Vrun Aditya

Varun Aditya won 1st place in National Geographic's Nature Photographer of the Year in 2016. He is one of the leading wildlife photographers from India. Known for playing with light and his vibrant, unique story-telling compositions, his images have been published regularly on BBC, Apple, National Geographic and more. Passionate about chasing light and weather, he is experienced in photographing subjects in different conditions.

Varun says that wildlife photography still has a long way to go in India. “It’s competitive . Through Facebook and Instagram, I have sold 20 images in Europe and the U.S. but nothing in India. One of my recent images found a place with a jigsaw puzzle maker in Poland. It is an expensive hobby. I took bank loans to buy some expensive lenses.”

He follows photographers on 500px and is a regular at annual photography competitions conducted by Nat Geo, BBC and Sanctuary Asia in India. In 2013, Varun won a Nat Geo competition that gave him an opportunity to travel the rainforests of Costa Rica and Panama. “I was fortunate to travel with Micheal Melford, Nat Geo’s landscape photographer for 40 years, and learnt a bit of photography during the trip. I still remember photographing a plunged dive of pelican balancing myself on a rocking boat. It was challenging.”

For aspiring photographers, he says one has to get out of comfort zone to try something new. “My parents have been very encouraging and I learnt all my life lessons through photography. Trust your camera, weather, light, subject, and yourself.” Though his dream is to win a BBC photo contest, his everyday goal is to compose a good picture. “Though animal portraits are about close-ups, along with the subject, the habitat is important, and the colour composition. I have to be satisfied with my photograph. People should connect with it, approach it from different dimensions and perspectives, and see the story behind it.”