Apr – 2026: Color Hunt Photowalk with the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT Hyderabad)
The year 2026 continued to surprise us with one milestone after another. What had started as a small community of passionate photographers was steadily growing into a trusted creative partner for leading educational institutions. After our collaborations with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Hyd), Lakhotia College of Design, and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus), we were honoured to begin another exciting collaboration with the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad). This time, together we organized a unique Color Hunt Photowalk, turning the busy streets of Monda Market into a creative photography challenge.
Creativity grows when people from different journeys come together with the same passion.
At ShutterSociety.HYD, one of our biggest dreams has always been to bring the passion of photography into academia. By collaborating with universities, we hope to inspire the next generation of photographers through real world experiences, meaningful interactions with experienced photographers, and a community that encourages learning, creativity, and lifelong friendships beyond the classroom. Every collaboration brings that vision a little closer to reality.
The collaboration began when the student coordinators from the Photography Club of the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad) reached out to us with the idea of organizing a joint photowalk. Since many of their students were relatively new to Hyderabad, they asked us to suggest a location and a photography experience that would be both memorable and different from a regular photowalk.
After exploring several ideas together, we suggested something unique, a Color Hunt Photowalk based on four colour themes: Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow, at Monda Market, Secunderabad. Instead of simply walking through the market capturing everything around them, every participant would be assigned one of these four colours and challenged to focus only on that colour throughout the entire photowalk.
The IIIT Hyderabad team immediately loved the concept, and together we finalized it as the theme for our collaboration.
Monda Market proved to be the perfect choice. One of Hyderabad’s busiest vegetable markets, it offered vibrant colours, interesting characters, beautiful morning light, everyday stories, and endless creative opportunities, making it the ideal place for students to experience Hyderabad’s street photography culture for the very first time.
Since the students were travelling from the university and wanted to spend more time interacting with our community, we designed the meetup in two parts.
The first half would be the Color Hunt Photowalk through the colourful lanes of Monda Market.
The second half would continue over breakfast at Minerva Coffee Shop, Tank Bund, where students and ShutterSociety.HYD members could relax, interact, exchange experiences, and build meaningful friendships beyond photography.
Before announcing the meetup, Mr. Sai Tejeshwar Rao and I personally visited Minerva Coffee Shop, Tank Bund to discuss the arrangements with the management. Although the restaurant usually started serving later in the day, they appreciated the purpose of our community and kindly agreed to open early in the morning exclusively for our meetup. Their support made the interaction session possible, and we remain grateful for becoming one of our wonderful venue partners.
Behind every successful meetup are countless conversations that nobody ever gets to see.
Planning the photowalk itself brought another challenge. Please check here: the official collbrations insta post for this meetup.
Nearly 35 IIIT Hyderabad students were already travelling together by college bus. If our regular community turnout crossed one hundred participants, managing such a large crowd inside the narrow lanes of Monda Market would become extremely difficult for everyone, including the local vendors.
For the very first time, instead of using our usual attendance poll, we introduced a limited registration form.
Only the first 60 community members who submitted the form were added to a dedicated WhatsApp coordination group. The response was incredible. Within just a few minutes, all available spots were filled, once again reminding us about the enthusiasm our members carried for every meetup.
Good planning creates the space where great experiences can happen.
Finally, the morning arrived.
As the morning arrived, photographers from ShutterSociety.HYD and students from IIIT Hyderabad began gathering at the meeting point. Familiar faces met new ones, cameras came out of their bags, conversations naturally started, and the excitement for the day’s unique Color Hunt challenge could already be felt before the briefing even began.
Since the Color Hunt theme had already been announced before the meetup, everyone knew the challenge was based on four colours: Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow.
To bring the idea to life, I personally purchased four coloured ribbons before the meetup. On the morning of the event, our volunteers randomly tied the ribbons around the wrists of both ShutterSociety.HYD members and IIIT Hyderabad students.
Within a few minutes, the participants were naturally divided into four mixed teams, allowing students and community members to interact, learn, and photograph together instead of remaining within their own groups.
Once everyone had gathered, we explained the challenge once again and encouraged each team to explore Monda Market by focusing only on their assigned colour, making observation, creativity, teamwork, and learning the heart of the experience.
The challenge was beautifully simple.
Capture only the colour assigned to your team. Nothing else.
Red photographers would search only for red. Green teams would hunt for green. Yellow teams would chase yellow. Blue teams… Well, they quickly realised they had received the most difficult challenge of the day.
After the briefing, we captured a large group photograph followed by separate team photographs for each colour. Within a few moments, the market transformed into four different photography adventures, each team beginning its own colourful journey through the busy streets of Monda Market.
When you change the way you look at the world, the world begins showing you details you never noticed before.
The challenge naturally encouraged IIIT Hyderabad students and ShutterSociety.HYD members to walk together instead of remaining within their own groups. Experienced photographers began sharing camera settings, composition ideas, and techniques with beginners. Mobile photographers exchanged tips alongside DSLR users.
Some students had even rented cameras especially for this meetup, making it their very first experience using professional equipment. Every lane became a small classroom where learning happened through conversations rather than lectures. The colourful streets of Monda Market became the perfect playground for the challenge.
The Green Team found inspiration almost everywhere. Fresh vegetables, leafy baskets, herbs, and countless shades of green surrounded them at every step.
The Yellow Team quickly discovered bright lemons, sweet corn, bananas, flowers, and many other beautiful subjects that perfectly matched their theme.
The Red Team explored tomatoes, chillies, colourful baskets, signboards, clothing, and vibrant street scenes filled with striking red elements.
Then came the Blue Team. Their challenge became the favourite topic of conversation throughout the morning.
Unlike the other colours, blue was surprisingly rare inside a vegetable market. Team members began searching carefully through every corner, finding blue shop shutters, plastic crates, shopping bags, painted walls, signboards, shirts worn by vendors, and countless tiny details that most people would normally walk past without noticing.
Sometimes, limitations inspire the greatest creativity.
As the morning continued, every team started seeing the same market differently.
Instead of photographing everything around them, participants slowed down, observed carefully, and began searching for colours hidden inside ordinary scenes. Familiar streets suddenly became full of creative possibilities.
Conversations about exposure, framing, light, and storytelling naturally blended with laughter, friendly competition, and constant encouragement between teammates.
The challenge was never really about finding colours. It was about learning to observe differently.
Throughout the photowalk, our volunteers continuously moved between different groups, helping students with camera settings, suggesting compositions, explaining exposure techniques, and encouraging everyone to interact with local vendors respectfully.
Photography quickly became a shared language between people who had only met a few hours earlier.
By the end of the walk, strangers had already become teammates.
Before concluding the Color Hunt, everyone gathered once again at the original meeting point. Cameras were filled with colourful frames, memory cards had become collections of creative discoveries, and conversations were now filled with excitement as every team proudly shared some of their favourite captures from the challenge.
We also recorded a special experience reel where both IIIT Hyderabad students and ShutterSociety.HYD members shared their thoughts about the Color Hunt challenge, the collaboration, and the wonderful experiences they had throughout the morning. Listening to everyone speak made us realize how a simple photography challenge had created meaningful learning, new friendships, and unforgettable memories for both communities.
With the morning challenge successfully completed, it was now time for the second chapter of the day.
Everyone made their way towards Minerva Coffee Shop, Tank Bund, where the cameras could finally rest while conversations continued. The IIIT Hyderabad students travelled together by college bus, while many community members shared rides, booked Rapidos, or travelled together, turning even the journey into another opportunity to connect.
The atmosphere changed as soon as everyone settled around the breakfast tables.
What had begun as a university collaboration now felt like a gathering of friends. Over breakfast, students and community members shared stories about photography, travel, career journeys, camera gear, editing techniques, and future creative plans. There were no formal sessions or presentations, just genuine conversations that allowed everyone to learn from one another.
For us, this interaction session was just as valuable as the photowalk itself.
The strongest communities are not built during events. They are built through conversations that continue long after the event is over.
After breakfast, the IIIT Hyderabad students bid us goodbye and headed back. We then stepped outside towards the beautiful lakeside overlooking Hussain Sagar. The relaxed atmosphere encouraged more conversations, group photographs, and countless selfies.
To capture one final memory from above, we flew our drone over the gathering.
Like almost every ShutterSociety.HYD meetup, nobody seemed to be in a hurry to leave. Small groups continued talking beside the lake, discussing photography, sharing feedback from the Color Hunt, exchanging ideas for future meetups, and simply enjoying each other’s company. We also shared updates about our upcoming ShutterSociety.HYD website, future community plans, and several exciting initiatives that were already taking shape behind the scenes.
Those conversations reminded us that every meetup quietly contributes to something much bigger than a single morning.
It strengthens friendships. It builds trust. And it slowly shapes the future of our community.
Looking back, this collaboration was never just about a Color Hunt challenge or a university meetup. It reflected everything ShutterSociety.HYD stands for.
Learning without barriers.
Sharing without expectations.
Building friendships across different backgrounds.
And creating opportunities where passionate photographers can inspire one another.
Our heartfelt thanks to the student coordinators of the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad) for placing their trust in ShutterSociety.HYD and making this collaboration possible. We are equally grateful to every IIIT student, every ShutterSociety.HYD member, our dedicated volunteers, and the team at Minerva Coffee Shop for opening their doors early and warmly hosting our interaction session.
Together, you transformed a simple Color Hunt into a day filled with learning, creativity, friendships, and memories that will remain part of our journey for years to come.
