India

Agra is on the banks of the river Yamuna in the state of Uttar Pradesh.   With a population of 1.8 million, it is the 19th most populous in India.  Since 80 percent of the city's sewage flows into the Yamuna River, it is also one of India’s most polluted cities.  Agra achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658.

The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum and was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India" and is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles.

While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually one of an integrated complex of structures. The complex itself is bounded on three sides by red sandstone walls, with the river-facing side left open.  Construction began in 1632 and was completed in 1653.  The complex is known both for the symmetry of the mausoleum and for the symmetry of the constellation of buildings which surround it.  The crypt of Mumtaz Mahal is both at the center of the mausoleum and the grounds symmetric configuration.   However, the crypt of her husband lies next to hers and breaks the symmetry of the design.

Because of the pollution, it was difficult to shoot in agra and at the Taj.  We did our best and in some images, the pollution offers an etherial effect.  We did virtually no shooting in Agra itself, just no time.  On our last evening, we hired a flat bed fishing boat to shoot the Taj from the Yamanu river.  Security prohibited us from going directly in front of the Taj so we shot at an angle.  the boat was great - tourists just don’t do it!

One afternoon, we traveled to a local rural village, Barara, about an hour away from Agra.  It was a rural village and again we were reminded of the conditions in which many Indians live.