57 ~ Taj Mahal in the morning misty fog

One of the highlights of the trip that I was looking forward to was to see and capture through my lens the “cleaned up” Taj Mahal (Taj) just finished last year peeping through Agra’s famous morning winter fog and then see it reveal itself in the rising sun - with and without PEOPLE! I wasn’t disappointed.

With the alarm set for 6am / 06:00 it was a really early morning rise and a short 15 minute walk back to the Taj. To me the only advantage with the Amar Hotel was its location and closeness to the West Gate of the Taj.

In the darkness the newspaper sellers were sorting their papers before delivery.

Sure, there was no queue at the left hand foreigner’s ticket window and paid my 1,100 rupees / NZ$22.90 / US$15.50 as I did not want to go back into the mausoleum or up to that level for the extra 200 rupees / NZ$4.20 / US$2.80.

The male foreigner’s queue already at 6.30am / 06:30 had about 100 people. Much worst still in the male Indian queue. I should have followed my instinct and got up a bit earlier as opposed told to leave the hotel at 6.30pm / 06:30.

At security, knowing from yesterday afternoon visit what I was allowed to bring in ... literally nothing so it was a breeze after a full pat down. The person in the next line had a flashlight inside his go pro stick and this was taken away. Yes, he had the option of going back out and putting it inside a locker. So pay heed as to what you cannot take in! The list is quite long including crayons that I read somewhere.

Here are the “Do’s and Don’ts” from the https://www.tajmahal.gov.in/do%26nots.html

Do's

• Tourists must co-operate in keeping the monument neat & clean by using dustbins.
• Tourists are advised to hire approved guides & photographers who exhibit their identity cards.
• Taj Museum inside Taj Mahal Complex opens from 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM, entry free.
• No Polluting vehicles are allowed within 500 mts. radius of Taj Mahal.

Don'ts

• Drone camera is strictly prohibited inside the Taj Mahal.
• Eating and smoking is strictly prohibited inside Taj Mahal. Arms, ammunitions, fire, smoking items, tobacco products, liquor, eatables (Toffees), head phones, knives, wire, mobile charger, electric goods (except camera), Tripods are also prohibited.
• Mobile phones are to be kept switched off or on silent mode.
• Please avoid carrying big bags and books inside the monument, this may increase your security check time.
• Photography is prohibited inside the main mausoleum.
• No Polluting vehicles are allowed within 500 mts. Radius of Taj Mahal.
• Avoid touching & scratching the walls & surfaces of the monument as these are heritage sites and need special care.
• Visitors are requested not to make noise inside the mausoleum.
• Above mentioned list of prohibited items along with mobile phones are banned for night viewing of the Taj Mahal. Video camera, extra batteries are prohibited though still camera is permitted after the security check.

With the moon high above, entered and in the distance the Taj was shrouded in fog.

One of the locals came up and said “I am not a guide but the caretaker. I can show you different angles of the Taj for you to take pictures”. So off I went with him. Yes, I knew what was happening so I let him point out to me where to stand using the trees to better frame the Taj. After a while I simply said that I have no money which was true as I only took with me the entrance fee … so off he went. We saw each other several times afterwards and he was doing the same “sales pitch” with other tourists.

Tried to get as many of the Taj and it’s 4 minarets framed by the arches and trees. Plus the angles that you don’t see in the brochures.

With the winter’s misty fog slowly moving in and out at different levels, it gradually got brighter and was a surreal experience.

Come 7.30am / 07:30 the golden ball of sun finally rose behind the Jawab.

Yes, I walked around the Taj many times trying to capture it from different angles but also took time to just sit, people watch of the ever-changing scene and take in the majesty of the place as the sun reflected off the newly cleaned building.

A photo shoot was in progress in the mosque entrance.

Spent 2.5 hours here till 9.30am / 09:30 seeing the sun rise and the light changed ever so slowly on the main gate, reflecting pools from various angles, guest house, Mosque and of course the Taj Mahal itself in its various moods as the sun rose.

Gary Arndt of “Everything Everywhere” wrote …

https://www.facebook.com/EverythingEverywhere/

Everything is familiar with the Taj Mahal. Many of you may have even visited it.
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Almost every photo you see of the Taj Mahal is the same. It is a symmetrical image of the structure taken directly in front of it, most probably from the exact same spot where I took this photo.
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I’ve seen many people try to take this same photo, and the results aren’t the same, even though they stood in the exact same spot that I did. Here is what you need to do to take the perfect shot of the Taj Mahal:

1. Make sure everything is symmetrical. This is where most people screw up. They align everything, so it is almost symmetrical, but not quite. The way to ensure that it is perfect is to make the the reflection of the spire in the central dome is aligned with the fountains in the center of the reflecting pool.
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2. Get there early. The doors opened at 7am the day I was there. Depending on the time of year, they might open earlier. Officially, they claim to open 30 minutes after sunrise. I showed up at 5:30am to make sure I was first in line, which I was.
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3. Run or walk briskly to the first gate where you will see the Taj for the first time. You have about 100m to cover and there will be other people behind you in line. You don’t have to run, but you do need to be quick. Everyone else with you will want the same shot.
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4. Be prepared. When you get to the railing past the gate, that is where you will get this shot. If you are one of the first ones there, you will have a few minutes where you can photograph the building without any people in the image. Have all your settings set beforehand. You probably won’t have time to mess with a tripod. This photo was not shot with a tripod.
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5. Once you get this shot, then you can relax a bit. People will be streaming around you and the grounds will start to fill up. I’d head to the building to the right of the Taj where you will be able to get images of the Taj through an archway. Walk around the exterior of the building and get your shots in the early morning light before you decide to enter.
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6. If you have the time, consider going across the river to photograph the Taj in the morning the day after. If you are lucky.

Had to leave around 9.30am / 09:30 as breakfast service back at the hotel finished at 10am / 10:00. So, after a quick breakfast was ready to leave before 10.30am / 10:30 for the next sight.