Apr – 2025: Drone Photography Meetup at Durgam Cheruvu, Hyd – Where Creativity Took Flight
Every city tells one story from the streets, and another from the sky. Until April 2025, we had been chasing moments on the ground. This time, we looked up, launched our drones, and discovered that a completely different Hyderabad had been waiting above us all along. Our very first Drone Photography Meetup was not just about flying drones, but about helping many new drone pilots learn, practice, and fly with confidence.
After successfully completing our first three official meetups, one request kept appearing again and again from our community members. Many wanted a dedicated drone meetup where beginners could ask questions, learn from experienced drone pilots, and gain hands on experience before purchasing or flying their own drone. Some members already owned drones, while many simply wanted to understand how drone photography worked and experience Hyderabad from a completely different perspective.
Seeing this growing interest, the three of us, I, Mr. Sai Thejeshwar Rao, and Mr. Cherry Mokka, decided that April would be the perfect time to organize our very first Drone Photography Meetup.
We knew around seventy members usually attended our meetups, while we expected only about six or seven drones to be available. That meant the location needed to offer something for everyone. After exploring different options, we finalized Durgam Cheruvu in Hyderabad.
The beautiful lake, the Cable Bridge, the modern skyline of Hitech City, and the glowing IT buildings would provide incredible opportunities for drone pilots, mobile photographers, and camera photographers alike. We also chose to conduct the meetup during the evening so everyone could enjoy the golden hour, sunset, blue hour, and the beautiful city lights that followed.
Choosing the location was only half the challenge. Flying multiple drones around Hyderabad’s busy IT parks was never going to be easy. We explained our idea and purpose to a local political representative from my residential community. He immediately understood what we were trying to do and, with just a few phone calls to the local police at Durgam Cheruvu, our biggest challenge was solved. Within no time, we had the confidence to move ahead with our very first Drone Photography Meetup.
Finally, the evening arrived, and members slowly started gathering at the meeting point. Before anyone flew a drone, we spent nearly an hour on the ground discussing everything a beginner should know. I explained basic drone controls, first flight preparation, safe takeoff and landing, emergency landing procedures, manual flying, drone speed, flight range, battery safety, cinematic movements, and how to compose better aerial photographs.
Other experienced drone pilots also shared their knowledge and even handed over their remote controllers so beginners could experience flying a drone for the very first time under proper guidance.
Knowledge grows fastest when it is shared.
One unexpected moment made the evening even more memorable. While we were conducting our briefing and taking a few photographs, a group of youngsters heading towards Inorbit Mall for a movie noticed us. They recognized both me and ShutterSociety.HYD from social media.
Curious about the meetup, they stopped to speak with us. After learning about the drone session, they decided to cancel their movie plan and spend the entire evening with our community instead. It reminded us that when something is built with genuine passion and without commercial intentions, people naturally become part of the journey.
From there, we walked together towards the iconic Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge. As the sun slowly disappeared behind the skyline, Hyderabad transformed into a sea of lights. While the drone pilots captured breathtaking aerial views of the city, our mobile and camera photographers explored the bridge from every angle.
We also conducted a small practical session on long exposure photography using the moving traffic below, helping many members create their very first light trail photographs.
From there, we walked together towards the iconic Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge. As the sun slowly disappeared behind the skyline, Hyderabad transformed into a sea of lights.
While the drone pilots captured breathtaking aerial views of the city, our mobile and camera photographers explored the bridge from every angle. We also conducted a small practical session on long exposure photography using the moving traffic below, helping many members create their very first light trail photographs.
Sometimes changing your perspective changes everything you see.
Even after sunset, the learning continued. A few more drone flights gave everyone the opportunity to witness Hyderabad’s glowing skyline from above. Watching the city lights appear on the drone screens was an unforgettable experience, especially for members who had never seen their city from the sky before.
Learning gives creativity. Creativity leads to thinking. Thinking leads to knowledge. Knowledge makes you great. — A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Looking back, our first Drone Photography Meetup became much more than a session about drones. It encouraged new drone pilots to take their first flight, gave beginners the confidence to learn from experienced flyers, and showed that every meetup could introduce an entirely new way of experiencing photography. Most importantly, it reminded us that ShutterSociety.HYD was not just growing as a photography community. It was slowly becoming a family connected by learning, creativity, and genuine friendships.
Like every meetup, we eventually announced that it was time for everyone to head home safely. But just like our previous meetups, nobody seemed ready to leave. Conversations continued across the bridge as members shared photographs, discussed camera gear, exchanged drone tips, and made plans for future shoots.
When we spoke to a few first-time members before they left, they all shared one common feeling. They never felt like newcomers. Instead, they felt they had spent the evening with friends they had known for years. Before leaving, many of them had just one question for us: “When is the next photowalk?” That question alone told us they had already become a part of the ShutterSociety.HYD family.
After the meetup officially concluded, a few of us continued our conversations over coffee at Starbucks in Inorbit Mall. What started as another photography meetup had once again turned into an evening filled with friendships, laughter, ideas, and plans for future adventures. Phones were passed around to look at everyone’s favorite drone shots from the evening, conversations drifted from photography to travel and life, and before we knew it, another couple of hours had quietly gone by.
Thank you to every drone pilot, photographer, and community member who joined us for this special evening. Your curiosity, willingness to learn, and passion for sharing knowledge made our very first Drone Photography Meetup a memorable milestone in the journey of ShutterSociety.HYD.
