Galway author's new book portrays Irish insects as never seen before
Insects are "the little things that run the world". They pollinate our crops, decompose waste, aerate soil, serve as a primary food source, and keep ecosystems functioning properly, yet they are vanishing at alarming rates.
Insect Portraits, a new book by Galway-based insect photographer and nature enthusiast Lisa Clancy, does not dwell in the despair of that collapse.
In a time when the weight of environmental crises can leave people feeling emotionally exhausted, Insect Portraits serves as a celebration, showcasing the charming and often entertaining side of insects.
Using macro photography and engaging storytelling, this collection brings insects into visual and conceptual focus, hoping to spark admiration and, through admiration, action.
Insect Portraits has been described as a captivating collection of portrait-style photographs that reveal the remarkable 'personalities' of Irish insects. Quirky and fascinating prose accompanies each portrait.
From bomb-sniffing moths to bacteria threatening to feminise entire insect populations, and flies that have lost their ability to hunt yet still need to present a dead insect as a nuptial gift – along with the ingenious, almost comical strategies they've developed to overcome this evolutionary misstep – this collection promises to transform how you see insects, if you’re not already a fan.
Lisa Clancy's achievement in capturing one-of-a-kind photographs that reveal the distinct personality and character of each species is an accomplishment that was as technically challenging as it is visually striking.
"This was not easy," said Lisa. "Posing does not come naturally to insects. And engaging compositions require a subject to be, at minimum, at eye-level with the camera; shot from underneath to truly celebrate the subject.
"Even when I had found a well-positioned subject, high up on long grass, for example, and had contorted myself into the angle needed to achieve a compelling shot, success was still elusive. Many subjects, without warning, would nonchalantly slip off into the grassy abyss and back to obscurity."
What began as an effort to capture their portraits soon evolved, as Clancy discovered that each insect had its own compelling story to tell.
"This was meant to be a book purely about insect photography. Each portrait was supposed to be accompanied by a quick two to three sentences at most.
"Then, by accident, I read about the life cycle of the large blue butterfly. I couldn’t believe what I had read … I became determined to find stories as captivating as this for each of the portraits. With the exception of the plume moth and the snipe fly, who appear to have been relatively overlooked by scientists, no subject let me down."
Published by Mayo Books Press in hardback with a linen binding, this book celebrates the natural world while unveiling the rich, often surprising, and entertaining lives of insects – creatures so easily overlooked.
At a time of devastating biodiversity collapse, it serves as a powerful reminder of the value of these misunderstood beings, nuisance as they can sometimes be, by showcasing their charm and unexpected lighter side.
Westmeath resident Manchán Magan, author of Thirty-Two Words for Field, praised the book, saying: “Each portrait is a moment of communion – between the lens and the leaf-hopper, the moth and the moss. Her images do not just depict insects; they dignify them, offering entry into a world teeming with complexity, humour, and odd, electric grace.”
Insects Portraits is on sale in all good bookshops and online on mayobooks.ie.