hundred hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, more than six billion photos are uploaded to Facebook every month and, according to Yahoo, 880 billion photos will be taken in 2014. As more and more UGC is created, amateur film-makers and photographers are starting to leverage their content with the goal of becoming professionals. Particularly with wearable cameras, a clever idea can quickly attract Internet stardom—and clients. Take Jeremiah Warren, for example. The 23-year-old launched his filmmaking career when he strapped an 808 micro camera to a firework and uploaded the footage to YouTube a few days before July 4, 2011. The video received more than a million hits, and the limelight helped Warren land film projects with clients such as Google, Sony and Microsoft.

Likewise, accomplished North Shore surfer Clark Little eagerly traded in his board for a low-cost consumer camera when he realized he could cheaply put together a suitable waterproof rig for less than $400 (this was before GoPro). He set out to capture the breathtaking view from inside a powerful Waimea Bay wave for his wife, who wanted the picture as décor for their bedroom wall. Now, seven years later, with lots of practice and a much better rig, Little has become a widely exhibited, award-winning photographer whose surf shots are sought by such publications as National Geographic, the New York Times and, of course, Surfer’s Journal. The wide appeal of in-your-face action shots in advertising has several commercial clients calling as well, including Anheuser-Busch, Apple, Nike, Nikon, Toyota and Verizon.

You may be thinking, “How does a wearable consumer camera affect me, the image-maker or advertising creator?” Do professionals have to worry about armies of amateurs creating UGC and stealing all of the advertising dollars? Perhaps not. But Einav Jacubovich, associate creative director at Publicis Kaplan Thaler, has noticed an alarming trend. “Brands are getting scared,” she says. “For the first time, they’re not only competing against other brands, but against the genuine creations of everyday people.” In a time when cheap consumer drones and do-it-yourself array rigs make it possible for just about anyone to capture never-before-seen imagery and create special effects like the frozen “bullet time” sequence first seen in The Matrix, the competition has certainly widened. Even out in the treacherous surf, Little has begun to feel crowded by the hordes of amateurs toting GoPros in the last few years. “It puts some pressure on me to bring my A-game, since so many others out there are capturing amazing shots.”

Still, few doubt that professional imagery will ever be replaced by amateur UGC. “Of course there will be competition between professional content and UGC, and sometimes, the UGC will win the public’s attention,” says Mark Williams, director of social strategy and content programming for LiveWorld, a social content marketing company. “But just as the widespread availability of self-publishing on the web didn’t put high-quality professional writing out of business, UGC is not going to dramatically affect professional advertising or the distribution of ad dollars. The success of The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity didn’t really affect James Cameron or Martin Scorsese.”

Photographers who are dependent on licensing their images and staff photographers at publications are among the first to feel a tangible effect, as the increased supply of imagery has brought about a significant decline in the price that media outlets are willing to pay for professional images. But the much broader effect on all visual professionals results from how much the aesthetics of UGC have saturated our visual culture, especially through social networks like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The fact is, UGC captures something that traditional advertising has struggled to achieve: authenticity. As a result, the big ad dollars are going toward professional content that’s shot like amateur content. “More than ever there’s this increased value in depicting real people through candid moments in natural settings,” says Amber Calo, a visual trend spotter who works as senior manager of creative intelligence at Corbis. “Unless it’s product shots or you’re going for really high-end conceptual photos, staged imagery and more traditional photography is becoming quickly outdated.”

Some ads have become nearly indistinguishable from amateur video. Just look at the top videos on YouTube and you’ll see a ton of branded content shot in the raw style of UGC. But is blending in a good idea? “Brands should only make their content seem like it’s user-generated if it makes sense for the specific concept,” says Jacubovich. “When used incorrectly, viewers can sense the effort is just an opportunistic trick. Since it has become such a trend, many brands end up losing the personality and style that sets them apart.” In the long run, she says, “I don’t feel competing with people’s true stories, songs and creations is what brands should be doing.”

Claudia Monaco of Monaco Reps, a 30-year veteran of the industry, believes we are only beginning to see the effect of user-generated imagery on commercial photography. “The immediacy and mobility of our phones has directly influenced photographic composition, and the fresh look of ‘real’ lighting and ‘real’ people, albeit hip people in cool places, is finding a place in advertising.” Monaco is quick to note, however, that “professional photographers are still behind the camera,” citing examples such as the many Marc Jacobs campaigns shot by Juergen Teller. “The product, or the branding, still needs to be protected,” she says. That may be true, but at the same time, our visual culture will continue to be influenced by all the new content that consumers can produce.

Recently, I came home after a photo shoot and swapped my DSLR for a GoPro. I strapped it to my forehead and promptly began to tickle my one-year-old son. We rolled around on the ground, laughing, smiling, making funny faces—having a grand old time. Later that evening, as I watched the footage, I melted. The images of him shot with my professional gear are wonderful, but the footage from this wearable camera offered a level of intimacy that was entirely unique. As I watched, I thought about the millions of consumers out there who aren’t professionals, who aren’t used to making powerful imagery like this, but who now can create some-thing special, without even reading a manual.

GoPro is now the best-selling camera in the world, and the company is slated to go public this year. The profound effects of this technology on our industry are still playing out. Nobody knows how much this little camera will change photography in the coming years. “I think we’ll see more marketers using wearable devices to capture the world from the perspective of a celebrity, athlete or someone behind the scenes at a VIP event,” says David Griner, social editor for Adweek. “[We’ll be] using wearable tech more as a way to give exclusive access to content most of us couldn’t produce.”

One thing that’s almost guaranteed: the more visually sophisticated and engaged consumers become, the more visually educated our culture becomes. It’s like learning about the subtleties of art, music or wine—the more people learn, the more they appreciate quality and inventiveness. This cultural shift will likely increase demand for high-quality visual content across the board. I think it’s safe to say: it will be a win for us all. ca