PhotoSecrets Taj Mahal

A Photographer’s Guide

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TAJ MAHAL

Photos

Taj Mahal classic afternoonRuthChoi/Shutterstock

Taj Mahal

45 views to photograph
Taj Mahal classic with reflectionWaj/Shutterstock
Taj Mahal river northeast sunriseRawpixel/Shutterstock
Taj Mahal river northwest sunsetBoris Stroujko/Shutterstock
Great Gate east gallery detailEdmund Gall/Wikipedia
Paradise Garden grass from westRamesh Ng/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal classic morningDmitry Strizhakov/Shutterstock
Taj Mahal framed archJool-yan/Shutterstock
Taj Mahal framed arch silhouetteAchim Baque/Shutterstock
Taj Mahal river northwest dawnKoshy Koshy/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal river northwest duskBoris Stroujko/Shutterstock
Taj Mahal West Gate interiorSam Hawley/Flickr
East Gate corridorSouravita/Wikipedia
Mosque interiorSamir Luther/Flickr
Taj Mahal classic sunriseSeb2583/Shutterstock
Taj Mahal close corner sunsetRusticus80/Flickr
Taj Mahal framed arch with photographerAnkushsharma2002/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal from Moonlight GardenNarender9/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal river northeast boatSaidur/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal river northeast sunsetTravel & Shit/Wikipedia
View of Great Gate from Riverfront TerraceAirknight/Wikipedia
View of Mosque from Riverfront TerraceManav/Wikipedia
East Gate and cloistersDennis Jarvis/Wikipedia
Great Gate [Darwaza-i rauza]Sumit Roy/Wikipedia
Great Gate ceilingAnoop Pushkar/Wikipedia
Paradise Garden grass from eastAiwok/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal classic noonMarttaelib/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal details inlayTeufel1987/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal entrance wellManikanta Allam/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal from Riverfront Terrace at afternoonTanweer Morshed/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal from Riverfront Terrace at morningBjørn Christian Tørrissen/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal river northeast bikeLeigh Harries/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal river northwest afternoonSomeone/Wikipedia
View of Great Gate from Paradise GardenFrancisco Anzola/Wikipedia
View of Mosque from Paradise GardenFrancisco Anzola/Wikipedia
View of northwest octagonal towerBiswarup Ganguly/Wikipedia
Moonlight Garden [Mehtab Bagh]Khandelwal/Wikipedia
Paradise Garden pavilion [Naubat Khana]Biswarup Ganguly/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal close cornerUmesh Namdeo/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal close sideAnoop Pushkar/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal close topBiswarup Ganguly/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal details artAnoop Pushkar/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal from Riverfront Terrace at sunriseMuhammad Mahdi Karim/Wikipedia
Taj Mahal river north verticalLeigh Harries/Wikipedia

Contents

Map

About PhotoSecrets

 
 
 
 

Foreword

A great travel photo­graph, like a great news photo­graph, requires you to be in the right place at the right time to capture that special moment. Professional photo­graphers have a short-hand phrase for this: “F8 and be there.”

There are countless books that can help you with photo­graphic technique, the “F8” portion of that equation. But until now, there’s been little help for the other, more critical portion of that equation, the “be there” part. To find the right spot, you had to expend lots of time and shoe leather to wander around, track down every potential viewpoint, and essentially re-invent the wheel.

In my career as a professional travel photo­grapher, well over half my time on location is spent seeking out the good angles. Andrew Hudson’s PhotoSecrets does all that legwork for you, so you can spend your time photo­graphing instead of wandering about. It’s like having a professional location scout in your camera bag. I wish I had one of these books for every city I photo­graph on assignment.

PhotoSecrets can help you capture the most beautiful sights with a minimum of hassle and a maximum of enjoyment. So grab your camera, find your favorite PhotoSecrets spots, and “be there!”

About Bob Krist

Bob Krist has photo­graphed assignments for National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Travel/­Holiday, Smithsonian, and Islands. He won “Travel photo­grapher of the Year” from the Society of American Travel Writers in 1994, 2007, and 2008.

For National Geographic, Bob has led round-the-world tours and a traveling lecture series. His book In Tuscany with Frances Mayes spent a month on The New York Times’ bestseller list and his how-to book Spirit of Place was hailed by American Photo­grapher magazine as “the best book about travel photo­graphy we’ve ever read.”

The parents of three sons, Bob and his wife live in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Welcome

Thank you for reading PhotoSecrets. As a fellow fan of travel and photo­graphy, I hope this guide will help you quickly find the most visually stunning places, and come home with equally stunning photo­graphs.

PhotoSecrets is designed to show you all the best sights. Flick through, see the classic shots, and use them as a departure point for your own creations. Get ideas for comp­osition and interesting viewpoints. See what piques your interest. Know what to shoot, where to stand, when to go, and why it’s interesting. Now you can spend less time researching and more time photographing.

The idea for PhotoSecrets came during a trip to Thailand, when I tried to find the exotic beach used in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. None of the guidebooks I had showed a picture, so I thought a guidebook of postcard photos would be useful for us photographers. Twenty-plus years later, you have this guide. Thanks!

Now, start exploring — and take lots of photos!

About Andrew Hudson

Originally an engineer, Andrew Hudson started PhotoSecrets in 1995. His first book won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best First Book and his second won the Grand Prize in the National Self-Published Book Awards.

Andrew has published 38 nationally-distributed photo­graphy books. He has photo­graphed assignments for Macy’s, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Men’s Health and Seventeen, and been a location scout for Nikon. His photos and articles have appeared in Alaska Airlines, National Geographic Traveler, Shutterbug Outdoor and Nature photo­graphy, Where, and Woman’s World.

Andrew has a degree in Computer Engineering from Manchester University and a certificate in copyright law from Harvard Law School. Born in Redditch, England, he lives with his wife, two kids, and two chocolate Labs, in San Diego, California.

Introduction

At a Glance

Name:Taj Mahal (Arabic for “Crown of Palaces”)
GPS:27.17500, 78.04194
Fame:Masterpiece of world heritage,
icon of India
Far:4.4 km (2.75 miles) from the center of Agra
Web:tajmahal.gov.in
Opened:1653
Height:73 m (240 feet)
Style:Mughal
Architects:Ustad Ahmad Lahouri, Ustad Isa
Built by:Shah Jahan
Address:Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001, India
Notes:The Taj Mahal is an extensive complex of buildings and gardens that extends over 22 hectares (55 acres)

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra.

Entrance Forecourt [Jilaukhana]

Great Gate [Darwaza-i rauza]

Taj Mahal > Entrance Forecourt

Large sandstone gate.

Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.171073
78.041941
What:GateWhen:Afternoon
Look:North-northeast Far:70 m (230 feet)
AKA:Darwaza-i rauzaWik:Origins_and_architecture_of_the_Taj_Mahal#Great_gate_.28Darwaza-i_rauza.29

Great Gate ceiling

Taj Mahal > Entrance Forecourt > Great Gate
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.171685
78.042129
What:CeilingWhen:Anytime

East Gate and cloisters

Taj Mahal > Entrance Forecourt
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.171079
78.042859
What:GateWhen:Anytime
Look:East →Far:80 m (260 feet)
AKA:Fatehbad Gate

Ideas for East Gate and cloisters

East Gate corridor

Taj Mahal > Entrance Forecourt > East Gate and cloisters
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.171275
78.042934
What:CorridorWhen:Afternoon
Look:East →Far:50 m (180 feet)

West Gate

Taj Mahal West Gate interior

Entrance well

Taj Mahal > Entrance Forecourt
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.170551
78.042203
What:WellWhen:Afternoon
Look:Northeast ↗Far:12 m (39 feet)

Paradise Garden [Char Bagh]

The symbolism of the Paradise garden (Charbagh) is derived from mystic Islamic texts describing paradise as a garden filled with abundant trees, flowers and plants, with water playing a key role: In Paradise, four rivers source at a central spring or mountain. In their ideal form they were laid out as a square subdivided into four equal parts. These rivers are often represented in the charbagh as shallow canals which separate the garden by flowing towards the cardinal points. The canals represent the promise of water, milk, wine and honey. The centre of the garden, at the intersection of the divisions is highly symbolically charged and is where, in the ideal form, a pavilion, pool or tomb would be situated.

Classic

Classic sunrise

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden > classic
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173342
78.042149
When:AnytimeLook:North ↑
Far:180 m (600 feet)

Classic morning

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden > classic
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173357
78.0421412
When:AnytimeLook:North ↑
Far:180 m (600 feet)

Ideas for morning

Classic with reflection

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden > classic > morning
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173099
78.042143
When:AnytimeLook:North ↑
Far:210 m (690 feet)

Classic noon

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden > classic
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173357
78.0421413
When:AnytimeLook:North ↑
Far:180 m (600 feet)

Classic afternoon

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden > classic
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173357
78.0421414
When:AnytimeLook:North ↑
Far:180 m (600 feet)

Taj Mahal Paradise Garden grass

Paradise Garden grass from west

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden > Taj Mahal Paradise Garden grass
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173997
78.041383
When:AfternoonLook:Northeast ↗
Far:140 m (440 feet)

Ideas for Paradise Garden grass from west

Paradise Garden grass from east

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden > Taj Mahal Paradise Garden grass
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173942
78.042885
When:AnytimeLook:North-northwest
Far:140 m (450 feet)

Paradise Garden pavilion [Naubat Khana]

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.1731766
78.0424104
What:PavilionWhen:Afternoon
Look:East →Far:120 m (380 feet)
AKA:Naubat Khana

View of Great Gate from Paradise Garden

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173018
78.042155
When:AfternoonLook:South ↓
Far:150 m (490 feet)

Ideas for Great Gate from Paradise Garden

View of Mosque from Paradise Garden

Taj Mahal > Paradise Garden
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.173239
78.042746
When:MorningLook:Northwest ↖
Far:280 m (920 feet)

Riverfront Terrace

From Riverfront Terrace

From Riverfront Terrace at sunrise

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Taj Mahal
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.175032
78.043278
When:AnytimeLook:West ←
Far:110 m (360 feet)

From Riverfront Terrace at morning

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Taj Mahal
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.175441
78.043297
When:AnytimeLook:West-southwest
Far:120 m (400 feet)

From Riverfront Terrace at afternoon

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Taj Mahal
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174517
78.043193
When:MorningLook:West-northwest
Far:120 m (380 feet)

Ideas for afternoon

Close

Close corner

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Taj Mahal > close
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174645
78.042543
When:MorningLook:Northwest ↖
Far:60 m (180 feet)

Close corner sunset

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Taj Mahal > close > corner
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174647
78.041645
When:AnytimeLook:Northeast ↗
Far:60 m (210 feet)

Close side

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Taj Mahal > close
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174682
78.042183
When:MorningLook:North ↑
Far:40 m (110 feet)

Ideas for side

Close top

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Taj Mahal > close
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.1738846
78.041611
When:AfternoonLook:North-northeast
Far:140 m (440 feet)

Ideas for top

Mosque

Framed arch

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Mosque
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174983
78.040789
When:AnytimeLook:East →
Far:130 m (440 feet)

Framed arch silhouette

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Mosque > framed arch
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174985
78.040752
When:SunsetLook:East →
Far:140 m (450 feet)

Ideas for silhouette

Framed arch with photographer

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > Mosque > framed arch > silhouette
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174990
78.040720
When:AfternoonLook:East →
Far:140 m (460 feet)

Mosque interior

Jawab

Jawab interior

View of Great Gate from Riverfront Terrace

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174578
78.042046
When:AfternoonLook:South ↓
Far:320 m (1060 feet)

Ideas for Great Gate

View of Mosque from Riverfront Terrace

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174588
78.041568
When:MorningLook:West-northwest
Far:100 m (310 feet)

Tomb [Rauza-i munauwara]

Details

Details inlay

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > tomb > details
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174729
78.041835
What:DetailWhen:Anytime

Details art

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace > tomb > details
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.174883
78.041810
What:DetailWhen:Anytime

Ideas for art

View of northwest octagonal tower

Taj Mahal > Riverfront Terrace
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.175035
78.0426998
When:AfternoonLook:East-northeast
Far:100 m (320 feet)

Yamuna

River

River northeast

River northeast sunrise

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > Northeast
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.177748
78.044262
When:AnytimeLook:Southwest ↙
Far:370 m (1210 feet)

Ideas for sunrise

River northeast sunset

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > Northeast
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.177748
78.0442622
When:AnytimeLook:Southwest ↙
Far:370 m (1210 feet)

River northeast boat

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > Northeast
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.176884
78.043913
When:MorningLook:Southwest ↙
Far:270 m (890 feet)

River northeast bike

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > Northeast
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.177352
78.042626
When:AnytimeLook:South ↓
Far:270 m (870 feet)

River north

River north vertical

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > north
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.177214
78.042068
When:AfternoonLook:South ↓
Far:250 m (810 feet)

River northwest

River northwest dawn

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > Northwest
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.178159
78.039912
When:AnytimeLook:South-southeast
Far:420 m (1360 feet)

River northwest afternoon

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > Northwest
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.177155
78.040770
When:AnytimeLook:South-southeast
Far:280 m (900 feet)

Ideas for afternoon

River northwest sunset

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > Northwest
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.177147
78.040647
When:AnytimeLook:South-southeast
Far:280 m (920 feet)

River northwest dusk

Taj Mahal > Yamuna > river > Northwest
Addr:Taj Mahal,
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh 282001,
India
Where:27.177147
78.0406471
When:AnytimeLook:South-southeast
Far:280 m (920 feet)

Ideas for dusk

Moonlight Garden [Mehtab Bagh]

Mughal-era gardens.

Addr:Where:27.180092
78.042026
What:GardenWhen:Anytime
AKA:Mehtab BaghWik:Mehtab_Bagh

From Moonlight Garden

Taj Mahal > Moonlight Garden

Mughal-era gardens.

Addr:Where:27.180064
78.042028
When:AnytimeLook:South ↓
Far:0.56 km (0.35 miles)

Credits

Thank you to the many wonderful people and companies that made their work available to use in this guide.

Photo key: Tap the camera icon to see the photo. The two letters reference the distributor and license. Key for distributors: f:Flickr; s:Shutterstock; w:Wikipedia. Key for license: a:CC-BY-SA; b:CC-BY; g:GNU; h:Shutterstock standard; m:public domain.

Cover image by .Airknight ( wa); Aiwok ( wa); Manikanta Allam ( wa); Ankushsharma2002 ( wb); Francisco Anzola ( wa); Archishilpi14 ( sh); Achim Baque ( wa); Clément Bardot ( wa); Diego Delso ( wm); E ( wa); Edmund Gall ( wb); Biswarup Ganguly ( wa); Guptaele ( wa); Leigh Harries ( wa); Dennis Jarvis ( wa); Arpit Jawa ( sh); Jool-yan ( wg); Muhammad Mahdi Karim ( wm); Khandelwal ( wb); Koshy Koshy ( fb); Piyush Kumar ( wa); Labrasevic ( sh); Pius Lee ( wa); Maahmaah ( wa); Manav ( wa); Marttaelib ( wa); Tanweer Morshed ( wa); Umesh Namdeo ( wa); Narender9 ( wa); Narendra577502 ( wa); Ramesh Ng ( wa); Anoop Pushkar ( wm); Rajacommonswiki ( sh); Rawpixel ( wa); Sumit Roy ( fa); Rusticus80 ( sh); RuthChoi ( wa); Saidur ( sh); Seb2583 ( wb); Kewal Somani ( wm); Someone ( wa); Souravita ( sh); Dmitry Strizhakov ( sh); Boris Stroujko ( wa); Teufel1987 ( wm); Tor ( wa); Bjørn Christian Tørrissen ( wa); Travel & Shit ( sh); Olena Tur ( wa); Herojit Waikhom ( sh); Waj ( wa); Wiki-Uk ( wa). Some text adapted from Wikipedia and its contributors where noted by the URL path in the “Wik” table field, used and modified under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA) license. Map data from OpenStreetMap and its contributors, used under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL).

Index

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D

E

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I

J

K

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