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…
Read MoreThe Art of Deception – part 2
In The Art of Deception – part 1 I showcased some of the insects and spiders that use camouflage to avoid detection by predator and prey alike. This time it’s the turn of the real liars – the creatures that steal the identity of others for their own gain. These are the mimics that I find truly…
Read MoreThe Art of Deception – part 1
The invertebrate world is a dangerous place. It is a lawless world where life is cheap and where no creature can ever claim to be the true master. During the many years I have spent delving into the macro world, I have seen things that have made a mockery of my pre-conceived ideas about predators…
Read MoreMain Range National Park
If you ever decide to take a drive along the Cunningham Highway in southeast Queensland, whether it be travelling from Warwick to Brisbane or vice versa, there is an obstacle that must be negotiated along the way. Approximately 50 kilometers northeast of Warwick, forest-clad mountains rise sharply above the surrounding farmland and there is only…
Read MoreTaming 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…
Read MoreNature’s Jewellery Box
When I dropped in at Girraween National Park in October, 2014, I knew immediately that my two days there weren’t going to be enough, so when I headed north again in late October the following year, I booked five nights at the Murray Gardens Motel in Stanthorpe to give myself three full days to delve deeper…
Read MoreInterview with the ABC
During a trip to southeast Queensland in October and November this year, I had the pleasure and the honour of being interviewed by Jon Coghill, a journalist with the ABC. We met up at Mapleton Falls National Park along with a good friend of mine and fellow macro enthusiast, Deb Yarrow (www.aussiebugs.com.au), and spent the…
Read MoreMagical Moths
I think it’s fair to say I underestimated moths. Like many other people, I really didn’t pay too much attention to them in the past and assumed they were mostly dull grey or brown creatures that hung around lights at night and disappeared during the day. It wasn’t until I started my journey into the…
Read MoreA Feast For The Eyes – Jewel Beetles
As much as I try not to play favourites with any one group of insects, I must admit I have a particular fondness for Jewel Beetles. Any time I go out on a hunt with the camera, especially if I’m going to an area where there is an abundance of flowering plants, I always hope to see some…
Read MoreAmbush Artists – Crab Spiders
There’s no doubting the invertebrate world is a dangerous place in which to live. It seems that for every creature, there is another creature that wants to eat it and the end can come from any direction, which is why many insects and spiders look and behave the way they do. Some are built for a quick…
Read MoreHidden Wonders – Pilliga Nature Reserve
One of things I love the most about nature photography is the surprises. There always seems to be something new and often unexpected and at times it feels almost like a treasure hunt, except I usually have no idea where the treasure is and what it might be. In October and November, 2014, I went…
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