Varley spent time in Northern Ireland during the Northern Ireland civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s, famously taking the photo of a church's cross surrounded by barbed wire. He also was one of the first British photographers on the ground in Nigeria during the Biafra civil war. He took photos of children during the conflict, which were commonly used in Britain when referring to the conflict. He also attended The Beatles concerts, where he took professional photographs.