Best photo locations in Mumbai, India?

[haring]

What are the best photo locations in and around Mumbai? I will spend the weekend there and I would like to take some cool photos!
Have you ever been there? What location was you favorite? Do you have any photos you can show us?

[zafra52]

I visited India twice and both in organised small tours so I only went to the scheduled sites and I had limited time to take photographs. I have never visited Mumbai, but my advise is to research the city before hand for sites that may be of interest to you. Another thing you can do, once you are there, is to check hotel brochures of the city and postcards and then ask a taxi to take you there. I also suggest you plan what equipment you take with you beforehand for it can become a nuisance carrying heavy camera equipment all day long e.g. a 3Kg camera & lens may feel like 23Kg six hours later in hot and humid temperature when you are tired.

I found Indians very affable and obliging and I am sure the locals in Mumbai will be the same. Be aware that many monuments and sites will charge a small photography levy per camera and some friendly locals will allow their photos taken and expect in return a small remuneration, so take small denomination notes. Don't be too generous, but equally don't give such a small amount that can be regarded an insult, so inform yourself at the hotel or someone you know and trust. I hope my information is useful.

[haring]

I visited India twice and both in organised small tours so I only went to the scheduled sites and I had limited time to take photographs. I have never visited Mumbai, but my advise is to research the city before hand for sites that may be of interest to you. Another thing you can do, once you are there, is to check hotel brochures of the city and postcards and then ask a taxi to take you there. I also suggest you plan what equipment you take with you beforehand for it can become a nuisance carrying heavy camera equipment all day long e.g. a 3Kg camera & lens may feel like 23Kg six hours later in hot and humid temperature when you are tired.

I found Indians very affable and obliging and I am sure the locals in Mumbai will be the same. Be aware that many monuments and sites will charge a small photography levy per camera and some friendly locals will allow their photos taken and expect in return a small remuneration, so take small denomination notes. Don't be too generous, but equally don't give such a small amount that can be regarded an insult, so inform yourself at the hotel or someone you know and trust. I hope my information is useful.

Thanks so much! Great info!
Are there any landmark buildings, places? (Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh...) I am going shoot a wedding in Mumbai and I am looking for iconic place where I can take the couple for a short photo session...

[zafra52]

Sorry for my late reply. I was hoping someone else with a better knowledge would answer your questions.

As I said before I never been to Mumbai nor Uttar Pradesh so I cannot give you accurate information, but general advise. If you are going there to take wedding photographs, I guess you would need to use local sites in Mumbai. The places you mentioned are very far from Mumbai and I fear the travel to and from is not always easy in India. For example: We flew into and from New Delhi to Varanasi (a population 60 Kms away because there is no airport in Varanasi) and from Varanasi by train to Agra (only military airport in Agra). The train ride took us 11 hours and it arrived to the station (another 60Km out of town) 6 hours late. it appears the road between these two cities are quite dangerous and unsafe (robbers) and that's why we had to take a train. The train travel was quite an unpleasant experience.

I suggest you research Mumbai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai) and acquaint yourself with what that modern city has to offer. I am sure it will have many picturesque sites suitable for wedding photographs. You might also care to check the Lonely Planet travel guide (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/mumbai-bombay) for places of interest. The latter will give you also valuable information of how to get there (meaning other cities), cultural information and opening hours of monuments.

You might be able to fly the bride and groom from Mumbai to Agra by private plane (Agra does not have a commercial airport, but it may have a private one), but you still will need to make arrangements to take wedding photographs inside the Taj Mahal at some particular time when the place is not crawling with visitors; otherwise you might as well take the photos in a studio with a backdrop of the monument. Please remember that India is a huge country.