Everyone complains about Mondays–If you Google “Monday Meme,” there is no shortage of funny images accompanied by witty one-liners about everyone’s least favourite day of the week.

If I told you today was like any other busy Monday, I’d be lying. It’s my first day back in the office after a month of traveling, and it’s also my 38th birthday. After a weekend of celebrating with my family, things still feel so surreal–to think that only a week ago, I was in a Cuban prison, unsure if I’d see my family, or have my feet on Canadian soil ever again. After rehashing the events in my mind, I sometimes feel the urge to question if those thirteen days in jail actually happened.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably curious as to how I ended up in prison. Before you read any further, I want to let you know that this post does not contain anything that would suggest that I have a personal vendetta against the Cuban government–I have a great love for the country, its people, and the culture, and have every intention of visiting the island again. What I am about to share with you are the events that led up to my detainment and imprisonment. Also, I want my story to serve as a warning for all drone and UAV enthusiasts who plan on traveling to Cuba, or any other country abroad.

I was vacationing in Havana, a city which I have frequented in the past, never having encountered any problems with authorities, or otherwise. While flying a recreational drone, in Confederation Square, I was detained by Cuban military officials. At first, I didn’t know what was going on, however, when I realized my arrest was based upon suspicion of espionage and terrorist activity, I couldn’t believe it.

I had flown into Havana from Panama just a few days earlier, and the drone had cleared customs with me. I had never encountered any issues with it in the other countries I visited during my travels (Colombia and Panama) and didn’t see why it would be any different in Cuba. Everything was going by so quickly–it was like trying to piece together something out of a foreign film (without subtitles).

Cut to the next scene: They just confiscated my laptop and iPhone, and they’re now handing me a pillow case, a bedsheet, and half a bar of soap. Every time I question what’s happening, the guards reassure me that everything is going to be OK.

Next scene: I’m startled by a door slamming behind me. I’m standing in a 4’x7′ cell with no windows, a small cot, and a drainage hole for a toilet. It’s dark and damp. I’m alone. For some reason, I have a feeling everything is far from ok.

As someone who tries to find the silver lining in every situation, I tell myself that they’d realize this was all a big misunderstanding. Maybe the military will review the drone footage and release me after seeing it was all just amateur video that I recorded over the past month. As the hours turn into days, the sense of fear that I was attempting to keep at bay was now eating me whole.

I want to know what’s going on outside of my cell’s walls. Why wasn’t I allowed a phone call? Does my family know where I am? How are my kids doing? I miss them… Will I ever see them again? The concept of time became foreign, and I find myself repeatedly asking guards what day it is and when I’m getting out; “No se,” I don’t know, is always their reply. I spend most of my time crouched in a corner, praying that I would wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Cut to the next scene. The door opens, and a guard tells me “Estas libre,” You’re free to go. It was the thirteenth day. The Canadian Embassy negotiated my release, and soon I would be boarding a plane headed back to Toronto.

When I look back to those 13 days in a Cuban jail, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around how a flying a drone nearly cost me my life in prison.

The Mavic DJI, and GO PRO’s first drone, which is a third of the size of others on the market today (it’s release to the public takes place next week) are sure to top holiday wish lists this year. With UAVs becoming increasingly accessible to the general public, I would like to warn enthusiasts who plan to travel abroad, to complete their due diligence on federal laws surrounding remote controlled aerial vehicles.

As I stated earlier, this is not a “Chris A. Hughes vs. Cuba” blog, as the country will eternally hold a piece of my heart if anything, more so after this experience. This post is simply me, as a Canadian, wanting to share my story with others who are unaware of the consequences that come with something as innocent as flying a recreational drone on vacation.

Chris A. Hughes

The post 13 DAYS IN A CUBAN PRISON first appeared on A Nerd's World.

If we go back to 5 or 6 years ago, you’d have to rent a helicopter, get permits and spend a lot of money to be able to go into the sky and get this kind of footage. You can do it today with us at a fraction of that cost and with 1 hour of notice! Using the latest DJI Phantom 4, we capture your footage in incredible 4k quality.

With the technology available in consumer drones today, it is amazing what’s achievable. Leading the industry benchmark with an almost half an hour flight time pre battery charge, the DJI Phantom 4 provides the perfect canvas for your artwork.

Instead of giving you a review about the Phantom 4, I’d like to tell you about my story with DJI so far. I initially purchased a DJI Phantom 3 Professional in 2015. It was very impressive and I made quite a few customers happy with it. Fast forward to one day earlier this summer, mid-flight, my Phantom 3 decided to abandon its family here at A Nerd’s World. It just took off at full throttle, into the sky. I was in shock and disappointment. I kept wondering about how it was possible that this happened to me. I had the unit firmware up to date at all times and yet it still happened. To make matters worse, here I was stuck with an extra 8 batteries for it.

Going 30 Days into the future after the incident, I’d mustered the courage to invest my time, money and faith back into DJI and try the Phantom 4. I bought it, along with extra batteries and a few other goodies and took it on a trip across the United States. I had an amazing experience at B&H Photo Video in Manhattan, New York. Not only were the staff extremely helpful, but the prices beat Canada by a long-shot. From there, I traveled to New Jersey, Philadelphia and finally to Washington DC, before coming back home. During this trip, I regained my confidence in DJI. The phantom has helped me capture outstanding footage, which I’ll give you a sneak peek of shortly.

So, I’d like to leave you with this. At A Nerd’s World, we are still the best drone service provider in Toronto.  Do you want to distinguish yourself from your competition? Instead of having a bland website like everyone else, why not add some life and realism to it with the power of video?

Be sure to catch a video our capabilities with the DJI Phantom 4 in Toronto, to better understand the type of quality that is achievable by this amazing drone.

We’re here for hire. Give us a call today at (647) 348-2020 to book drone services for your event!

Chris A. Hughes

The post Aerial Drone Photography in Toronto first appeared on A Nerd's World.

 “A video is worth 1.8 million words.” – Dr. James McQuivey

A lot of people know us as the best web developers in Toronto, but many of them don’t know that we provide drone photography as well. As a Toronto web-design company, we’ve noticed that a large number of the websites we’ve worked on were using old, low quality, stock images of the Toronto skyline. These images were getting recycled and were being used by almost everyone. We decided to solve this issue by providing our very own drone video service. We are currently developing a comprehensive catalogue of footage all across Toronto exclusively for our clients. Our service will be available by next month and all of our recordings will be in 4K HD resolution and shot with a DGI Phantom 3 Professional drone. We will be licensing these original 15-30 second videos for $100 dollars each, and I will be shooting the aerial drone footage personally.

“Online retailer Living Direct found that videos boosted conversion as well as increasing time on site by 9%.” – Internet Retailer, 2010

Putting videos on your website will make people view your webpage longer, it will retain their attention, and give them a better overall experience. These things will give a better impression of your company, and help you convert page views in to actual customers.

In fact, Influencing someone to stay on your website for longer periods of time will actually improve your SEO, this is because Google looks at how long someone has spent on a website to determine how relevant the webpage was to their search. An increased “dwell time” will improve your website’s “Page Authority”, which is a key metric that is used to determine your position on a search engine results page.

If you looking for an end-to-end solution for your business needs, look no further. A Nerd’s World can provide you with the best in web design, SEO, headshots, graphics, drone photography, and everything else in between. Give us a call or come visit us in person at our Bathurst Street storefront location for a consultation of our services.

Chris A. Hughes

The post Toronto Drone Stock Footage $100 first appeared on A Nerd's World.

A Nerd’s World provides professional aerial photography and videography using a fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) also commonly referred to as “Drones.”

What is a Drone?

A Drone is an aircraft that is operated remotely from the ground. Once accessible only to military and government personnel, drones were mainly used in situations or over terrain that was considered too risky for manned flight. Drones now offer an eye in the sky and are used in several different industries for surveillance, digital photography or aerial video.

Our Drone of choice is the DJI Phantom 3 Professional equipped with an HD 4k drone camera that allows us to capture a range of digital content from various altitudes. Drone photography in Toronto is relatively new; however, 2016 is the year to get ahead of the competition by introducing AR drone coverage to your business.

In addition to having stunning bird’s eye imagery that will be unique to your business, here are six reasons to hire us for all Toronto Drone Photography Services in 2018:

1. Architectural Photography and Visualization

Our smooth cinematic high-resolution imagery allows architects, technologists, and CAD designers to depict a new building in conceptual drawings or CAD renderings accurately. With the number of high-rise condos in Toronto, images of rooftops, balconies and terraces can be easily obtained using our AR drone.

2. Property Development

For property developers with hundreds of acres of land in their portfolio, obtaining imagery of the property would be pricey if they were to hire a photographer specializing in aerial photography, not to mention a pilot and the rental cost of the plane. With a UAV, costs can be cut and obtaining a higher number of digital images within a shorter amount of time significantly brings operating costs down.

3. Advertising

Catch the attention of your customers with stunning visuals taken from angles never seen before. Boat excursions on Lake Ontario to vineyards in the Niagara region, any tourist attraction, can benefit from the breathtaking twist on promotional imagery.

4. Media, Film and Creative Projects

Our unmanned aircraft is quiet, yet can capture stabilized imagery from nearly any angle, and from heights as low as 2 feet off the ground to over 1000 feet. Pan and slide over terrain from any altitude to get eye-catching shots to wow your audiences.

5. Special Events

Whether it’s your daughter’s wedding taking place at a country club, or a charity golf tournament, using a drone to record special events from new dimensions can be an invaluable addition a marketing portfolio or to your family’s video album.

6. Documentaries and Promotional Videos

A Nerd’s World has over 20 years of combined professional film experience and looks forward to assisting you in your filming endeavors. From the basics of film footage to more creative advice on scripting and editing, we are more than happy to provide you with our professional consulting services.

Our DJI Phantom 3 Professional allows us to shoot Aerial photographs and videos in locations that would otherwise be difficult or very expensive to access. Knowing that your aerial photography or film project is beings executed by a team of notable Professional Toronto photographers and filmmakers guarantees the result of any project to be creative and innovative. Stay tuned for cuts from our latest Aerial Toronto real estate drone photography project, which we are excited to unveil in the New Year.

Thank you,

Chris A. Hughes

The post Aerial Photography Services in Toronto first appeared on A Nerd's World.