Student Speaker Series Educator Resources: Anand Varma
Photo by Vijay Varma
Anand Varma practices “slow looking” behind the lens of his camera. He takes the time to stop and look carefully at nature, revealing the incredible details the naked eye can’t easily perceive. He’s documented the first few days of baby bees’ lives, built incredible custom setups to record the biomechanics of how hummingbirds fly, trekked through the Mexican rainforest to film a colony of bats roosting in a Mayan temple, and more.
Visit Anand’s website to learn more about him and see some of his amazing photographs.
Learn even more about Anand at Changemaker Talent.
Anand’s newest book, National Geographic Invisible Wonders, showcases some of his spectacular photographs of objects we cannot see with the naked eye.
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Background Information
These resources have been compiled as a companion to the Vital Impacts Student Speaker Series Educator Resources here. Click here to download the full educator resources packet.
Articles and Books
Zimmer, Carl. “Mindsuckers.” National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Society, Nov. 2014, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/mindsuckers. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Mann, Charles C. “Quest for a Superbee.” National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Society, May 2015, www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/breeding-honeybees-science-saving-pollinators. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Borrell, Brendan. “Unlocking the Secrets behind the Hummingbird’s Frenzy.” National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Society, Jul 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/hummingbird-secrets-speed-worlds-smallest-bird. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Goldberg, Susan. “How to Capture a Hummingbird Mid-Flight.” National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Society, Jul. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/editors-note-photography-technology-hummingbirds. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Films and Video
Varma, Anand. “Science Photographer: Anand Varma | Best Job Ever.” YouTube, uploaded by NatGeoKids, 13 Dec. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibZqyNwP8G0. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Run time: ~2 minutes
Varma, Anand. “Getting the Pictures | Mindsuckers.” YouTube, uploaded by National Geographic, 31 Oct. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6tLbyjQGUs&t=3s. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Run time: ~3 minutes
Jaacks, Jason. “In Search of Tzotz.” DCEFF, 2017, https://dceff.org/film/in-search-of-tzotz. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Run time: 9 minutes
Varma, Anand. “Capturing a Carnivorous Bat on Camera | National Geographic.” YouTube, uploaded by National Geographic, 2 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8QhY_0H99g. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Run time: ~3 minutes
Varma, Anand. “The First 21 Days of a Bee’s Life.” Anand Varma: The First 21 Days of a Bee’s Life | TED Talk, www.ted.com/talks/anand_varma_the_first_21_days_of_a_bee_s_life. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Run time: 6 minutes
Varma, Anand. “Photographing the Real Life of Bees | National Geographic.” YouTube, uploaded by National Geographic, 1 Feb. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSDZDY6cNDg. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Run time: ~4 minutes
Varma, Anand. “What It Takes to Film Hummingbirds in Slow Motion | National Geographic.” YouTube, uploaded by National Geographic, 28 July 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KOxZtLxdK4&t=38s. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Run time: ~2 minutes
Websites
“Pollinators: Pollinator populations across the United States are declining, and everyone can help.” US Fish and Wildlife Services, www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
“Cornell Lab of Ornithology-Home.” Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2023, www.birds.cornell.edu/home/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
“Bat Conservation International / Ending Bat Extinctions Worldwide.” Bat Conservation International, 4 Oct. 2023, www.batcon.org. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Home - Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants. 2023, www.exploringbytheseat.com. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Global Biodiversity Festival Year 4, Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, 30 Aug. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwKFsJZmdxpFfbyVWQ0_gCyWoXhGAqY3a.
Global Biodiversity Festival Year 3, Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, 24 July. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwKFsJZmdxpGryUYol9hbrpGZZmBhbO3G.
Global Biodiversity Festival Year 2, Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, 20 July. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwKFsJZmdxpEhK9d-PHhHQqQgdM-2Xay0.
Global Biodiversity Festival Year 1, Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, 24 July. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwKFsJZmdxpGLflfxa9I5lXsmBoDeRMD0.
Varma, Anand. “Anand Varma | Exploring the Hidden Wonders of Our World.” YouTube, uploaded by Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants, 28 May. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uodv5BAGOmo. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Medellin, Rodrigo. “Rodrigo Medellin | Why Bats Matter: The Goods and Benefits of Having Bats in Our Lives.” YouTube, uploaded by Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants, 26 May 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAKyMa3doT0. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
Activities
“WonderLab Learning Resources.” National Geographic Education, National Geographic Society, https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/wonderlab-learning-resources. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
“Old Time Portraits of Parasites.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institution, 25 July 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/old-time-portraits-parasites. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
“Parasites.” Anand Varma Photography, www.varmaphoto.com/parasites?. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
“Night of the Living Detritus - Teacher Guide for Classroom Storyline Use.” Google Docs, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H4W22chXa9Z6m2yWPYnlyKHXDobgToc3mNzx4mPD3bs/edit#heading=h.nj23sjpj5u97. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
“Tyto Online.” Tyto Online, www.tytoonline.com. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
“Flowers Seeking Pollinators.” California Academy of Sciences, www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/flowers-seeking-pollinators. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
“Webinar: Spooky Collections and Spectacular Bat Adaptations!” Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, https://s.si.edu/45qJlub. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Interpreting Anand's photos. Download a pdf of Anand Varma's photographs to discuss using the questions found in the Vital Impacts Educator Resources for Anand Varma.
Read and Discuss
Lee, Jane. "Catching Zombies in the Act: How to Picture Parasites." National Geographic, 31 Oct. 2014, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/catching-zombies-in-the-act-how-to-picture-parasites.