Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON
In 2003, I spotted this ancient, carved archway in the courtyard of the Taj Mahal during a day trip to Agra from New Delhi. I figured it was perfect to frame this spectacular mausoleum, especially since the sky was very hazy.
I took some shots with the pre-digital SLR I was using at the time (it was 2003, after all) and I was walking away when my young son urged me to take one last shot, as a backup, with a little Ricoh Instamatic. Luckily I followed his advice.
When we got home to Melbourne, I handed in all my film to the Kodak store that always processed my work - and where I had bought all my film for the trip.
They called me later to say one roll of film was completely blank - and I was devastated when we worked out (by process of elimination) which one it was. I had lost every SLR shot of the Taj - except what I had shot of the UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Instamatic!
Later, when I checked the spools in the Kodak store, it became apparent that it was a reel of film I had bought as a back-up in New Delhi, a few hours before we went to Agra.
For earlier posts in this series, check out The Doors Archive.
