Scott Andrew Bird
Writer, Photographer & Fitness Enthusiast
Articles and Blogs
I write regularly for a number of sites; on a variety of cooking, environmental and strength-training topics. Here's just a sample :
Blogs
I write for a number of blogs on a regular basis (primarily on environmental and fitness topics), as well as providing ad-hoc articles to many others. A few of my favourite pieces are :
- The Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food (part I, II)
- Saving Water (part I, II, III, IV, V, VI)
- Inspiring Transformations
- What to look for when buying fish
- Making the most of Libraries and Family Tree Research Centres
- Getting your first kettlebell
In addition to these, I'm the editor of (and regular contributor to) :
and many forums, boards and social networks.
eBooks
I've written several ebooks, most of them elaborating topics which are mentioned on Straight to the Bar. These include :
- Buying your first kettlebell (a revised version of the article I wrote for Harrow Drive, reprinted with permission)
- 10 Essential Conditioning Tools
- How to paint a kettlebell
Newsletters & Communities
I also contribute to a number of Newsletters and Community Sites, such as :
The Strength & Fitness Newsletter
This is the official newsletter for Straight to the Bar, and is delivered (via email) once per week (Mondays). You'll find details and the signup form here.
The Straight to the Bar Daily
As the name suggests, this one comes out every day and is a gathering of the various things being discussed by the strength-training community : Trainers, Coaches and people who simply enjoy spending a bit of time with the iron.
The Better Sleep Nightly
Again, this is a daily gathering of news, information and discussions regarding my favourite strength-training recovery method : sleep. If you'd like to improve yours, grab this.
The Straight to the Bar Community on Google+
This is a fantastic place to discuss the research you're reading, equipment you're using, techniques you're using and a whole lot more. If strength-training is your thing, come and join us.
The Gymchats
Finally, I help write questions for the Gymchats. Fantastic discussions - absolutely love them.
For the uninitiated, a brief description :
The Gymchats are discussions on various aspects of strength-training, held weekly (typically for an hour). A mix of an interview and an open conversation around a particular topic, they're moderated by Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine.
To get an idea of what I mean, here are a few examples :
If you'd like to be interviewed in an upcoming Gymchat, just drop Kirk a line. He'll help work out a date/time that suits you both.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, I love writing. Feel free to check out any of the pieces above, and drop me a line here. Look forward to hearing from you.
images of sydney
To give you an idea of the types of things I photograph, here are a few images I've captured nearby (Sydney, Australia). As you can see, it's a beautiful place.
For the full gallery, swing by SmugMug.
watching
I've listened to and watched a number of podcasts over the years, covering a great range of topics. One of my favourites is Ted Forbes' 'The Art of Photography' - wonderful show.
To give you an idea :
Other Podcasts I Like :
Over to you : what are you watching/listening to these days?
keywords
I photograph a number of Australia's heritage sites - particularly those covering the first century or so of European occupation. To get an idea of the exact locations & names covered, head over to the Keywords page on my SmugMug site.
community
I use Twitter quite a lot myself, both to research (and share) my own work and to see what everyone else is doing. If you tweet a lot about Photography, Creativity or Australian Heritage, let me know.
Tweets from https://twitter.com/scottbird/lists/australian-heritage
research
I frequently use a number of history-related sites to research the various sites I photograph, and to share discoveries with. Of particular note :
- ABC radio national hindsight
- australian screen online (@australiascreen)
- blue mountains history blog
- city of sydney history & archives (@cityofsydney)
- inside history magazine (@InsideHistory)
- dictionary of sydney (@dictionaryofsyd)
- engineering heritage register (@EngAustralia)
- glebe society (@glebesociety)
- granville historical society (@granhistorical)
- historical atlas of sydney
- historypin (@historypin)
- leichhardt local history blog
- national library of australia (@nlagovau)
- newtown project
- nsw state records (@srnsw)
- police & justice museum
- state library of nsw (@statelibrarynsw)
- sydney architecture (@archipaedia)
- sydney culture walks app
- sydney - city and suburbs
- screen australia
- sydney sidetracks
- trove (@troveaustralia)
- speakers corner
- sydney observatory (@sydneyobs)
- And on flickr : powerhouse flickr, slnsw and nsw state records
recommended
This is the main photo-sharing service I use, and is easily my favourite (full review here). Whether you're looking to purchase prints, check out my portfolio or set up your own site, SmugMug's ideal.
This is a large collection of downloadable books & courses (think of it as an online shopping mall), and I use it frequently. Each time a friend of mine asks what I think of their new offering, or someone points me to a specific book/course I might find interesting.
(And if you'd like to do that yourself, drop me a line).
Although it's primarily a way to enjoy your iTunes library on a big screen (think movies on your TV), it's also a great way to share your photos with friends and family. You can either show the photos (again, on your TV) that are stored on a Macbook/iPhone/iPad, or view the ones stored in Photos.
Either way, it's a beautiful way to share them.