National Geographic Explorer and Wildlife Filmmaker Malaika Vaz at Fuvamulah Island with Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

Marine life is a different world altogether. The sight of an eight-legged octopus swiftly attacking its prey or watching a shark pass by, exploring the colourful and exotic life is nothing less than surreal.

To capture these spectacular moments, Samsung India and National Geographic Traveller India teamed up for the first-ever underwater expedition shot using Galaxy S21 Ultra.

To #UncoverTheEpic with Galaxy S21 Ultra, Malaika set off on a magical dive off Fuvamulah Island also known as Shark Island of Maldives

National Geographic Explorer and Wildlife Filmmaker Malaika Vaz has travelled across some of the most hostile terrains on all seven continents. From hiking across glaciers in the Antarctic to diving with blue whales in remote frontiers, she has done it all. As part of her work, she has made documentaries that focus on the environment, endangered species, community-led conservation and wildlife trafficking. Her recent film on Manta Rays was nominated for the Green Oscars and won an award at the prestigious Jackson Wild Media awards.

To #UncoverTheEpic with Galaxy S21 Ultra, Malaika set off on a magical dive off Fuvamulah Island also known as Shark Island of Maldives. Using the pro-grade camera of Galaxy S21 Ultra and its premium 8K Video Snap feature, she captured one of the most dangerous predators- The Majestic Shark. Unlike most shark films, Malaika decided to show a gentle side of the shark through her storytelling.

Malaika Vaz: The 8K Video Snap feature is the highlight if I had to choose from all of the features of Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

It has been over 12 years that Malaika has been diving. She says diving feels as natural and reflexive to her as walking and cycling. Growing up in Goa, Malaika fell in love with the sublime elements of nature at a very early stage. Each time she dived; she would be awed. She decided to document her experiences to invoke the same feeling amongst viewers – which as a result would make people more aware about conserving these species – both from a policy and community perspective.

It was an exciting challenge to shoot underwater with a smartphone camera. “First I thought about filming a terrestrial shoot, as that would have been the most comfortable, with a smartphone camera. But when I found out about the superior camera capabilities of the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, I thought of taking a bigger risk of going underwater with the smartphone. It was probably the first time this has been done at this scale.”

Malaika Vaz: The 8K video snapshots were so strong, that I would say that they are equal to taking a regular picture

From a filmmaker’s point of view, Malaika describes various game-changing elements in Galaxy S21 Ultra. “The 8K Video Snap feature is the highlight if I had to choose from all of the features of the smartphone. Nature is always full of surprises – and when something exciting is happening, you don’t want to choose between clicking a photo or shooting a video. The 8K video snapshots were so strong, that I would say that they are equal to taking a regular picture. The fact that you don’t have to sit long hours at an editing table to choose anymore, is empowering for me as a filmmaker.”

Malaika Vaz: Galaxy S21 Ultra’s camera capabilities democratizes storytelling for everyone

For an on-camera presenter like Malaika, it is very important to narrate with the visuals of surrounding to create a more immersive experience for viewers. The Vlogger View Mode and the Director’s View Mode on Galaxy S21 Ultra are extremely essential for such needs. “The good thing about having a phone with superior image capability is that it democratizes storytelling for everyone. If you are someone who cares deeply about documenting the natural world, or an aspiring filmmaker, and you are unwilling to invest in a huge amount of camera equipment – having that extra capability of the phone camera can help you propel your work much more,” she adds.

Malaika has always focused on making her storytelling interactive and life-like. “In these challenging times, where people across the world want to feel connected to the natural world, being able to immerse them in a world of emerald-blue ocean, sharks, turtles and other marine species, has been exciting. As a filmmaker being able to do all this with a smartphone is wonderful.” she says.

Majestic and gentle Tiger Sharks in their natural habitat

Samsung, India’s most trusted smartphone brand, teamed up with National Geographic Traveller India to showcase Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G’s 8K Video Snap prowess. 8K Video Snap lets you pull out high-resolution stills from a cinematic 8K video, so you don’t have to choose between capturing stills and videos. Using Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G’s 8K Video Snap feature, National Geographic Explorer and Wildlife Filmmaker Malaika Vaz captured the majestic and gentle Tiger Sharks in their natural habitat. Malaika dived deep off Fuvamulah, the shark island of the Maldives also called the Island Paradise.

This will be National Geographic Traveller India’s first-ever underwater expedition, captured using Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G’s pro-grade camera and flagship features. The journey video can be viewed on both Samsung India and National Geographic Traveller India’s social media channels starting today.

“We are excited to unveil yet another episode of an epic adventure with National Geographic Traveller India, shot using Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. At Samsung, we believe in innovations that enable our consumers to do more. The first-of-its-kind camera with a pro-grade 108MP lens and 8K video recording, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G changes the way you shoot. With industry-first 8K Video Snap feature, photography enthusiasts now have the power to extract high-resolution stills from every second of an 8K video. The splendid marine beauty of the Shark Island in the Maldives has been beautifully captured by Malaika on Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G,” said Aditya Babbar, Senior Director and Head, Mobile Marketing, Samsung India.

#UncoverTheEpic

As part of the #UncoverTheEpic campaign, National Geographic Explorer and Wildlife Filmmaker Malaika Vaz uncovered the beauty of Fuvamulah, the most splendid island of Maldives. The underwater video, with spectacular scenes of the marine life and the majestic Tiger Shark, one of the most dangerous predators of Shark Island, was shot using Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. While Tiger Sharks prey on fish, they are both gentle and curious around humans.

Using the incredible camera capabilities of Samsung’s flagship smartphone, Malaika Vaz captured the magnificent underwater scene in 8K and extracted high-resolution stills from the video. The video gives an insight into what it takes to swim with one of the most efficient predators underwater.

Malaika Vaz: My experience of filming on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has been beyond special

“While filming underwater in the Maldives, I was surrounded by Tiger Sharks, Hawksbill Turtles, schools of fish and corals – and I was able to capture super high-resolution video footage of these species almost effortlessly. Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G’s 8K Video Snap allowed me to focus on filming sharks – with the confidence that I would never miss an opportunity for a great set of images! As a National Geographic Explorer and filmmaker, I would say that my experience of filming on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has been beyond special,” said Malaika Vaz, National Geographic Explorer, and Wildlife Filmmaker.

“We are thrilled to work with Samsung and National Geographic Traveller India for this unique concept. After the highly successful National Geographic magazine covers captured by Prasenjeet Yadav with an 8K Video Snap feature, this first-ever underwater expedition shot on Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is absolutely stunning. The idea is to introduce a new behavior in the minds and hands of the consumer and to never worry about capturing the perfect still. Now shoot 8K videos and when the moment is over, grab high-quality 8K stills from the video. We are delighted to see this grow,” said Emmanuel Upputuru, Chief Creative Officer, Cheil India.

Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G’s Best-in-Class Camera Experience

With the most advanced pro-grade camera system, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G users can capture stunning, studio-quality photos in various lighting and settings. 8K recording allows users to capture videos in stunning quality and turn their best candid moments into high-resolution stills with 8K Video Snap.

The combination of anti-shake technology, 10x optical zoom, and both laser and dual-pixel autofocus enables the cameras to produce results that rival those of high-end DSLRs. Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has a quad rear camera that features an upgraded 108MP pro sensor, from which users can capture 12bit HDR photos with 64 times richer color data and more than three times wider dynamic range. For the first time on a Galaxy smartphone, users can shoot in 4K at 60fps across all lenses including the front and the four rear four lenses.