Jonathan Bird
Jonathan Bird is an American cinematographer, photographer, director and television host known for underwater work. He is best known for his role as the host of Jonathan Bird's Blue World, a family-friendly underwater exploration program on public television in the United States.
Underwater photography
Bird learned to scuba dive while in college at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and combined his interest in photography with diving. His first underwater photographs were made in the waters of Massachusetts. He worked as an electrical engineer for several years until leaving his position to pursue underwater photography full-time in 1993. He became a freelance underwater photographer, working for magazines including Sport Diver and Skin Diver. His first book, Beneath the North Atlantic, a collection of his favorite images from the waters of New England, was published in 1997 by Tide-mark Press. He is the author of 7 books and his images have appeared in nature publications including National Geographic, National Wildlife and BBC Wildlife.Cinematography
Bird formed Oceanic Research Group, Inc. in 1991 to produce educational ocean-related materials. Oceanic Research Group became a 501 non-profit organization in 1993. Oceanic Research Group's first underwater film was produced in 1992 for the educational market and was distributed by AIMS Media, which has since been acquired by Discovery Education. Bird and Oceanic Research Group have made 13 educational films for use in schools about ocean topics since then, the most recent being Sharks: Predators with a Purpose in 2007.His first television film, Sharks: The Real Story, co-produced with longtime collaborator Art Cohen, was completed in 1995 and aired on PBS. Bird is fond of sharks as a subject matter and has made 5 films about sharks. In 2005, Bird completed his first film for National Geographic Channel, called Sharks: Deep Trouble. His broadcast work has earned Bird 9 Emmy awards and 2 CINE Golden Eagle awards. He cites Howard Hall as a major influence in his cinematography. He directed the IMAX film Ancient Caves, distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films, in 2020. He subsequently collaborated with Howard and Michele Hall on the 2022 IMAX film Secrets of the Sea.