A Confession at the Gates: Tips for Photographing the Taj Mahal

Exhibit 1: the Taj Mahal framed by the main entrance gate . . . without crowds

Look, I know what it looks like.

Yes—I ran.

Yes—I left my wife.

Yes—I left my daughters.

But—they were just standing there. There was no way they were going to make it. Not in the short time we had.

So, yes—I tore off into the Agra morning like a man possessed.But in my defense... okay, no, I don’t really have a defense. I have reasons. There’s a difference.

You have to understand how it works. They separate you at the entrance. Men in one line. Women in another. I didn’t make the rules, alright? I was just following them.

And when they opened the gates? That wasn’t just a gate, man. That was the starting gun.

Do you know what it’s like to see the Taj Mahal in that first slant of sunrise light with no people in front of it?

Of course you don’t. Because you waited. Like a good person.

I didn’t wait.

I sprinted.

I had my camera slung across my chest like a bandolier. I ran like I was storming the beach at Normandy.

You think leaving my family behind was the worst thing I did that day. No way, man. Anyone got in my way, let’s just say I did what I had to do.

I knew what I wanted. I knew the picture I wanted. And so I just charged towards the goal.

Flip-flops flapping. Breath wheezing.

A tiny Indian security guard shouting something unintelligible about “no running” as I blew past him like a dust-covered bolt of desperation.

I rounded that final archway.

And there it was.

The Taj.

Glowing. Floating. Empty.

I mean, empty. EMPTY, man! Who gets to see something like that in this life? Who?

I’ll tell ya who. Me.

For just a few glorious minutes, it was just me and Shah Jahan’s marble love letter.

Exhibit 2: the Taj Mahal at the reflecting pool . . . without crowds

Click.

Click click.

Wide angle.

Low angle.

Leading lines.

Exhibit 3: the Taj Mahal from the side . . . without crowds

I got it. I GOT THE SHOT. The one without the sea of selfie sticks and high-vis baseball caps.

And then... I waited.

Look, I WAITED, man!

There were still more shots I could have been taking. Just me and the Taj. But I waited.

I waited on the cool marble platform like a man awaiting judgment. Because I knew it was coming.

My family arrived. I don’t even think it was more than 20 minutes later!

My daughters looked at me like I’d personally abandoned them in a war zone.

My wife said nothing. Which was worse.

Did I betray them?

Yes.

Would I do it again?

You bet your rickshaw driver’s uncle’s gem shop I would!

Look, I love my family. I’d take a bullet for them.

But pictures last forever, man! And that’s a mighty long time.

And in that cold calculus of sunrise light and an unpeopled Taj Mahal, I made my choice.

Because here’s the thing: the Taj Mahal deserves that kind of ridiculous reverence. That kind of breathless, guilt-soaked, photo-driven obsession.

It’s not just beautiful. It’s not just symmetrical. It’s otherworldly.

And for a moment—just one—before the crowds filled the courtyard, before the selfie sticks rose like battle flags, before I had to start pretending I was a good husband again—it was just me and the Taj.

And yeah, the photos turned out great.

So go ahead, file your moral charges. I’ll take the rap. But I regret nothing.

Because travel mean sacrifice . . . and heartbreak . . . and loneliness . . . and great pictures.

End recording.

The family and the Taj Mahal

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END NOTE: How to Get a Crowd Free Shot of the Taj Mahal? Get there before the gates open and line up. You will be searched by a security guard, so don’t carry lots of bags (or anything suspicious). When you get in, go as quickly as you can to the main entry gate. Quickly get shots of the Taj framed by the gate. Then run to the head of the reflections pools. Quickly shoot away. Then make a decision on which direction you want to go and stay ahead of the crowd for as long as you can. No matter what you do, the crowds will catch up to you eventually.

Don't even think about trying to use a tripod. Not allowed. And if they were, they would just slow you down anyway. Crank the ISO as high as your camera is good with and shoot handheld.

FULL DISCLOSURE: there were a few people in the above shots that I removed in post. You can remove a random person here and there. A huge crowd is another story altogether.