The Love Of Taj
Sunrise at the Taj Mahal
Sunrise at the Taj Mahal
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Aug, 2016Views
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Vanismile
September 14, 2016
So beautiful this photo of Taj Mahal:) Amazing elegance and serenity. Awesome shot and hope to keep seeing u post more wonderful photos:)
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wild-west
September 28, 2016
You were so lucky to have water in the reflecting pool!!!! It was 110 degrees when I was there and dry as a bone. Nice shot.
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MattStuttardParker
September 28, 2016
Beautiful! Lucky to not have any scaffolding on her, sadly had two pillars covered when I visited. Beautiful colours, wonderful capture, brings it all back :)
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Marthagill
September 29, 2016
Beautiful. My pictures include this beautiful building with hundreds of people walking around, your version is wonderful.
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kumarannamalaivandayar
October 01, 2016
Thank you very much Martha. You can do all the planning but luck plays a role here.
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brianwall
October 15, 2016
I love the photo even though I know how it was done. I respect that skill and won't spoil it for you! ;)
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DougMaddox
October 15, 2016
Absolutely beautiful. My favorite architectural structure ever, truly a wonder of the world! nice job!
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at the Taj Mahal, Agra, India during my visit there last year with my familyTime
We had to get up very early in the morning as we were warned that the queue will be long. Since I wanted capture the majestic glow of the marble of The Taj at sunrise, I was the very first person at the gate, way before opening time. I was anxious to get the correct spot and remember, no tripod is allowed. After the extensive security check, I practically ran to book my spot. I had visioned my spot, nothing fancy, just dead centre. Luckily, I was there just a few minutes before the sun was rising. I actually missed capturing the first few minutes, stunned by the magnifique of this wonder. Snapped out of it and then, the shutter never stopped clickingLighting
The scene was just clearing of mist. The air was rather dense and I thought , this just isn't going to be my day and Im not going to get the vision I had before into the camera. Then , luckily, the mist cleared. As sun hitting the body of The Taj,the glow was just out of this world. I have never seen a man made object of this size to sparkle the way it did. The Taj seems to change its colour from white, yellow and golden all at once. Then, the reflection on the water, the perfect symmetry. Dream came trueEquipment
I was using my trusted Nikon D610 and the Nikkor 16-35 F4 lens. Besides that, just my steady hands as no tripod was allowedInspiration
My grandparents left India to Malaysia more than 70 years back. There was always a yearning on my part to be back to India. Taj was always in my bucket list as it symbolises everything India is, beauty, raw, mystique,sadness and grandeur. When I finally got the image I wanted, it felt like I came home. Im here where my roots started.Editing
As I wasn't on a tripod, I couldn't do a HDR as I normally do. Each time tried stacking the images, I would be a missing a part of the image. A doctors hand , I haven't got. So I decided to go with an image with a stop under. Started with Light Room with the usual exposure, highlight ,shadow adjustments and profile corrections. I wanted to have a warm image , so I chose shade for white balance and a touch of magenta. Then I exported to Photoshop for my final touches like spot removal, sharpening and a faint of Gaussian blur. Waalah!In my camera bag
What I have in my bag have evolved many times in the last 2 years. Since I generally shoot landscape, I have my Nikkor 16-35F4 fixed ready to my D810. For my second camera, I use the Fuji X-T1 with the Fujinon 18-55 mounted, mostly for the streets. Then there is the 70-200 Nikkor and the Samyang 12mm for my crazy shots. Lastly the usual suspects, shutters release, spare batteries, lens cleaning equipments and a string; it comes handy in some situation. Trust me!Feedback
India has more than a billion people, so go early . The security check is intensive! Be ready to ruffle with the crowd to be dead centre, everyone wants to be at that particular spot. Forget the months of November & December as its foggy and you may just end up shooting "smoke". Mid year is a good time. Wait for the sunrise to hit the dome, then the magic starts. Use a wide angle, the frame is never enough.
