As chronicled in Part 1, the Java Post Aerial Photography crew has been spending the past several months using virtual reality (VR) to document the on-going construction of several new public schools being built in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

When last we left you, our shooting had taken us into winter and we were experiencing a challenge keeping the batteries warm in our cluster of six GoPro VR cameras. The very cold temperatures were severely limiting the battery life in the cameras which, in turn, was limiting the time we could spend flying and shooting.

So...how could we overcome that chilly challenge? Time for a little Java Post ingenuity!

It starts by purchasing a 10 dollar faux-fur-lined hat from a local second-hand store and some of those chemical "hot shot" hand warmers. You put the cluster of six GoPro VR cameras and the hand warmers inside the hat.

Then, using zip-ties and a strip of orange Velcro, you create "belt loops" and a "belt" to keep your "camera cozy" securely attached to the camera cluster until it's time to launch your drone. By the way, you don't have to use orange Velcro. Any colour Velcro will do.

Here we see our UAV tech/camera operator/secondary pilot Trevor Bennett on location, removing the camera cozy in preparation for launch.

A good view of the cluster of six GoPro VR cameras and the chemical hand warmers used to keep the cameras toasty warm between flights.

Once the camera cozy has been removed, you want to launch ASAP to minimize the time the cameras are exposed to the cold. Remember, it gets a lot colder on the cameras (and their batteries) when your UAV is flying around and being exposed to a lot of icy cold wind.

And now we're ready for take off at the school construction site. The ever-ingenious Java Post Aerial Photography crew has quickly "MacGyver-ed" a hot solution to a freezing problem and our virtual reality shooting of new school construction sites around Regina can continue.

Now if only we can find a way to keep our crew just as warm and toasty as our camera batteries. We're going to need bigger fur-lined hats and a lot more hand-warmers!

To see some examples of the work done by Java Post Aerial Photography, CLICK HERE.