Taming the light

The biggest challenge I have faced since I first pointed my camera at an insect is getting the lighting right. It has been an ongoing battle for the past 10 years and I am still yet to taste complete victory, but through a lot of trial and error and a great deal of patience, I…

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Welcome to lifeunseen.com

My name is Nick Monaghan. I have been fascinated by insects, spiders and other invertebrates for as long as I can remember and I have been a keen photographer for more than 25 years, so it seemed only natural that I would one day combine the two passions and begin learning the art of macro photography. On the 25th of…

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What’s in the bag?

Above photo courtesy of Rowan Bestmann (http://bestmannimagery.com/) It doesn’t sound too difficult to grab a camera and head off into the bush to photograph insects, but even a short trip to the local park can soon turn sour if you’re not prepared. I’m not necessarily talking about doomsday stuff like twisting an ankle and falling…

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The Mighty MP-E

One of my chief aims in macro photography has been to get closer to my subjects to highlight the extraordinary beauty and complexity of Australia’s invertebrate wildlife, but budget can play a big part in the gear one chooses. When I first started, it was just a fixed-lens camera with a macro setting and a…

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