Sunday, December 14, 2008

A lot of weapons mounted on the wall inside the Jaipur City Palace

A lot of weapons mounted on the wall inside the Jaipur City Palace
Here, you can see the large display of weapons, all mounted on a smooth red wall inside the Jaipur City Palace. The exhibit is a mark of the historical background of the whole region.

Tip (Extent of overlap of the panorama segments): When you are shooting the segments that make up a panorama, you have to decide the overlap for each segment. You should overlap each shot by at least 30 percent. If you are shooting a row of buildings, then the next shot should include the last building that was there in the previous shot. Some cameras provide a panorama mode that displays a portion of the previous shot in the monitor so that you can see where to align the next shot in the series. If your camera doesn’t offer this feature, you need to make a mental note of where each picture ends so that you know where the next picture should begin.

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Collection of weapons inside the Jaipur City Palace

Collection of weapons inside the Jaipur City Palace
A photo of a display of swords, arrows and shields inside the Jaipur City Palace. Given the history of the region, where warfare and fighting was common, such a display of weapons is not exceptional.

Tip (Camera supporting exposure lock): Like many camera functions that are not so easily known, many cameras offer an exposure lock function that is overlooked. An exposure lock function is useful for panoramas. The best way of finding out whether your camera has an exposure lock is to review the manual (you might find additional functions while reviewing the manual)

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Pigeon making its way on the smooth floor

Pigeon making its way on the smooth floor inside the Jaipur City Palace

The Jaipur City Palace has this inside hall with a smooth marble finish, and where there is a lot of silence. Here, you can see this pigeon slowly walking on the floor of the smooth floor.

Tip (Moving objects in the panorama): Do your best to prevent having moving objects in the shot. They not only distract from the main objects, but can unknowingly appear in another shot. In addition, moving objects can have an effect on the focus.

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View of the inside of the Jaipur City Palace

View of the inside of the Jaipur City Palace
From the doorway, you can get a view of the inside of the Jaipur City Palace. The place and structure is so well maintained, you would think that it is painted every few months (and maybe it is being painted every few months, since I don't know enough about its maintenance).

Tip (Consistent focus): Make sure that your focusing is consistent. If you lock the focus on the foreground in one shot, don’t change your approach and decide to focus on the background in the next segment.

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Entry to the inner areas of the Jaipur City Palace

Entry to the inner areas of the Jaipur City Palace
Well, technically not correct, since the actual inner areas of the Jaipur City Palace is where the royal family still lives, but the entry shown here is the place where there is no traffic, and tourists have to enter here after paying an initial entry amount.

Tip (Keep the camera level): If you look closely, some tripods have small in built bubble levels that indicate whether the tripod and consequently the camera, are level. If you don’t have this kind of tripod, you may want to buy a little stick-on level at the hardware store and put it on top of your camera.

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Row of canons inside the Jaipur City Palace

Row of canons inside the Jaipur City Palace
Photo of a row of canons inside the Jaipur City Palace. Canons and warfare was an integral part of the history of the region, with the entire race being known as a martial race. The canons are meant to highlight the history of the region.

Tip (Advanced equipment): If you have advanced equipment, such as the shutter release use it to prevent movement of the camera while shooting the various segments. Even one segment that’s blurry can spoil your panorama.

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Arched doorway with a lamp

Arched doorway with a lamp
This is a photo of one of the arched doorways inside the Jaipur City Palace. The doorways of the structure are all built similarly as arches, being the most structurally sound way of building a doorway. In addition, there is a lamp, built in the same historic manner, hanging from the doorway.

Tip (Delays while shooting panoramas): When shooting the various images of a panorama, shoot the separate shots fairly quickly, especially if clouds are moving behind your landscape. If you spend too long between shots (especially in a landscape), things can change such as light levels or the weather, involving much more effort in software later for corrections.

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Canon located inside the Jaipur City Palace

Canon located inside the Jaipur City Palace
A canon ceremonially placed inside the Jaipur City Palace. The actual precints of the palace is a place meant to see the beautiful architecture of the period when it was built, and is very well preserved. The placement of these canons, the ceremonial costumes of the security guards, all make this a beautiful place.

Tip (Focusing for a panorama): Once you focus on the first segment, turn off auto-focus for your lens. You need to make sure that you maintain the same focus during the entire shot, as it would look very bad (!) if different segments of your panorama have different focus points.

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View of the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur

View of the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur
An integral part of the architecture and places to see in Jaipur is the Hawa Mahal. This is an impressive red sandstone building, with a huge number of windows that allowed the royal woman to look out without being seen from others. The Hawa Mahal is essentially just the outer facade, with no big structure inside; another point is that it is located in a busy market area.

Tip (Maintaing the same exposure in a panorama): You must maintain the same exposure used for each shot to make the later stiching of the separate photos smooth and convincing. If you get a scene or time where the entire horizon evently lit, hen great. If this isn’t possible, you’ll need to find an exposure compromise that works for the entire scene and make sure you control the exposure during the entire shot.

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Shops in the old market of Jaipur

Shops in the old market of Jaipur
These are shops located in the old market of Jaipur, close to the Jaipur City Palace. The shops follow a code whereby they are not allowed to have any external banners, with the names being inscribed as a part of the structure of the exterior.

Tip (Planning number of shots needed for a panorama): Before you actually shoot the shots required for a panorama, do a practise run to check the number of exposures you’ll need for a complete 360 degreee pass. You will get an idea as to where you need to end each photo. If you’re shooting from right to left include a memorable area on the left of each frame in the following frame. If you’re using a pano head on the tripod (not essential to get this head, but it makes for a better panorama), measure and fix the degree of rotation.

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

A closer look at the structure of the exterior of the Jaipur City Palace

A closer look at the structure of the exterior of the Jaipur City Palace

A photo of the exterior of the city palace in Jaipur, along with the entry gate. It is a thriving, living place (and this thriving place is what made the place such an attractive target for terrorists who hated such thriving places).

Tip (Triod during panorama shooting): A sturdy tripod is essential for shooting good (not even great) panoramas. If you handhold your camera, there is a very high chance that you will shake the camera and you’ll have a difficult time matching up the shots later – the changes in camera position due to shaking can cause skews and make it more difficult to stich the photos together.

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View of an entry into Jaipur's City Palace

View of an entry into Jaipur's City Palace
Jaipur's (wikipedia) City Palace (wikipedia) is a major tourist location inside the city of Jaipur. It is a large, well maintained fort complex in the heart of the older sections of Jaipur, right next to the main markets. This is a view of one of the entry points to the City Palace, taken from inside a car.

Tip (Good time to shoot panoramas): Midday isn’t a good time to shoot because it produces harsh shadows, bleached-out highlights and fl at colours.

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Sunday, November 02, 2008

A view of the Yamuna river right next to the Taj Mahal

A view of the Yamuna river right next to the Taj Mahal
This is a view of the Yamuna river right next to the Taj Mahal. The river has moved over the centuries, but still remains close to the Taj. However, with industrialization, the river has got more polluted and shrunk in size.

Tip (Landscape): When you are trying to take a photo of a landscape with a distant horizon, place the horizon a third of the way down from the top or bottom of the frame rather than at the center of the photo. Doing this normally presents a much better composition effect to the photo.

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Sunlight twinkling around the edge of the Taj Mahal

Sunlight twinkling around the edge of the Taj Mahal
This is another photo of the twinkle of the sun around the side of the structure of the Taj Mahal. In this case, it was more difficult to take the photo since the portion in front of me was dark, and there was no way to get a good clear view, while also getting the twinkle. Ultimately I sacrificed getting a clear view in order to capture the twinkle.

Tip (Taking photos in the glare of the sun): Taking a photo when you are shooting a subject that is in the full glare of the sun, and your camera is also pointed in such a way that the sun is directly visible from the lens means that you are taking a huge risk that the light of the sun would cast a shadow over everything else, and features of the other objects may not be visible. See whether you can take the photo from an angle.

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View of one of the minarets of the Taj Mahal

View of one of the minarets of the Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal has 4 minarets on all 4 corners. These minarets are beautiful like the Taj Mahal, and are designed to lean slightly outside so that in the event of a severe earthquake, they do not fall on the structure of the Taj Mahal but fall out. In this photo, you can see the minaret in light and shadow.

Tip (Letting an object fit the frame fully): When taking a photo of a striking object, sometimes it makes sense to let the object fill the frame, seemingly appearing as a massive object. Such a photo can make the object look even more grander.

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Twinkle of the sun around the structure of the Taj Mahal

Twinkle of the sun around the structure of the Taj Mahal
I have always liked taking photos where there is a twinkling of the sun around buildings, through fences, through trees. This one is one that I particularly like, where the sun appears to twinkle around the edge of the Taj Mahal. You also get to see a minaret.

Tip (Capturing the twinkle of the sun): Getting a photo of the sun twinkling through a structure (through a tree, around the side of a building, over the edge of a hill, etc) can give a very good effect. However, getting a good view of an exact twinkle requires precise positioning.

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Side view of the Taj Mahal compound gives an idea of the size

Side view of the Taj Mahal compound gives an idea of the size
This side view of the walkway in front of the Taj Mahal gives an idea of the size of the Taj compound; it is a fairly large compound and is very well maintained. Even with these number of tourists, most of them do not walk on the grass, otherwise it would get trampled under-foot.

Tip (Lighting in a landscape): Getting the quality of lighting right in a landscape photo can make the difference between whether it is a great photo or a good photo (or even a poor photo). To repeat, lighting is perhaps the most influential attribute of a successful landscape. If you have the patience or the sense of timing to wait for lighting that is soft, or dramatic, or slightly diffused, or very sharp, it usually pays off in a memorable photograph.

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Section of the Taj Mahal and a minaret

Section of the Taj Mahal and a minaret
This is a photo of a section of the Taj Mahal with a minaret in the background. The Taj Mahal has 4 marble minarets in all the 4 corners, but with this small sectional photo, you can just see. What you can see is a sample of the huge number of tourists who visit the place.

Tip: When taking a photo where there are a number of tourists, be sure to take a number of photos at separate time intervals. Some softwares give the feature of tourist remover, for which you need a number of photos. A person in one photo may not be there in another photo, and comparing these 2 photos, you can get rid of the tourist.

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View of the garden right in front of the Taj

View of the garden right in front of the Taj
This is a view of the long walkway in front of the Taj Mahal. The walkway has water fountains and gardens, and looks very beautiful. The actual platform of the Taj Mahal is raised, and hence the view looks like it is taken from a height.

Tip (Symmetry while taking a photo): When taking a view of a structure, be sure to maintain a proper symmetry in the framing of the photo. If the photo comes out unsymmetrical without a compelling reason, it can look awkward.

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Angular view of the Taj from a corner

Angular view of the Taj from a corner
This is a photo of the Taj when taken from just near one of the minarets. The Taj has 4 minarets at all 4 corners of the compound, and the photo was taken from just next to the minaret. This was taken with a normal camera, but somehow the photo seems to give the appearance of a wide angle.

Tip (Taking photos from different angles): Always explore the angles from which you can take a photo of beautiful structures. It is not always necessary that you take a regular photo like everyone else does, explore a bit, look at the various side including from the bottom, and see whether you can get a good (as well as a unique) view.

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Friday, October 17, 2008

Tourists thronging the structure that is the gateway to the Taj Mahal

Tourists thronging the structure that is the gateway to the Taj Mahal
This is the red sandstone building (a material used by the Mughals to build a huge number of their structures) that forms the gateway to the white marble structure of the Taj Mahal. If you look closely, you can see the Taj from within the opening in the center of the gateway.

Tip: When taking a view of a structure, be sure to maintain a proper symmetry in the framing of the photo. If the photo comes out unsymmetrical without a compelling reason, it can look awkward.

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Photo of sunlight coming through the trees in the Taj Mahal compound

Photo of sunlight coming through the trees in the Taj Mahal compound
This is a photo of a huge tree in the compound of the Taj Mahal in Agra. The sunlight is coming through the leaves of the tree, and you can also see a section of the building under repair. Taking photos of these different light effects is one of my favorite passions.

Tip: Getting a photo of the sun twinkling through a structure (through a tree, around the side of a building, over the edge of a hill, etc) can give a very good effect. However, getting a good view of an exact twinkle requires precise positioning.

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View of Taj from the side including the building base

View of Taj from the side including the building base
This is a view of the Taj, from the side. The photo includes the base platform on which the super (upper) structure of the Taj is built. The lighting conditions, including the marble, somehow make the structures seem a bit ethereal.

Tip: Always explore the angles from which you can take a photo of beautiful structures. It is not always necessary that you take a regular photo like everyone else does, explore a bit, look at the various side including from the bottom, and see whether you can get a good (as well as a unique) view.

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Capturing water droplets in front of the Taj Mahal

Capturing water droplets in front of the Taj Mahal
This is a normal photo of the Taj Mahal. The thing that made this photo stand out for me was the juxtaposition of the water droplets of water from a fountain on the main face of the Taj Mahal.

Tip: When capturing an image where you have water drops and a building in the background, the photo can get very appealing if there is a tight focus on the individual water droplets and a soft focus on the building in the background.

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A water fountain in front of the Taj

A water fountain in front of the Taj
This water fountain in front of the Taj was a popular halting spot to the small walk to the Taj. There were many people sitting there on the benches, catching their breath, and overall enjoying the scene (even though the water fountain was not very splashy by itself). The waves created in the water by the falling of water drops seemed very interesting.

Tip: When taking a photo of water bodies that are stationary, see whether you can get some effects like waiting for the water surface to have a ripple on it. Capturing the interaction between falling water drops and a ripple on the water surface makes for a good photograph.

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Photo of the Taj Mahal on a clear blue sky day

Photo of the Taj Mahal on a clear blue sky day
This is yet another photo of the Taj Mahal on a clear blue sky day. This photo was taken on Christmas Day, the 25th of December, when it was cold. Early in the morning, around 10 AM, there were few tourists, and hence it was a better situation for taking photos.

Tip: When taking a photo of a striking object, sometimes it makes sense to let the object fill the frame, seemingly appearing as a massive object. Such a photo can make the object look even more grander.

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Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Tilted photo at the Taj with close up of water droplets

Titled photo at the Taj with close up of water droplets
This is a photo that somehow got tilted when I was taking it. This photo was taken at the Taj, with my back to the Taj. It shows the monument that is the gateway to the Taj Complex, and also tries to capture individual water droplets.

Tip: If you find an image that has come off at a slight angle, do not discard the photo. You can take the photo to regular photo editing softwares such as Photoshop Elements or Picassa or GIMP, and then straighten over there.

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The water fountains in front of the Taj Mahal

The water fountains in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra
I have always been fascinated with trying to capture shots that are not so normal. I took a few photos of the Taj, but while everybody else was still trying to take more shots of the Taj, I turned around and tried to capture these shots of the droplets from the water fountain.

Tip: When trying to capture shots of moving water, you can either take it in a fluid motion, or try to capture each individual droplet. The camera control that helps in this is the Shutter speed. If you are trying to get the flow of a mountain stream, you can even set the camera on a tripod and take a long exposure shot where the water seems fluid. On the other hand, when trying to capture each individual droplet, you will need to make the shutter speed much faster, and compensate in both cases by varying the opening of the aperture.

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The Taj against a clear blue sky

The Taj against a clear blue sky
This is a photo of the Taj against a clear blue sky. This photo was taken at around 10 in the morning, when the sun is still dawdling about getting up, and the white marble of the Taj Mahal does not reflect so much light.

Tip: For taking a photo of a beautiful structure in areas where the sun can be very harsh, the best times to take a photo are early morning before the sun is up in the sky, and evening when the light from the sun does not seem so harsh. These conditions are best for overall light and getting a good color of the sky.

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The Taj Mahal from a distance

Photo of The Taj Mahal from a distance
This is a photo of the view of the Taj Mahal that you can see as soon as you cross the great red sandstone gate, and immediately you see this view. It is a grand view, and many times you have to wait since there is a big rush of people waiting to take their photos as well.

Tip: When taking a photo of a historical structure such as a photo of the Taj Mahal (where you have the luxury of no major buildings nearby and you can move around a bit), then try to take the photo such that the structure (and its associated gardens / paths, etc) come out symmetrical and in the horizontal structure of the photo. It looks much better that way.

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Close up of the majestic gate in the Taj complex

Photo of Close up of the majestic gate in the Taj complex
This is a close up of the majestic red sandstone gate inside the Taj complex. Once you pass through this gate, you get a full front view of the Taj Mahal, shining with its whiteness in the distance. This photo does not show the grandeur of this entrance gate to its full beauty.

Tip: When taking a photo of a structure, take some time to look at the architecture of the structure; look at the lines of the building. Then compose the photo such that you get a photo that looks complete.

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Tourists in front of the entrance to the Taj complex

Photo of Tourists in front of the entrance to the Taj complex
This is the gate that stands between the entrance to the Taj complex, and the actual Taj Mahal. Build in red sandstone, it would be an imposing structure, but pales in comparison to the actual beauty of the Taj Mahal.

Tip: When you have a structure with many tourists in front, and you really desire a shot without so many tourists, take plenty of shots of the structure from the same location, and at different periods of time. Software (such as Adobe's Photoshop Elements) allows you to remove tourists (if they are present in one photo, and absent in another).

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Sun shining through a tree in the Taj Complex

Sun shining through a tree in the Taj Complex
This is a photo of the scene as you enter the outer boundary of the Taj. There was this large tree, with the sun shining through, as well as some construction work happening nearby. The attempt was to capture both of them in the same photo.

Tip: Composition is everything in shooting a good photo. When trying to shoot a great looking photo, make sure that you are not trying to cramp too many things in the same photo (if it comes out well, then good; but many times you end up making compromises). Focus on getting a good composition in the photo, and you can always end up taking more photos with the other objects in the neighborhood.

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Harsh sun in daytime over Agra Fort

Photo of Harsh sun in daytime over Agra Fort
This is actually a photo of the sun over Agra Fort. However, it is difficult to make out too much detail of the photo (you have to look hard to make out the detail in the photo) since the bright light of the sun seems to over-shadow every other detail in the photo.

Tip: Not easy to do, but in areas where the sun can be harsh, it is not easy to take photos without the sun burning everything in the photo. You can either try and recover details using external software such as Photoshop, or you can try and take photo when the sun is not high overhead.

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Saturday, August 30, 2008

Sun twinkling through the Agra Fort fence

Sun twinkling through the Agra Fort fence
This is a photo taken through the fence of the Agra Fort. I really like taking such photos, as I like the effect of the twinkling of the sun through a narrow portion (you get to see the sun in a star-like shape).
Tip: Taking a photo like this takes patience. You need to get into the precise position where the sun appears like this, and need to review the photo you have taken to see whether you are indeed getting the required effect.

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The assembly hall in Agra Fort and people around it

The assembly hall in Agra Fort and people around it
The structure in the background is the assembly / audience hall in the Agra Fort where the emperor would give an audience. At one time, this would be an area that was full of soldiers and guards, and is now a common place where citizens of India can roam around, sit on the grass, and enjoy the heritage of their country.
Tip: For such a photo, you should consider whether you are getting enough light. When everybody is sitting and the background is not moving, you can open the aperture to its maximum and then experiment with the shutter speed. If you are using a digital camera, be sure to view the result before moving on.

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The front of the Agra Fort and its greenery

The front of the Agra Fort and its greenery
This is a photo of the Agra Fort (in India) (Wikipedia), a historic and protected monument. A lot of tourists visit this location, and as you can see, there is a lot of effort involved in making sure that the site remains in good condition, being a UNESCO World Heritage site. A large number of the Mughal emperors ruled from here, and for a long time, this was the place from where the country was run.
Tip: for taking photos of such structures, see whether you can carry a tripod. A tripod allows for a lot of stability, and when things are not moving (such as structures), you can experiment by varying the depth of field. To have a big depth of field, you need to have a small aperture, and also a slow shutter speed (for which hand holding the camera can introduce a shake).

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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

A tomb inside Agra Fort

A tomb inside Agra Fort
This is a tomb of an English officer inside Agra Fort. I am not sure about why his tomb was inside the Fort, but could be because he died during the battle inside the Fort in the First War of Independence in 1857

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Tourists posing in the Emperors public Hall

Tourists posing in the Emperors public Hall
There are tourists posing in the hall that was used by the emperor as a public receiving room, and taking a photograph in this location is a favorite for people who come to the Fort.

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Photo of the big green courtyard of Agra Fort

Photo of the big green courtyard of Agra Fort
This is another photo of the same courtyard (covered in the previous photo as well). At the far end, you can see a large number of people over there, and also if you look close enough, see the Taj Mahal in the background.

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Central green courtyard of Agra Fort

Central green courtyard of Agra Fort
This is the lush green courtyard of Agra Fort. Apparently, at one time, this courtyard was actually a water pool, but was later filled up when the British occupied it. The grass looks great, and the whole lawn is pretty large.

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Central open courtyard in Agra Fort

Central open courtyard in Agra Fort
Under a bright sun, this is a large open courtyard inside Agra Fort. The photo is taken from the second level, and the actual courtyard is one level below. This whole area was the private area of the Emperor and his family at that time, and now you can see a number of tourists all around.
To try to take a clearer photo, I needed to move around so that the sun was at my back, open the shutter for a shorter duration and keep the aperture open much larger.

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Monday, August 04, 2008

The Emperor's audience room in Agra Fort

The Emperor's audience room in Agra Fort
This is the audience hall in Agra Fort where the emperor would sit on his throne, and listen to complaints, as well as discuss issues of state. He would also dispense justice while over here.

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A view of one of the private palaces of the Agra Fort

A view of one of the private palaces of the Agra Fort
A view of one of the private palaces of the Agra Fort. This place, where you can see a lot of tourists roaming around, was one of the most private parts of the Agra Fort during the time of the emperor, since it was the private palace of one of the princesses. An intruder over here, if caught, could face the death penalty.

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Diffused photo of the sun over the Agra Fort

Diffused photo of the sun over the Agra Fort
This is a photo of the sun over Agra Fort. The sun was right overhead, and the light was so strong that it was difficult to take a photo where both the sun and the structure could be seen clearly, although I tried with a few photos. Any tips ?

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A view of the Taj Mahal from a distance

A view of the Taj Mahal from a distance
This is a view of the Taj Mahal, as seen from the Agra Fort across the river Yamuna. The emperor who built the Taj Mahal, Shahjahan, was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in the Fort after taking over power, and he could only see the Taj from this distance.

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Sun blazing through a gap in the Agra Fort

Sun blazing through a gap in the Agra Fort
I am pretty fond of photos where the light from the sun can be manipulated. So, in this photo, I saw an opportunity where the light from the sun was seeming to come directly through a canon-hole (a hole from where a canon could be fired through the wall) and the light was spreading in all directions from that hole.

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Sunday, August 03, 2008

Part of the structure inside Agra Fort

Part of the structure inside Agra Fort
This is a part of the structure inside Agra Fort. The Agra Fort is a protected monument built more than 350 years ago and serving as the headquarters for the Mughal Emperor for a fairly long time. The photo is of a small part of the structure inside the walls of the fort, and give an idea of the architecture of the building.

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A better view of the shrine at Fatehpur Sikri

A better view of the shrine at Fatehpur Sikri
This is a much better view of the shrine of the saint Salim Chisti at Fatehpur Sikri. The shrine is normally dark inside, and it was hard taking this photo (the low light means that the shutter was open for much longer, leading to the blurred image - even though I was using a pretty good camera called the Sony DSC R1 (not a SLR though)). I kept this blurred image only because this was the best image that I have.

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The actual tomb inside Fatehpur Sikri

The actual tomb inside Fatehpur Sikri
This is a photo that is revealing the shortcomings of the motto of this blog (no editing of the photos from the camera). This is a photo of the inside of the actual shrine at Fatehpur Sikri, including the sheet over the tomb of the saint, but the photo is so dark that you cannot see the actual details unless you look carefully (although clicking on the photo to see a bigger image would help)

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