Taj Mahal: First Views
Seeing the Taj Mahal was one of the main reasons we wanted to go to India. Yes it’s one of the most famous, written-about, photographed, televised buildings in the world and as such it’s familiar to us all, but that’s not the same as seeing it for yourself……and oh boy does it live up to the hype.
Built by the 5th Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as a memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (after she died aged 39 giving birth to their 14th child whilst on military campaign) the Taj Mahal is possibly the greatest monument to lost-love the world has ever seen. So grief-stricken was the Emperor that he went into mourning for two whole years, neglecting the business of state and dedicating himself entirely to the construction of this magnificent mausoleum. I just hope my own beloved wife doesn’t get any ideas…..;0).
I took more shots of the Taj Mahal than any other place we visited in India. As a result I want to take my time with the Taj and have therefore planned a number of posts so that I can share them properly. The three below are just for starters and give you a glimpse of what’s to come:
© Mark Simms Photography (2014)
Mark Simms Photography 
17 Responses to “Taj Mahal: First Views”
I really love the framing in your first photo! All are beautiful, but that really tells a story 🙂
Thanks Sarah 😊
Very much looking forward to the rest Mark. The people in the first shot really make it! 🙂
Thanks Adrian…..it used to really frustrate me when people got in the way, but I’ve now learnt to try and use them to my advantage…..they can add scale, context and even be an integral part of the composition.
A baby Taj across the Mersey would suffice;)
OK I’ll see what I can do 😊
I love the framing in the first image too.
Surprisingly, (perhaps), I like the silhouette of the crowd. It’s so easy to make the perfect image of the Taj that I find it a nice change to have the tourists creep into the frame like that.
Trying to fight the crowds at the Taj is a non-starter, so you just have to go with the flow 😊
Reblogged this on njoudworld and commented:
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beautiful photos -and you managed to take them with the crowds in such an effective way. I always hate crowds of people but sometimes you can’t avoid them. I like how they are silhouetted in the first photo but all are beautiful!!
Thanks Cyb
I love how you composed these! I can’t even imagine seeing this first-hand. Beautiful pics!
Thanks Laura 😊
You’re welcome 🙂
It’s a stunning building, that takes one’s breath away. Sadly when I was there they had drained the water from the fountains. Beautiful shots.
Thanks 😊
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