May – 2025: The First Photo Talk Meetup, Ten Speakers, One Stage, Countless Perspectives
Every great photograph begins long before the shutter is pressed. It begins with an idea, an experience, a mistake, or a lesson learned along the way. In May 2025, for the first time, ShutterSociety.HYD brought those untold stories onto one stage, where ten passionate photographers with different talents, experiences, and creative journeys came together to inspire one another beyond the lens.
So, what exactly was our May 2025 meetup? Was it another photowalk? No. It was something completely different. What is a Photo Talk? How did this idea come about? And how could a community that was only four months old organize an event like this? These questions might be coming to your mind right now.
To be honest, the very same questions were in my mind too, because I wasn’t even in Hyderabad at the time. I was in the USA on a 50 day family vacation when I received a call from Mr. Sai Thejeshwar Rao Basuthkar and Mr. Cherry Moka. They told me that many community members were asking if we could organize a Photo Talk instead of our regular meetup. My first reaction was surprise. Was something like this really possible without any funding?
Since all our meetups had always been free, we never wanted financial contributions to become a barrier for anyone. Instead, Sai Thejeshwar Rao and Cherry immediately began searching for a venue that believed in the same vision as our community.
They soon discovered COVE Speciality Cafe, where something wonderful happened. The owners, Vaibhav Peri and Nikhil Giri, who are wildlife photography enthusiasts themselves, immediately connected with the idea behind ShutterSociety.HYD.
They appreciated that our community was completely non commercial and driven only by passion. Without asking for any venue charges, they generously offered their cafe, projector, stage, sound system, microphones, and everything required to conduct the event.
Members only needed to pay for whatever food or beverages they ordered. Their support gave us the confidence to turn this dream into reality.
When people believe in your purpose, they become a part of your journey
With the venue finalized, the planning began. A dedicated volunteer team stepped forward and worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Every responsibility was carefully divided, from coordinating speakers and registrations to stage management and guest hospitality. The community was slowly proving something we had always believed from day one. It belonged to its people, not just its founders.
One of the biggest highlights was inviting Zoya Thomas Lobo, India’s first transgender photojournalist. Mr. Sai Thejeshwar Rao personally reached out to her and invited her to speak. Since she was travelling from Mumbai, the team also arranged her pickup, accommodation, and drop, ensuring she felt welcomed throughout her visit.
The planning continued for nearly three weeks. Along with the speaker sessions, the team even planned a small low light photowalk after the event so members could continue learning beyond the stage. Every small detail was carefully discussed before the official announcement was finally shared with the community. Within a short time, more than 100 people had already shown their interest in joining the event.
As speaker announcements began one by one, excitement grew rapidly. Every speaker also shared the event on their own social media pages, bringing even more photographers to join. Soon, the interest crossed 100 registrations, and by the day of the event nearly 140 photography enthusiasts had gathered at the venue. COVE Speciality Cafe had truly become a house full of photographers.
The event was beautifully anchored by Mr. Sai Thejeshwar Rao and Ms. Hridaya Panuganti, who kept every session engaging, interactive, and perfectly on schedule.
The stage welcomed ten incredible speakers, each bringing a completely different perspective to photography.
Anvesh Kuchanapalli: opened the event with Cinematography and Its Techniques, explaining how lighting, composition, and camera movement transform simple visuals into cinematic storytelling.
Likhitha Dara: spoke about Documentary Photography and Photojournalism, sharing how photographs preserve truth and give a voice to people whose stories often remain unheard.
Aakash Gudala: introduced the audience to Interior Photography, demonstrating how light, symmetry, and perspective create powerful architectural images.
Leha Rao Muthineni: shared her journey through Wedding Documentation and Visual Storytelling, showing how genuine emotions become timeless memories.
Chandramouli Bakulapally: took everyone into the colorful world of Festival Photography, explaining how traditions, culture, and human emotions come together within a single frame.
Spandana Reddy: spoke about Travel Photography and Emotional Connections, reminding everyone that the most memorable journeys are often about the people we meet.
Mahesh Idupulapati: introduced photographers to Wikipedia and how meaningful photographs can help preserve knowledge for future generations.
Keerthi Sangu: inspired everyone through Birdwatching Through My Eyes, speaking about patience, observation, and developing a deeper appreciation for nature.
Firdaus F Mistri: shared decades of experience documenting India’s tribal communities with honesty, dignity, and immense respect.
Zoya Thomas Lobo: closed the speaker sessions by sharing her inspiring journey as India’s first transgender photojournalist, reminding everyone that photography has the power to create understanding, representation, and meaningful change.
Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action. — A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Throughout the evening, the sessions remained highly interactive. Questions flowed naturally between the audience and the speakers. Members enjoyed food, coffee, conversations, and countless photography discussions. It never felt like a formal seminar. It felt like photographers sitting together and learning from one another.
It was wonderful to see few beginners confidently asking questions while experienced photographers happily shared everything they knew. Moments like these reminded us that the best learning often happens through conversations, not presentations.
Knowledge grows when it is shared, and friendships grow when people learn together.
One unforgettable moment came shortly after Chandramouli Bakulapally’s session. His parents were among the audience, and we invited them onto the stage to share a few words. As they spoke about their son’s passion for photography, you could see the pride in their eyes. They were not only happy to see Chandramouli speaking on stage but also touched by the love, respect, and coordination they witnessed throughout the community.
The greatest appreciation for any artist is seeing pride in the eyes of their family.
Their words, their blessings, and the quiet tears of happiness became one of the most emotional moments of the evening. As organizers, receiving blessings from our elders meant far more than any applause. It reminded us that ShutterSociety.HYD was growing not only as a photography community but also as a family built on respect, encouragement, and genuine human connections.
Personally, I missed this entire event because I was outside India. But once the meetup ended, my phone was flooded with photographs, videos, and messages from people. Looking at everything later, I could hardly believe that a community just four months old had successfully organized such a meaningful event. Then I realized something. This success never belonged to one person. It belonged to every volunteer, every speaker, every attendee, and every member who believed in the vision of ShutterSociety.HYD from the very beginning.
After the sessions concluded, we had originally planned a small low light photowalk. However, the Photo Talk had become so engaging and interactive that we completely lost track of time. By the end of the event, everyone was still busy with conversations, photographs, and discussions with the speakers. Although the photowalk was cancelled, nobody seemed disappointed. Instead, new friendships were formed, ideas for future meetups had already begun taking shape, and once again, nobody seemed eager to leave.
A very special thank you to our volunteers, whose dedication made this entire event possible.
Sai Thejeshwar Rao, Cherry Moka, Hridaya Panuganti, Keerthi Sangu, Chandramouli Bakulapally, Spandana Reddy, Sanjana Kanchala, Naren Sriramoju, Murali Kuruba, Pothireddy Siva Nagarjuna Reddy, Vinay Kodamunja, Prashant Budida, and Gopi Krishna Manasani.
Dressed in black throughout the event, they quietly handled every responsibility behind the scenes while ensuring everything ran smoothly from beginning to end. They truly became the Black Army of ShutterSociety.HYD. Their teamwork, dedication, and passion made this event possible, and this meetup will always be remembered because of their incredible efforts.
A heartfelt thank you to every speaker, volunteer, attendee, and our venue partners who believed in this idea and made it possible. Your time, trust, and support turned our very first Photo Talk into an unforgettable chapter in the journey of ShutterSociety.HYD. We look forward to creating many more evenings of learning, inspiration, and meaningful conversations together.
