Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #4979: This is a finescale triggerfish. They can swim forward, backward, or hover by rippling their dorsal and anal fins. They have 8 strong teeth in each jaw, allowing them to crush sea urchins, crustaceans, and mollusks. Their teeth grow throughout their lives, requiring them to chew hard materials to keep them filed down. (Photographed last month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4979: This is a finescale triggerfish. They can swim forward, backward, or hover by rippling their dorsal and anal fins. They have 8 strong teeth in each jaw, allowing them to crush sea urchins, crustaceans, and mollusks. . .

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#photography #oceans

I never expected to see snakes on the Galapagos Islands. In fact, one book I read before the trip said the islands had a few small snakes but seeing them was extremely rare. As I’ve learned during my travels, I seldom find snakes when looking for them and often find them when I’m not. Consequently, I found this Galapagos racer on my first island hike.

I never expected to see snakes on the Galapagos Islands. In fact, one book I read before the trip said the islands had a few small snakes but seeing them was extremely rare. As I’ve learned during my travels, I seldom find snakes when . . .

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#photography #nature #herps

Marty’s photo of the day #4978: The Galapagos Islands reminded me of my visit to Antarctica, because the wildlife of both places have no fear of humans. I was sitting on a beach when this yellow warbler approached within inches of me.

#photography #birds #nature #wildlife

This photo is only possible in the Galapagos Islands: a brown pelican, next to Galapagos penguins, next to Sally Lightfoot crabs.

#photography #nature

Marty’s photo of the day #4977: It’s Monday, and the Middle Eastern religions are fighting each other again. One would think Darwin and critical thinking would have ended this madness. So while the religions do what they’ve done since humans invented them, how about if the rest of us enjoy a little booby? This is a Nazca booby chick with a feather. (Photographed last month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4977: It’s Monday, and the Middle Eastern religions are fighting each other again. One would think Darwin and critical thinking would have ended this madness. So while the religions do what they’ve done since humans . . .

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#photography #birds

Up close with a large school of razor surgeonfish in the Galapagos Islands.

#nature #oceans #photography #sealife

Marty’s photo of the day #4976: This was my favorite moment of last month’s Galapagos Islands trip. There are strict rules about not touching wildlife. However, the animals don’t have any rules. I was on my knees, photographing a group of Galapagos sea lions, when this pup grew curious about me and crawled across the sand to sniff the back of my hand. It was such a magical moment! Even today, I can still feel the pup’s whiskers as they brushed against my skin.

Marty’s photo of the day #4976: This was my favorite moment of last month’s Galapagos Islands trip. There are strict rules about not touching wildlife. However, the animals don’t have any rules. I was on my knees, photographing a group of . . .

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#photography #nature

My wife and I were on the Nemo III catamaran, and like every other boat in the islands we were traveling via engine-power. At the beginning of the trip, I had requested that the crew put up the sails at least once. They waited until sunset on my birthday—and made it my present.

#photography #oceans

Marty’s photo of the day #4975: It doesn’t matter whether I see American oystercatchers in the Galapagos Islands or somewhere else, they always catch my attention. They are such beautiful birds.

(Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

#birds #photography #oceans

Marty’s photo of the day #4974: Despite shooting more than 3,600 photos earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands, I thought I had fucked up and failed to get even one quality photo from multiple encounters with white-tipped reef sharks. Then I discovered I overlooked this one.
#photography #ocean

Another expressive Galapagos sea lion face.

(Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

#photography #nature

Marty’s photo of the day #4973: The Galapagos Islands are home to three species of boobies: the blue-footed booby, the Nazca booby, and the red-footed booby. When Deb and I were there earlier this month, we spent time with the first two boobies. This photo features a Nazca booby.
#birds #photography

Marty’s photo of the day #4972: Earlier this month, Deb and I spent the night in a treehouse along the migration route of the Galapagos tortoises (also known as giant tortoises) on Santa Cruz island. Their migration from the humid highlands to the dry lowlands is only about five miles, but that’s quite a feat for these huge reptiles—especially with all the obstacles in the forest. There were roughly 50 tortoises nearby, giving me plenty of subjects to photograph. One thing I noticed while spending time with these tortoises was that each had a unique face. I featured one of those faces in an earlier post. Here’s another. (Photographed in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4972: Earlier this month, Deb and I spent the night in a treehouse along the migration route of the Galapagos tortoises (also known as giant tortoises) on Santa Cruz island. Their migration from . . .

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#photography #nature #wildlife

Marty’s photo of the day #4971: Look closely. The lighter-colored center of this photo is a pacific leopard flounder! At about 15 inches full-grown, these fish can instantly change their color and pattern to match sandy or rocky seafloors and can even become nearly translucent in open water. They start life with eyes on both sides, but as they grow, the right eye migrates to the left side. Pacific leopard flounders lie partially buried in sand, using their upward-facing eyes as periscopes to hunt their prey. (Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4971: Look closely. The lighter-colored center of this photo is a pacific leopard flounder!

At about 15 inches full-grown, these fish can instantly change their color and pattern to match . . .

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#photography #sealife #oceans

Marty’s photo of the day #4970: Look closely. It’s a lava heron on lava, and it just caught a fish.

(Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

#birds #photography

Marty’s photo of the day #4969: The Galapagos Islands have land iguanas and marine iguanas. Both evolved from a common ancestor some 8 million years ago. This is a land iguana, of which there are 3 distinct species. With a lifespan of up to 60 years, they primarily eat prickly pear cactus pads, flowers, and fruits, which also supplies them with water. They can reach 5 feet in length and weigh up to 30 pounds. And sometimes, land iguanas and marine iguanas interbreed to make hybrid iguanas. (Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4969: The Galapagos Islands have land iguanas and marine iguanas. Both evolved from a common ancestor some 8 million years ago. This is a land iguana, of which there are 3 distinct species. With a lifespan . . .

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#photography #nature #wildlife

Marty’s photo of the day #4968: While the Galapagos Islands didn’t have the underwater species diversity of other places I’ve snorkeled, it made up for less diversity by producing massive schools of fish. Of my many “wall of fish” experiences there, this one with razor surgeonfish was the most beautiful. (Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4968: While the Galapagos Islands didn’t have the underwater species diversity of other places I’ve snorkeled, it made up for less diversity by producing massive schools of fish. . . .

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#photography #nature #oceans #sealife

Marty’s photo of the day #4967: Normally, I wouldn’t go out of my way to photograph finches, but on the Galapagos Islands, Darwin’s finches (more closely related to tanagers than true finches) are special because they helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution by natural selection. There are 13 to 18 recognized species (depending on who’s counting) on the islands, with the key differences being the size and shape of their beaks, adapted for specific food sources. For instance, ground finches have stout beaks for seeds, warbler finches have thin beaks for insects, and vampire finches have sharp beaks useful for drinking blood. There are 18 to 21 Galapagos Islands (again, depending on who’s counting), and not every finch lives on every island. The catamaran Deb and I were on sailed to 8 islands, giving us the chance to see 7 total finches. My goal as a photographer was to collect them all. Ultimately, we saw 5 out of the 7, though I’m still examining my photo files to confirm all 5. Today’s photo is of the small ground finch. (Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4967: Normally, I wouldn’t go out of my way to photograph finches, but on the Galapagos Islands, Darwin’s finches are special because they helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution by natural selection. . . .

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#birds #photography

I’ve received multiple requests for more Galapagos sea lion pup photos. Sure, I can do that!

(Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

#nature #photography

Marty’s photo of the day #4966: The Galapagos penguins are squawking that I haven’t featured them for a photo of the day yet. So here we go. These are the rarest penguins in the world (less than 2,000 exist) and the only penguin species that lives in the tropics and north of the equator. To survive high temperatures, they have less fat/feathers, bare skin patches on their faces/feet, and they can pant like dogs. (Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4966: The Galapagos penguins are squawking that I haven’t featured them for a photo of the day yet. These are the rarest penguins in the world (less than 2,000) and the only penguin species that lives in the tropics. . . .

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#birds #photography

Here’s the cover reveal for the sequel to my eight-time award-winning novel "The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles." The publication date will be sometime in March.

#Books #BookSky #Librarysky #author #writer #writing
#novels #fiction #publibs #humor

Marty’s photo of the day #4965: I took several photos in the Galapagos Islands that I consider particularly artsy. These swallow-tailed gulls fit into that category. I think this image looks more like a painting than an actual photograph.

#birds #photography #nature #art #travel

I shot lots of Galapagos sea lion photos earlier this month, so you can expect them to pop up on my posts from time to time. Still, I wish I’d shot more. I mean, is it possible to create too many images of these cuties—especially the young ones?

#photography #wildlife #nature

Marty’s photo of the day #4964: No serious wildlife photographer goes to the Galapagos Islands without coming home with way too many blue-footed booby photos. This isn’t my best booby photo, but it’s the only one I have showing the mating dance. Males woo females by lifting their feet to showcase their color while pointing their beaks to the sky. Not so serious were all the booby jokes among my shipmates. (Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4964: No serious wildlife photographer goes to the Galapagos Islands without coming home with way too many blue-footed booby photos. This isn’t my best booby photo, but it’s the only one I have showing the mating dance. . . .

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#birds #photography

Marty’s photo of the day #4963: During the past ten years, I’ve snorkeled the Sea of Cortez, Bonaire, Belize, the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea, and the Galapagos Islands. All had interesting and unique features. Where the Galapagos Islands excelled was in the massive schools of fish that were close enough to touch. These razor surgeonfish were right in my face. (Photographed earlier this month in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4963: During the past 10 years, I’ve snorkeled the Sea of Cortez, Bonaire, Belize, the Raja Ampat, and the Galapagos Islands. All had interesting and unique features. Where the Galapagos Islands excelled . . .

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#photography #sealife #oceans

Warning: If you stand long enough on a beach in the Galapagos Islands, you’ll get the crabs.

#nature #photography #beaches

Marty’s photo of the day #4962: Annie: “Now, I want you to breathe through your eyelids?” Nuke: “My eyelids?” Annie: “Yeah, like the lava lizards of the Galapagos Islands. See, there are some lizards that have a parietal eye behind their heads so they can see backwards. Haven’t you ever noticed how Fernando Valenzuela, he just doesn’t even look when he pitches? He’s a Mayan Indian. Or an Aztec, I get them confused.” The above dialog is from Bull Durham, one of my all-time favorite movies. The lava lizards of the Galapagos Islands can’t really breathe through their eyelids, yet huge numbers of people think so, based on Annie’s quote. This is an Española lava lizard, photographed two weeks ago in the Galapagos Islands. It was most definitely breathing like a proper lizard.

Marty’s photo of the day #4962: Annie: “Now, I want you to breathe through your eyelids?”

Nuke: “My eyelids?”

Annie: “Yeah, like the lava lizards of the Galapagos Islands. See, there are some lizards . . .

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#nature #photography #bulldurham #herps #Galapagos

Marty’s photo of the day #4961: So, I shot green sea turtle porn while visiting the Galapagos Islands. Copulation can take several hours, with the female supporting the male’s weight and swimming to the surface for air. She’ll mate with multiple males over a two-week period and store their sperm for several months to fertilize multiple egg clutches. To me, the turtles’ expressions make this photo special—even if I’m unsure of how to interpret them.

Marty’s photo of the day #4961: So, I shot green sea turtle porn while visiting the Galapagos Islands. Copulation can take several hours, with the female supporting the male’s weight and swimming to the surface for air. . . .

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#photography #oceans #nature #sealife #herp

Marty’s photo of the day #4960: When it comes to underwater photography, one advantage the Galapagos Islands has over locations with coral reefs is that its lack of coral entices many interesting and colorful fish to hang out among the volcanic rocks near the surface. That advantage allowed me to get very close to this beautiful large-banded blenny. (Photographed last week in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4960: When it comes to underwater photography, one advantage the Galapagos Islands has over locations with coral reefs is that its lack of coral entices many interesting and colorful fish to hang out among the volcanic . . .

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#photography #oceans

Marty’s photo of the day #4959: Deb and I spent the night in a treehouse along the migration route of the Galapagos tortoises (also known as giant tortoises) on Santa Cruz island. Their migration from the humid highlands to the dry lowlands is only about five miles, but that’s quite a feat for these huge reptiles—especially with all the obstacles in the forest. There were roughly 50 tortoises nearby, giving me plenty of subjects to photograph. One thing I noticed while spending time with these tortoises was that each one had a unique face. (Photographed last week in the Galapagos Islands.)

Marty’s photo of the day #4959: Deb and I spent the night in a treehouse along the migration route of the Galapagos tortoises on Santa Cruz island. Their migration from the humid highlands to the dry lowlands is only about five miles, but . . .

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#photography #nature