In Anand Varma’s hands, a camera is not just a tool to capture what he sees—it’s a way to illuminate the layers of beauty and complexity that are otherwise hidden from view.
Armed with a degree in integrative biology, he has devoted years of his life to developing innovative techniques—even building some of his own equipment—to create intimate, dramatic and surprising images of nature. His ultimate goal is to spark a sense of wonder about our world. Through his work, Anand highlights creatures whose incredible details typically go unseen, and discovers new stories behind the science along the way.
From the secret life cycle of the honeybee to the lightning-fast behaviors of hummingbirds, his images slow down the fast, speed up the slow and magnify the miniature to reveal life at the edge of our perception. He is a National Geographic Explorer and award-winning photographer based in Berkeley, California where he recently launched a science photography studio called WonderLab to invent new ways of visualizing the natural world. His book Invisible Wonders was published by National Geographic in 2023.
