Anand Varma's First Student Speaker Series Event at the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center: Unlocking Nature's Hidden Beauty

Vital Impacts is excited to announce our upcoming Student Speaker Series event hosted by Anand Varma,  professional innovator and a biologist-turned-photographer.

Anand Varma is a master of  “slow looking.” Behind his lens, time slows down. His work reveals minute yet striking details that go unseen by the naked eye. Anand recalls a childhood of exploring the woods behind his family’s home in Atlanta, Georgia, turning over rocks and peeking behind fallen trees. His fascination with the natural world carried on to adulthood where he began a degree in Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley where bringing a camera into the lab proved an exciting way to share his scientific discoveries with others.

Anand often finds his work crossing over into impressive engineering feats. Photographing hummingbirds in a wind tunnel? No problem! Zombie parasites controlling their host? Can do. He builds elaborate setups and uses custom equipment to get exactly the shot he wants, from wind tunnels to black lights, netting, tanks, and even everyday household items! Anand pushes technological boundaries in photography and collaborates with scientist experts to reveal the incredible detail in the everyday world and to inspire us to stay curious about nature.

In his upcoming event, Anand Varma will help students to unlock the mysteries of nature through cutting-edge photography techniques. Varma captures the invisible behaviors of the natural world, beyond our naked eye. From the life cycle of a honeybee to the lightning-fast hummingbird, his images and videos will reveal to his audience the hidden worlds that exist just beyond our perception. In highlighting engaging and experienced photographers like Varma, Vital Impacts helps students envision career paths that combine the arts and conservation. 

Anand Varma will be speaking at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks, California at 11AM on October 27th, 2023. If you are not a student invited to the event, you can catch Anand at the all-ages show that evening, October 27, 2023 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available through the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center.