What We Do
A compelling photograph can change us. It can challenge assumptions, make room for new ideas and expand our curiosity.
This is what motivated National Geographic Explorer and renowned photographer Anand Varma to create WonderLab, a one-of-a-kind storytelling studio based in Berkeley, California, where he develops innovative photography and videography techniques that push the boundaries of how we understand the wonders of our world.
I see wonder as a doorway into exploring and valuing the complexity of our world.
Expert Storytelling
From the lifecycle of a jellyfish to the inside of a chicken egg, Varma is combining science and storytelling to capture images and videos that showcase beauty and complexity often invisible to the naked eye.
Revealing the Invisible World
In his studio, Varma develops breakthrough photography and filmmaking techniques that capture the natural wonders of the world often invisible to the naked eye.
Classroom Resources
Education and Mentorship
WonderLab serves as an incubator for ideas and talent by offering mentorship and education opportunities for aspiring scientists and storytellers.
Learning Resources
WonderLab Learning Resources, a digital collection of educational resources inspired by Varma’s work, invites educators and youth “to slow down and look for those mysteries hiding in plain sight.” The resources aim to cultivate the Explorer mindset and spark curiosity within the next generation.
Video Series
I Wonder
In order to inspire wonder and curiosity about the world in young minds, the video series “I Wonder” follows Varma on his journey to develop a new way of documenting a fascinating scientific phenomenon: the life cycle of cephalopods such as bobtail squid and flamboyant cuttlefish.
Capturing a Hummingbird Mid-Flight
Discover how National Geographic Explorer Anand Varma used a high-speed camera to capture a hummingbird flight in unprecedented detail.
Behind the Wonder
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: to spark a sense of wonder about our world. Through his work, Varma 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.
