12 Hours in Delhi

Jama Masjid, Old Delhi

I recently wrote an article for FUJILOVE about getting out of a creative rut by imposing a constraint on your images. It can be tough to create when your senses are on fire. So, I restricted myself to using the GFX 50R’s 65:24 crop mode while I was travelling India this time around.

After a month of working on my Tattoos of Asia project in remote villages and mountain regions of India, I flew back to Delhi to meet my wife. In the few hours we had there, I decided to make images only in panoramic format. I would continue to do this for my entire time traveling the golden triangle and will share those images over the coming weeks. For today, enjoy Delhi as it was for me.

There’s nothing quite like hot places for finding those willing to relax anywhere. Vietnam has always made me smile with people sleeping on motorcycles. India takes that and replaces motorcycles with anywhere. This first shot was when I finally felt like I was back in Delhi.

Sleeping in the Street in Old Delhi

Of course, no collection about Delhi would be complete without a rickshaw rider, so I picked a few from the chaos in Chandni Chowk (our destination of choice for the few hours we had).

Rickshaw Rider, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi

Another feature of Chandni Chowk that I love are the delivery boys. They laze around on their carts until items come out of the market for them to move. Then, it’s all hands on deck for a while and back to lazing around. Watching the way the police treat them nowadays, I think this piece of culture may be on it’s way out as the rejuvenation of Chandni Chowk comes to fruition.

Delivery Boys, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi

Nobody can deny that Chandni Chowk is complete chaos. It’s amazing that anything at all gets done with the number of people, vehicles, and products moving around at any given time. These next two frames, hopefully, capture that chaos and how it feels for those involved in a small way.

Chandni Chowk Chaos, Old Delhi
Chandni Chowk Chaos, Old Delhi

In among all of this, however, locals will always find time for chai. There is nothing more Indian than the 4pm chai. The roads go quiet for a few moments while everyone takes a few moments to refuel for the end of day rush.

Chai Time, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi

Before catching our flight the next morning, we went for a quick walk through Jawahar Singh Market. In the early morning, the market is just warming up and there are some interesting images to be made.

Jawahar Singh Market, Old Delhi
The Winston Stare, Jawahar Singh Market, Old Delhi
Two Men and a Dog, Jawahar Singh Market, Old Delhi

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