Bertie Gregory on Wildlife Cinematography: Knowledge of the Animal Is Most Important

A young male polar bear waits for the sea ice to return in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, in Manitoba, on Oct. 27, 2020. Gloria Dickie/Reuters

At just 28, Bertie Gregory has emerged as a top wildlife filmmaker. But his career didn’t come out of nowhere: Years before he was traveling the world, documenting everything from jaguars to polar bears, he was already capturing footage of the nature that was nearest to him.

“As a 13- or 14-year-old, instead of going to football practice or whatever, I would sneak off and jump in the river and try to get close to swans,” Gregory said. “That was a bit odd.”