Satoddi falls

Posted by Photomithra(Srinivasa S) on Oct 14, 2014 | 3 comments

Some of the most beautiful places are the ones which have least access to human population. Sathodi falls is a prime example of this.

Sathodi (Satoddi) falls is a picturesque waterfall situated near Yellapur in north Karnataka. The access to the waterfalls is via rough roads cutting through thick vegetation, the last few kilometers of which are unmetalled and bumpy. After this, one has to walk a good kilometer or so through muddy walkways surrounded by lush greenery. Having visited this just after monsoons, the whole surroundings were damp and the greens looked at their saturated best. Once we get through all the bad roads and the long walk, its like a wonderland out there.

We visited the waterfall a day after some heavy rains (mostly thanks to the cyclone Hudhud – the effects of which were seen here too), the water had a muddy look to it. This was different from some of the images we had seen earlier on the internet. The green surroundings and the brown water presented a pretty compelling picture in front of us. While no amount of words or images would do justice to the pristine beauty of this place, I present two images below.

Satoddi Falls – calm and serene

This image brings out a sense of serenity and calmness of the surroundings. One cannot fathom the roar of the falling waters in this image. I used a wide-angle lens with a 10-stop ND filter and an exposure of 25 seconds to achieve this look. I also used a vertical portrait orientation for this image to use the rocks leading up to the waterfall as a foreground.

Satoddi Falls – another face

This image though, shows a more ferocious side of the waterfall. The surroundings are haphazard and the water behind them is ferocious. I used a telephoto lens and a faster shutter speed for this. The image tries to convey this idea I had – but I could have had a better composition than this.