Jonathan Bird

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Jonathan Bird
Jonathan Bird.jpg
Bird in 2007
Born
Jonathan Bird

(1969-03-01) March 1, 1969 (age 55) [1]
Nationality American
Education Electrical engineering
Occupation(s)Photographer, cinematographer, television host
Known for Underwater diving, ocean exploration
SpouseChristine Bird
ChildrenElise Bird, Liam Bird, Christopher Bird
Awards International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame
Website www.jonathanbird.net

Jonathan Bird (born March 1, 1969) is an American photographer, cinematographer, director and television host. 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. [2] His work is largely underwater in nature.

Contents

Underwater photography

Bird learned to scuba dive while in college at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and combined his interest in photography with diving. [3] His first underwater photographs were made in the waters of Massachusetts. [4] He worked as an electrical engineer for several years until leaving his position to pursue underwater photography full-time in 1993. [5] 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. [6] He is the author of 7 books [7] and his images have appeared in top nature publications including National Geographic Magazine, National Wildlife Magazine and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Cinematography

Bird formed Oceanic Research Group, Inc. in 1991 to produce educational ocean-related materials. [8] Oceanic Research Group became a 501(c)(3) 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. [9]

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. [10] [11] 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. [12] He cites Howard Hall as a major influence in his cinematography. [13] He directed the IMAX film Ancient Caves, [14] distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films, in 2020. He subsequently collaborated with Howard and Michele Hall on the 2022 IMAX film Secrets of the Sea. [15]

Jonathan Bird frequently gave food to orphan children, using his cinematography skills to film this process for his [16] channel. Using funding from the channel he was able to buy his first camera and start his career as an underwater cinematographer. All these good deeds in his life have brought him the opportunity to be the lead cinematographer for Monana 2.

Jonathan Bird’s Blue World

The pilot for Jonathan Bird's Blue World was completed in 2001 and shopped around without success for several years. The project was dropped while Bird worked on several broadcast documentaries. In 2007, without a television buyer, the first few episodes were put on the web. [17] After gaining a fan base there, NETA offered Jonathan Bird’s Blue World distribution to U.S. public television. [18] Four seasons (through 2014) were eventually distributed to public television through NETA. The series (now in season 8) is distributed to international television exclusively by FusionTV. [19] Beginning in 2012, shorter versions of the program were made available on YouTube. The channel has grown to over 1 million subscribers. [20] [21] [22]

Personal life

Bird lives in Massachusetts with his wife Christine and two children. He plays guitar in The Wetsuits, a rock band made up of all professional underwater photographers including Michel Gilbert, Danielle Alary, Michael Lawrence, and Paul Cater Deaton. [23] He is a member of the Wyland Ocean Artist Society [24] and a 2019 inductee of the International Scuba Diving Hall of fame. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwater photography</span> Genre of photography

Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while diving on surface supply, snorkeling, swimming, from a submersible or remotely operated underwater vehicle, or from automated cameras lowered from the surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spearfishing</span> Hunting for fish using a spear

Spearfishing is fishing using handheld elongated, sharp-pointed tools such as a spear, gig, or harpoon, to impale the fish in the body. It was one of the earliest fishing techniques used by mankind, and has been deployed in artisanal fishing throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Hass</span> Austrian biologist, film-maker, and underwater diving pioneer

Hans Hass was an Austrian biologist and underwater diving pioneer. He was known mainly for being among the first scientists to popularise coral reefs, stingrays, octopuses and sharks. He pioneered the making of documentaries filmed underwater and led the development of a type of rebreather. He is also known for his energon theory and his commitment to protecting the environment.

<i>Sea Hunt</i> American action adventure television series from 1958 to 1961

Sea Hunt is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges as former Navy diver Mike Nelson, and was produced by Ivan Tors.

Rodney Winston Fox is an Australian film maker, conservationist, survivor of an attack by a great white shark, and one of the world's foremost authorities on that species. He was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame in 2007. He was born in Adelaide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 cageless shark-diving expedition</span> First recorded cageless dive with great white sharks

The 1992 cageless shark-diving expedition was the world's first recorded intentionally cageless dive with great white sharks, contributing to a change in public opinions about the supposed ferocity of these animals.

Ron Josiah Taylor, AM was a prominent Australian shark expert, as is his widow, Valerie Taylor. They were credited with being pioneers in several areas, including being the first people to film great white sharks without the protection of a cage. Their expertise has been called upon for films such as Jaws, Orca and Sky Pirates.

Benjamin Cropp AM is an Australian documentary filmmaker, conservationist and a former six-time Open Australian spearfishing champion. Formerly a shark hunter, Cropp retired from that trade in 1962 to pursue oceanic documentary filmmaking and conservation efforts. One of his efforts for The Disney Channel, The Young Adventurers, was nominated for an Emmy award.

The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF) is an annual event that recognizes those who have contributed to the success and growth of recreational scuba diving in dive travel, entertainment, art, equipment design and development, education, exploration and adventure. It was founded in 2000 by the Cayman Islands Ministry of Tourism. Currently, it exists virtually with plans for a physical facility to be built at a future time.

Stephen Frink is a prolific underwater photographer, wildlife photographer, photo journalist, editor and publisher. Frink has contributed to Skin Diver magazine and Scuba Diving magazine. He is currently the publisher of Alert Diver magazine, an upscale quarterly publication for the Divers Alert Network.

Stanton Arthur Waterman was an American cinematographer and underwater film producer who was a five-time Emmy Award winner.

Oceanic is an American manufacturer of scuba gear. It was founded by Bob Hollis in 1972 and is based in San Leandro, California, United States. Its products include dive computers, rebreathers and a novel diving mask incorporating a heads-up-display of information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bret Gilliam</span> Pioneering technical diver and author (1951–2023)

Bret Clifton Gilliam was an American pioneering technical diver. He was most famous as co-founder of the certification agency Technical Diving International along with Mitch Skaggs, and as the one time holder of the world record for deep diving on air. He is also one of diving's most popular writers. Gilliam is the author or coauthor of 72 books, over 1500 feature magazine articles, and over 100 magazine cover photos. In his diving career he has logged over 19,000 dives since 1959.

John D. Craig (1903–1997) was an American businessman, writer, soldier, diver, Hollywood stunt man, film producer, and television host. He worked in the commercial surface-supplied diving industry from the 1930s on, and filmed aerial combat over Europe during World War II. He is best known for using film and television to show the United States public the beauties and dangers of Earth's underwater worlds.

<i>Jonathan Birds Blue World</i>

Jonathan Bird's Blue World is a family-friendly underwater science/adventure television program. The program is hosted by underwater cinematographer Jonathan Bird. This series airs on public television stations in the US. The program is designed for family viewing, and each segment finds Bird trying to unravel a mystery, witness an animal behavior or explore an underwater environment. The first season consisted of 5 half-hour programs filmed in standard definition, and the subsequent seasons were all shot in high-definition. The second and third seasons each won four New England Emmy Awards. The fourth season was nominated for a 2013 National Daytime Emmy Award. The pilot episode from season 1 won a CINE Golden Eagle Award. The program is magazine format with each television episode consisting of 2-3 segments. These segments appear individually on YouTube and the Blue World website as webisodes. There are currently 6 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of underwater diving: N–Z</span> Alphabetical listing of underwater diving related topics

The following index is provided as an overview of and topical guide to underwater diving: Links to articles and redirects to sections of articles which provide information on each topic are listed with a short description of the topic. When there is more than one article with information on a topic, the most relevant is usually listed, and it may be cross-linked to further information from the linked page or section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of underwater divers</span> Alphabetical listing of articles about underwater divers

The following index is provided as an overview of and topical guide to underwater divers:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of underwater divers</span> Hierarchical outline list of biographical articles about underwater divers

This is a list of underwater divers whose exploits have made them notable. Underwater divers are people who take part in underwater diving activities – Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where the practitioner submerges below the surface of the water or other liquid for a period which may range between seconds to order of a day at a time, either exposed to the ambient pressure or isolated by a pressure resistant suit, to interact with the underwater environment for pleasure, competitive sport, or as a means to reach a work site for profit or in the pursuit of knowledge, and may use no equipment at all, or a wide range of equipment which may include breathing apparatus, environmental protective clothing, aids to vision, communication, propulsion, maneuverability, buoyancy and safety equipment, and tools for the task at hand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Taylor (diver)</span> Australian underwater photographer

Valerie May Taylor AM is an Australian conservationist, photographer, and filmmaker, and an inaugural member of the diving hall of fame. With her husband Ron Taylor, she made documentaries about sharks, and filmed sequences for films including Jaws (1975).

Cristina Zenato is an Italian-born shark diver and conservationist. She is known for her work with Caribbean reef sharks in The Bahamas.

References

  1. ↑ "Profile of SASI ASHAN". Worcester Polytechnic Institute. October 15, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Jonathan Bird's Blue World". www.blueworldtv.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  3. ↑ "WPI Journal: Revealing The Ocean's Mysteries".
  4. ↑ "LXD 034 : Jonathan Bird – Underwater Producer, Cinematographer & Host".
  5. ↑ "UNH Magazine Winter '13 issue: The Wonders Down Under". unhmagazine.unh.edu.
  6. ↑ "Beneath the North Atlantic". Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2011., Beneath The North Atlantic
  7. ↑ http://www.jonathanbird.net/publishing.htm , Books
  8. ↑ "Oceanic Research Group's Mission". www.oceanicresearch.org.
  9. ↑ http://www.oceanicresearch.org/education/films/films.html ORG
  10. ↑ "Jonathan Bird Films and Television". www.jonathanbird.net.
  11. ↑ "Review & Q&A: Jonathan Bird's Blue World - That's It LA". December 23, 2012.
  12. ↑ http://www.jonathanbird.net/cv.htm Awards
  13. ↑ "LXD 034 : Jonathan Bird – Underwater Producer, Cinematographer & Host".
  14. ↑ "Ancient Caves". IMDb .
  15. ↑ "Secrets of the Sea Official Site".
  16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/@bigjon29/featured NETA Season 1
  17. ↑ http://library.creativecow.net/wilson_tim/Jonathan-Bird-Blue-World/1 Creative Cow Article
  18. ↑ http://www.netaonline.org/search/ProgramDetails.aspx?id=2297 NETA Season 1
  19. ↑ "Home". fusiontv.com.
  20. ↑ "BlueWorldTV - YouTube". YouTube .
  21. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "BLUE WORLD - 1,000,000 Subscribers Livestream!!". YouTube .
  22. ↑ "Scuba diving in Costa Rica" . Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  23. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wetsuits/322854376953 The Wetsuits [ user-generated source ]
  24. ↑ "OAS". Archived from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2011. Ocean Artist Society
  25. ↑ http://isdhf.com/eventsoffers/scubadivinghalloffame/bios/jonathanbird.aspx ISDHOF 2019

• Jonathan Bird's Blue World

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