Oct – 2025: The Moula Ali Hilltop Sunset Photowalk, Watching Hyderabad Transform from Golden Hour to Blue Hour
For months, we had photographed Hyderabad from its streets, festivals, and lakesides. This time, we wanted to see the city from a different perspective. October 2025 took us to the top of Moula Ali Hill, where every step upward promised a wider view, a quieter evening, and a reminder that sometimes the best photographs come after the climb.
After months of exploring Hyderabad through festivals, streets, and morning walks, one question kept coming back to us. As our community continued to grow every month, how could we keep introducing something new without repeating the same locations, at least within the same year? That question became part of almost every discussion between Mr. Sai Thejeshwar Rao, Mr. Cherry Mokka, and me. We wanted every meetup to offer a fresh experience, a different perspective, and another reason for our community to look forward to the next month.
Every new location begins with a conversation before it becomes a memory.
During one of those discussions, Moula Ali Hilltop came into the picture. Known for its panoramic views of Hyderabad, it seemed like the perfect location to experience the city changing from the warm colors of sunset into the beautiful blue hour. We immediately knew this could become another memorable chapter for our community.
Before making the official announcement, we visited the hilltop and met the people managing the Moula Ali Dargah. We introduced ShutterSociety.HYD and explained that this was a free community photo walk focused on learning and documenting Hyderabad.
Initially, they assumed we were planning a commercial shoot, which is generally not permitted there. However, after seeing our community’s work and understanding our purpose, they happily granted us permission. That meeting gave us the confidence to finalize the meetup.
As luck would have it, the weather had different plans. On the originally scheduled day, heavy rain arrived across Hyderabad. Keeping everyone’s safety in mind, we made the difficult decision to postpone the meetup. Thankfully, the weather cleared towards the end of the month, and we finally rescheduled the photowalk for 26th October. The wait only made everyone more excited.
On the meetup day, photographers slowly gathered at the meeting point. What was once a group of strangers now felt like friends meeting again after a long time. Before beginning the climb, we conducted our regular briefing and explained the complete plan for the evening. Since the hilltop is home to a sacred dargah, we also requested everyone to carry a small offering if they wished, whether flowers, prasadam, or a simple donation, as a gesture of respect towards the place we were visiting.
Just when everything seemed perfect, we faced another unexpected challenge.
Although we had already received permission earlier, the security staff at the entrance stopped our group of more than sixty photographers and did not allow us to proceed. We explained that permission had already been granted, but there was some confusion at the entrance. Nearly thirty minutes passed as we waited patiently and tried contacting different people.
The strength of a nation lies in the collective efforts of its people. — Narendra Modi
Then, one of our community members, Mr. Abbas, stepped forward. Through one of his contacts, he managed to speak with the concerned authorities, and within a short time, the misunderstanding was resolved. Once again, our community moved forward together.
The climb to the top included nearly three hundred steps, but the excitement made them feel much shorter. As people slowly reached the summit, everyone naturally spread across the hilltop, taking in the fresh breeze and the beautiful view stretching across Hyderabad.
Before the sunset began, we spent some time simply sitting together, talking about photography, cameras, travel, and life. Small discussions formed naturally as photographers exchanged ideas, shared camera settings, and discussed different approaches to landscape photography. Those quiet conversations became just as memorable as the photographs themselves.
Soon everyone began exploring the hilltop with their cameras. Some members focused on the historic stone structures and the peaceful surroundings of the dargah, while others searched for creative foregrounds overlooking the city.
Wide landscape compositions, environmental portraits, architectural details, silhouettes, and candid photographs slowly filled everyone’s memory cards. Every photographer discovered a different way of telling the same story from the hilltop.
A few members also flew their drones, giving everyone an incredible aerial perspective of the hill, the surrounding city, and our community gathered together.
Watching the drone capture one giant group selfie from the sky became one of the highlights of the evening.
As the sun slowly approached the horizon, everyone naturally gathered at one viewpoint. Conversations became quieter, cameras found their positions, and all eyes turned towards the skyline. Golden light gradually painted the city before giving way to soft blue tones as Hyderabad slowly lit up for the night. Watching that transition together, from golden hour to blue hour, was an experience that no photograph could completely describe.
Sunsets remind us that endings can be just as beautiful as beginnings.
Long after the sun had disappeared, nobody seemed ready to leave. We continued talking, laughing, sharing photographs, and simply enjoying the peaceful evening together until darkness had completely settled over the city. Eventually, we began the walk back down the hill, carrying not just memory cards full of photographs, but another collection of conversations, friendships, and unforgettable moments.
Before leaving the hilltop, many members took out their tripods for one final session. As the blue hour deepened and the city lights grew brighter, the hilltop became an open classroom for night photography. Members exchanged tips on long exposure settings, ISO, shutter speed, composition, and capturing sharp cityscapes in low light. Some experimented with light trails from the roads below, while others patiently framed the glowing Hyderabad skyline. It was the perfect ending to an evening where learning continued until the very last photograph.
Thank you to every community member who climbed those three hundred steps with us, embraced every unexpected challenge with patience, and helped make this evening another unforgettable chapter in the journey of ShutterSociety.HYD. Every meetup continues to remind us that while photography brings us together, it is the friendships we build along the way that make every journey truly special.
