I have to agree that it looks genuine to me. Are there any armory marks on it, many times there are. I recall at a seminar the handle guard can have significance as to where in india it comes from. I will try to dig out my notes but someone here will probably know better than I do. Congrats on a good first sword. As to the picture, indirect natural light is usually good
Here is an article I found useful on photographing swords
http://swordforum.com/sfu/photography/poolside.html