Brendan's Favourite Links
Travel
I suffer from chronic wanderlust. These sites will direct you to some of my favorite travel experiences.
- Global Awareness Through Experience, Mexico and Central America - Directed by Marie Des Jarlais and Cecilia Corcoran, Global Awareness Through Experience (GATE) operates tours of Latin America and Eastern Europe that focus on social justice issues. Not your average tour, you get to meet real people and see life how it is really lived by people in these countries. Ceci, Marie and their collaborators in Mexico and Guatemala have had a profound influence on my worldview. They provide unique opportunities for photography as well.
- Kangaroo Island Health Retreat, Australia - During the summer of 2002 I was fast approaching burn-out. As it happened I had an August business trip scheduled for Australia. Deciding to combine a little R&R with work, I booked into the Kangaroo Island Health Retreat for a week, and it turned my physical and mental health around. Retreat owner and director Sue McCarthy runs a practical, pragmatic and effective program to start on the road to improving your health.
- Achill Island, Ireland - In February and March 1996 I spent 40 days (and 40 nights) on Achill Island (read my Achill Island Essays). Situated on Southern Ireland's west coast, it provided the solitude I needed for my self-led retreat (in February and March that is. During the summer it's a popular holiday destination). Achill Island has inspired generations of artists, writers and poets.
Photography
- Eclipse Photography - Without question the world expert in all things associated with solar eclipses is Fred Espanak, who works for NASA. I had the opportunity of being part of a tour led by him to the 1994 total eclipse of the sun in Bolivia. Fred's website has all the information an avid eclipse observer needs, including instructions on photographing or videotaping an eclipse. For Fred's website, click the link below.
- Fred Miranda - One of my favorite websites for digital photography is fredmiranda.com. Fred provides comprehensive information for anyone using high-end digital cameras, and hosts a gallery of extraordinary digital photos. He also creates and sells programs (actions he calls them) that enhance digital images.
- Canadian Photographic Centre - The Canadian Photographic Centre presents excellent professional photographic courses in the downtown Toronto Studio One photo studios. I have taken over a dozen of their courses. They are taught by first class professional photographers in fully equipped working photo studios. I recommend them very highly.
- Luminous-Landscape - The Luminous-Landscape is the website of internationally recognized landscape photographer Michael Riechmann. It is one of the best sites for up-to-date information on photo gear (especially Canon which is what I use), as well as host to a number of very well written papers by Michael and other well-known photographers.
- OneModelPlace - OneModelPlace is a website that links photographers with models and makeup artists. I maintain a portfolio on the site so that prospective models can check out my work.
Woodworking
Though I don't have time to do very much of it, I enjoy woodworking. I especially enjoy working with hand tools which includes a large variety of planes, chisels, carving tools, clamping devices, marking tools and saws. I dabble in guitar building and get to work with exotic woods such as rosewood, ebony and mahogany.
It's hard to find high quality tools and materials. They're not the kinds of things you find at Sears or Wal-Mart. Here are the places I go to for tools and materials.
- Lee Valley - This is Canada's premier tool store. It sells high quality hand and garden tools. I have most of the tools in its tool catalogue. You can order online or visit any of a number of retail stores across Canada. They have their own line of tools under the "veritas" name.
- Woodcraft - Woodcraft is the United States' equivalent of Lee Valley. For Canadian buyers, they have a few tools not supplied by Lee Valley (probably because of the lack of demand from a smaller Canadian marketplace). An excellent selection of quality hand tools.
- Luthiers Mercantile International - Luthiers Mercantile is in California and has the best catalogue and selection of guitar woods and parts. I'm particularly fond of their "boxed sets" which provides all of the materials needed to make a guitar. They also have an excellent selection of specialty tools for the guitar builder.
- Stewart-MacDonald - Stewart-MacDonald is a guitar supply shop in Athens, Ohio. They don't have much in the way of woods, but have a large selection of guitar part (tuners, fretting materials, hardware, pickups, etc.) and a large selection of specialty guitar building and repair tools. The company caters to luthiers who build and repair guitars of all kinds.