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.

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.

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).

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.

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.