Gold nanorods (AuNRs) have shown great potential as bio-compatible imaging probes in various biological applications. Probing nanomaterials in live cells is essential to reveal the interaction between them. In this study, we used a transient absorption microscope to selectively image AuNRs in live cells. The transient absorption signals were monitored through lock-in amplification. This provides a new way of observing AuNRs with no interference from background autofluorescence.