The Taj Mahal

by Dave on June 16, 2008 · 18 comments

THE tourist photo op

I rolled out of bed at 5:30am to see the Taj at sunrise, though from the hotel roof, it didn’t look too different from the night before. I met Laura and Dan at the eastern entrance, and we proceeded to tour the site along with everyone else trying to get an early jump on the crowds. While there was plenty of blue sky to create a great backdrop for photos, the reflecting pools were drained for cleaning.

Detailed stonework at Taj Mahal

Up close, the beauty of the building in my eyes lay in the intricate, inlayed carvings. Precious stones sourced from around the world were used, and it is a big part of why the building took 30+ years to complete.

Taj Mahal

 

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Categories: India

18 Comments

liz June 16, 2008 at 4:24 pm

That bottom photo is stunning. love. love. love it.

Reply

Dave June 17, 2008 at 1:50 pm

Thanks Liz! I can’t help myself with the sunset photos…they’re coming out really well here. :)

Reply

liz June 16, 2008 at 11:24 am

That bottom photo is stunning. love. love. love it.

Reply

Dave June 17, 2008 at 8:50 am

Thanks Liz! I can’t help myself with the sunset photos…they’re coming out really well here. :)

Reply

Kango Suz June 16, 2008 at 7:32 pm

You got some great detail on that detail photo there! What kind of zoom are you using?

Reply

Dave June 17, 2008 at 1:54 pm

My new Canon digital camera has 3.8x optical zoom, up to 15x digital zoom. Nothing too fancy.

Reply

Kango Suz June 16, 2008 at 2:32 pm

You got some great detail on that detail photo there! What kind of zoom are you using?

Reply

Dave June 17, 2008 at 8:54 am

My new Canon digital camera has 3.8x optical zoom, up to 15x digital zoom. Nothing too fancy.

Reply

clair June 17, 2008 at 1:42 am

That first picture is beautiful and you look happy :smile: . An uncle of mine has that same exact marble table top of that piece (middle picture).. its beauty is astounding is all I can say.

Reply

Dave June 17, 2008 at 1:59 pm

Yep, once I realized the beauty of the buliding was partly in the detailed precious stonework, I had to buy a little for myself as a souvenir, and the marble salesmen were eager to make sales. :)

Reply

clair June 16, 2008 at 8:42 pm

That first picture is beautiful and you look happy :smile: . An uncle of mine has that same exact marble table top of that piece (middle picture).. its beauty is astounding is all I can say.

Reply

Dave June 17, 2008 at 8:59 am

Yep, once I realized the beauty of the buliding was partly in the detailed precious stonework, I had to buy a little for myself as a souvenir, and the marble salesmen were eager to make sales. :)

Reply

Chenoa June 19, 2008 at 8:07 am

You know, when you shine a flashlight onto the inlaid stones, the light filters out through them and into the adjacent stones and marble? Kinda hard to see it by daylight tho; if you try it around dusk, the effect is awesome!

Reply

Dave June 20, 2008 at 6:17 am

Yes, a “tour guide” was awaiting me at the entrance to the interior of the Taj, and he had a little light to show me what you’re talking about. Also, all the good marble showrooms will be all too happy to dim the lights and give you a flashlight to help sell their produts. Definitely a cool effect!

Reply

Chenoa June 19, 2008 at 3:07 am

You know, when you shine a flashlight onto the inlaid stones, the light filters out through them and into the adjacent stones and marble? Kinda hard to see it by daylight tho; if you try it around dusk, the effect is awesome!

Reply

Dave June 20, 2008 at 1:17 am

Yes, a “tour guide” was awaiting me at the entrance to the interior of the Taj, and he had a little light to show me what you’re talking about. Also, all the good marble showrooms will be all too happy to dim the lights and give you a flashlight to help sell their produts. Definitely a cool effect!

Reply

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