In the early years of his career Bird worked mostly on advertising commissions and portraits of actors, published in magazines such as Tatler and Theatre World. He shared his studios at Kinocrat House, 85, Cromwell Road, London with the photographer Joan Craven. Bird became known for his images of nudes and jointly set up a studio, Photo Centre Ltd., with John Everard and Horace Roye in 1939. He published several books on photography including Eves without Leaves (1940), which proved popular with British troops during the Second World War. On the death of Walter Stoneman in 1958 Bird took over his position as chief photographer for J Russell & Sons, purchasing the business in 1961. Bird superseded Stoneman as the official photographer for the National Photographic Record, initiated by the National Portrait Gallery in 1917 to record important and influential citizens.
He was elected a member of the Royal Photographic Society in 1936, gained his Associateship in 1937 and Fellowship in 1948. He held a one-man show of his work at the Society's house at 16 Princes Gate. He remained a member until his death on 4 March 1969.