Step into the wild with Aishwarya Sridhar—award-winning filmmaker, wildlife photographer, and conservation storyteller—in this deeply personal episode of the AART Podcast with Chris Stafford. In this intimate conversation, Aishwarya opens up about her emotional and artistic journey—how nature became both her muse and mission. From capturing elusive creatures to navigating unpredictable landscapes, she shares how visual storytelling can change minds, heal hearts, and reconnect us to the untamed world. Discover her path to becoming a National Geographic Explorer, her creative philosophy behind wildlife filmmaking, the challenges of documenting endangered species, and the quiet spiritual lessons nature continues to reveal. Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker, photographer, conservationist, or lover of wild spaces, this episode invites you to slow down, look deeper, and explore the intersection of art, purpose, and wilderness.

🔎 Keywords
Aishwarya Sridhar, Aishwarya Sridhar interview, wildlife filmmaker, wildlife photography, conservation photography, National Geographic Explorer, wildlife artist, nature storytelling, nature photographer, documentary filmmaking, creative journey, Indian wildlife artist, environmental storytelling, art and nature, filmmaking podcast, photography podcast, AART podcast, Chris Stafford interview

BIO
National Geographic explorer and award-winning wildlife film-maker, photographer, presenter, and founder of Bambee Studios, Aishwarya Sridhar. Aishwarya was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India in 1997, the only child to parents Sridhar Ranganathan and Rani Sridhar. Her father is a chartered accountant and her mother an advertising professional. Both her parents help Aishwarya with the business aspects of her film studio and have been instrumental in introducing her to wildlife and conservation from an early age. She has always been passionate about protecting the natural environment, climate change and the impact on India’s wildlife. Although career pathways for women in filmmaking in India are limited, Aishwarya created her own opportunities beginning in college at Pillai College of Arts, Science and Commerce where she studied Mass Media. Her first two films were picked up by DD National and National Geographic WILD respectively, and it wasn’t long before the awards came her way for her conservation work, including the Sanctuary Asia Young Naturalist Award,,which she won at age 15, The Princess Diana Award for Young Change Makers aged 9-25, the Woman Icon Award, and the International Inspirational Women's Award. In 2020, she became the first Indian woman to win at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award.  Aishwarya also became the youngest conservation storyteller from India to join the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) as an Emerging League Fellow. Her work has been telecast on leading networks like National Geographic WILD, Discovery, Arte, KBS, NHK, Love Nature and BBC Earth and her images have been published worldwide in newspapers and magazines, such as BBC Wildlife, The Guardian, and Times of India. Aishwarya is currently working on.a documentary about a leopard, Rana, in the Jhalana Leopard Reserve.
 
Aishwarya's website: https://www.aishwaryasridhar.com/
Instagram: Chikoo_wild https://www.instagram.com/chikoo_wild/

Ash’s Playlist:
Taylor Swift
Michael Jackson
Hindi Bollywood Soundtracks 
 
Ash’s favorite female artists:
Beverly Joubert
Shannon Wild
Vanessa Berlowitz
Rathika Ramaswamy
Alia Bhatt
Priyanka Chopra
Kartiki Gonsalves
Guneet Monga 

Host: Chris Stafford
Produced by Hollowell Studios
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