P#24: A Surreal Photograph of Marine Iguanas in the Galapagos

Thinking in Black and White

Scott Stulberg: The first one here is of marine iguanas. I took this a couple of months ago in the Galapagos. I'm not sure if I shot this with an infrared camera or not. I was borrowing a camera because mine got ruined by a wave. I believe this was an infrared converted camera. That's why the sky looks so dark and the clouds are jumping out so much.

I was walking back as they were all leaving and had to go. I saw these iguanas on this rock. I wanted to shoot them but they were like, "Let's go." My group had stopped to photograph something else. I came back and got in real close. I got a different angle I think than anyone else of the group had, and got in really tight with these iguanas. (click the image to see a larger version)

I wanted to make it look like something that was from one million years BC with these guys. I edited it in Photoshop and converted it even more to make it look a little more ethereal. It's just a close and tight shot of these marine iguanas with this beautiful cloud formation behind them.

The Galapagos are one of the best travel photography destinations on earth. I always tell my students to think in black and white. As you're looking through the viewfinder, think in black and white. What would this image look like in black and white? Many times you can convert some of these cameras to preview in black and white or shoot in black and white.

I don't recommend shooting in black and white because all the color information is lost and you'll never be able to produce it in color, but if you can preview it in black and white, you can see on your LCD what it will look like in black and white. If you can't do the preview mode, then just imagine it in your head what it might look like in black and white.

It's easy to do with shooting animals because so many times with animals, they look amazing converted to black and white -- the same as people do. Ansel Adams and so many great photographers would shoot only in black and white. They were looking through the viewfinder and it wasn't black and white for them so they were just imagining what it would be like in black and white.

In Summary

Even though shooting in black and white isn't a good idea, thinking in black and white is. You can still produce great black and white images with the option of also doing it in color. That's what Scott Stulberg did when taking this amazing shot of these marine iguanas.