This is the third and final installment in the Taj Mahal sequence.

The Taj is seen at its refulgent best in the moments immediately after sunrise and preceding sundown when the marble glows in the honeyed light of the sun. Outside of these two fleeting windows, the exterior of the monument takes on a flat, white patina that is less interesting to the photographer. A monochromatic treatment is appropriate to the first image below, taken mid-morning from the balcony of the Amarvilas hotel.

Taj Mahal
5D, 300L f/4 IS

Thou shalt not clean or spellcheck the sign outside the entrance to the mausoleum.

Photography Prohibted (sic)
5D, 17-40L

First rays of the sun
5D, 35L

PS: The muck at the bottom of the pool, the obscene sidewalk, and the uninspiring shrubbery brought to you by the boors of the Indian government (Archaeological Survey of India).

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

In thrall
5D, 17-40L

Greetings to all on the occasion of the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi which falls on Sept 1 this year. Seen below is the 4.5 metres tall, 15th C sculpture of Kadalekalu Ganesha at Hampi. The image was taken handheld at ISO 1600.

Kadalekalu Ganesha at Hampi, Karnataka
5D, 24-105L

A candid taken late evening at Mehrangarh in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The Jaswant Thada is seen to the left of the frame.

At Mehrangarh in Jodhpur
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

A recent column by Rajeev Srinivasan brought back memories of my photo expedition through coastal Kerala during the 2007 monsoon season. As we neared the settlement of Payyoli, on a lark I decided to call on P.T. Usha, the local heroine and the greatest athlete India has produced in recent memory. [Memo to Indians: Give your bozo worship of sissy boy Sachin Tendulkar a rest.]

Just as I got to her door, it swung open and there was Usha herself, lamp in hand, immersed in the rhythm of her daily evening pooja. There was no time to adjust my camera settings much less think of compositional nuance if I was going to capture the spontaneity of the moment. I quickly dialed in a high ISO number and took the shot in fading light. It remains one of my prized photos.

P.T. Usha lights a lamp at her doorstep in Payyoli, Kerala
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Usha and her husband were warm and welcoming, and a quick portrait session followed. I prefer to shoot portraits in natural light, but it was dark outside and the dim interior lighting didn’t help either. Direct flash had to be deployed which meant it would reflect off Usha’s skin. Well, we photographers learn to quickly accept the cards we are dealt. Although I have tried to mitigate the harsh footprint left by the flash in post-processing, the end product is not entirely to my satisfaction.

P.T. Usha
5D, 135L