Photographing Old Delhi With a Local Photographer

Street photography in Old Delhi is shaped by movement, layered light, and everyday human interactions unfolding at every turn. Walking these streets alongside a local photographer reveals rhythms, locations, and quiet moments that visitors often miss, allowing the experience to become more observational than simply photographic.

Old Delhi

Old Delhi does not unfold quietly. It arrives through sound, movement, and layers of life revealing themselves at every corner. Streets pulse with conversations, vendors calling out, bicycles weaving through crowds, and light slipping through narrow lanes in unexpected ways. It is beautifully chaotic, intense, and visually absorbing, yet within that density, everyday gestures quietly begin to feel timeless

When I was planning my trip to India, I knew I wanted to photograph Old Delhi. But more importantly, I knew I did not want to experience it alone.

Why I Wanted to Photograph Old Delhi With Another Photographer

Street photography is often solitary, and that solitude has its place. But Old Delhi felt different. I wanted to understand it beyond the surface, to see it through someone who knows its rhythms, its light, and its stories.

Photographing alongside another photographer is not about instruction or comparison. It is about sharing a way of seeing. It allows you to slow down, question your instincts, and notice details you might otherwise overlook.

That intention shaped how I walked, observed, and responded to the streets during this part of the trip.

Discovering Shaheen Iquebal's (@jaarzii) Work

In the weeks leading up to the trip, I spent time exploring street photography from Delhi on Instagram. Yet relying solely on Instagram can be misleading. Images are often heavily edited, composed with the platform in mind, and at times feel detached from the reality of the street.

I was looking for something more grounded. An authentic sense of place, especially in a crowded and layered environment like Old Delhi.

That is when I came across the work of Shaheen Iquebal.

His photographs immediately stood out. They were quiet in intent, layered in meaning, and deeply human. There was no sense of urgency, no visual noise. Instead, his images carried the confidence of someone who knows when to lift the camera and when to let a moment pass.

Shaheen is an Electronics and Software Engineer by profession, but his connection to photography runs much deeper than a casual pursuit. His work reflects time spent returning to the same streets, observing how light changes, how routines repeat, and how small gestures quietly tell larger stories.

I reached out to him with a simple message, explaining that I would be visiting Delhi and hoping to experience street photography in Old Delhi through a local perspective. His response was warm and generous. He agreed to walk the streets with me, not as a guide, but as a fellow photographer sharing the experience

Walking Old Delhi Through Shaheen Iquebal’s Eyes

From the very beginning, it was clear that this would not be a rushed experience. Shaheen had chosen the timing carefully, ensuring that the light would work with the streets rather than against them. The pace was unhurried, even when the surroundings were anything but calm. We paused often, sometimes without taking a single photograph, simply observing.

Shaheen knows Old Delhi intimately. Not just the streets themselves, but their rhythm. He understands how certain lanes come alive at specific moments, how light falls differently across time and season, and how stories quietly unfold if you give them space.

As we walked, he shared context, not in the form of rehearsed facts, but through lived knowledge. Small details, a shop opening its shutters, a familiar exchange between neighbours, a shaft of light cutting through the chaos just long enough to frame a face. These are things you do not find by following a map.

This understanding elevated the entire experience. At times, the camera became secondary. Observation came first.

Why Old Delhi Is So Special for Street Photography

For many visitors, Old Delhi can feel overwhelming. Narrow lanes, constant movement, layers of sound, colour, and activity compete for attention. Yet this density is precisely what drew me in.

Photographing Old Delhi pushed me out of my comfort zone. In Mauritius, my street photography often revolves around isolated subjects or quieter scenes, an approach shaped by the island's rhythm and light, which you can explore in my street photography work from Port Louis Central Market. Here, I was confronted with complexity at every turn. Frames were layered, unpredictable, and constantly evolving.

Old Delhi carries a strong sense of timelessness. Daily routines have been repeated for generations. Gestures feel inherited rather than performed. Light filters through architecture, creating scenes that feel both fleeting and enduring.

Without local insight, it is easy to miss this. With it, the experience becomes immersive rather than purely observational.

A Photography Experience, Not a Tour

There is an important distinction to draw here. What Shaheen offers is not a guided tour of Old Delhi, but a photography-first experience.

There is no fixed route, no checklist of landmarks, and no pressure to constantly shoot. The experience adapts to the photographer's pace and curiosity, whether you are experienced, a hobbyist, or even shooting on a phone. What matters is curiosity and a willingness to observe.

This approach changes the entire dynamic. It removes the performative aspect of photography and replaces it with presence. You are not chasing images. You are responding to what unfolds.

It is an experience that stays with you long after you have left the streets behind.

What This Experience Changed for Me

Beyond the photographs I brought back, this experience reshaped how I approach photographing unfamiliar places. It reinforced the value of shared experiences between photographers, especially when one photographer carries deep local knowledge.

It reminded me that some of the most meaningful images come not from effort, but from understanding. From understanding when to step forward and when to wait. From allowing a place to reveal itself on its own terms.

Old Delhi is filled with compelling characters and stories within stories, and it was tempting to focus more on street portraits. Instead, I chose to work with my 17–40mm lens and embrace wider scenes, allowing the environment to play an equal role in the frame and reflect what I was witnessing and absorbing.

Several of the images featured in this post were made during moments of quiet observation, when the streets were allowed to breathe, despite their constant movement.

Many of these themes continue across my broader photography work, where I explore environments shaped by rhythm, memory, and everyday life.

Reaching Out to Shaheen

This blog features my photographs from that walk, but the experience itself is inseparable from Shaheen's time and generosity.

For anyone visiting Delhi and interested in experiencing street photography in Old Delhi beyond the obvious, Shaheen can be reached directly via Instagram. He offers a photography-led way of moving through the streets, shaped by light, timing, and lived understanding rather than itineraries. Beyond Old Delhi, he is also deeply familiar with many of the key areas and lesser-known corners of the city. As with most personalised photography experiences, arrangements are to be discussed directly with him.

How to contact Shaheen:

• Instagram: @jaarzii

• Email : shaheen4741@gmail.com

Some photographic experiences stay with you long after the images are edited and shared. Walking the streets of Old Delhi alongside Shaheen is one of those experiences that continues to shape how I see and photograph the world.