Emily Shaw

Captivated by the magic of the Swiss mountains, this young English woman bought a camera not long after moving to Verbier and quickly began capturing beautiful snow-dusted snapshots. We present here a selection of her images, taken over a joyful decade in Verbier.

She still can’t believe she lives in the most iconic ski station of the Alps. Having grown up in Yorkshire, England, Emily Shaw originally landed in Verbier one beautiful winter day in 2014 for a seasonal job with Bramble Ski (a well-known company specialized in luxury chalet management). In her free time, Emily quickly picked up skiing and then photography, almost as if driven by an inexplicable urge to provide visual proof that her life in this idyllic place was not just a dream.

While still employed by Bramble, the now 32-year-old English woman has certainly not abandoned her love for photography. In fact, quite the opposite. Having honed her technique little by little over time, she’s developed a keen eye and is always pushing the boundaries of her explorations of nature in Valais. Photography has become increasingly significant in Emily’s life. For the past few years, ariel drone photography has become an important part of her repertoire, allowing her to explore abstract concepts. “Drones opened up an entirely new set of possibilities and perspectives”, explained Emily. “They allow me to capture things from angles that are otherwise inaccessible, which really pushes me to be more creative”.

Winter is her inspiration. Especially white winters. There is magic in freshly fallen snow, revealed at the dawn’s first light, still without a single track. She likens it to fairy tales and moments suspended in time. Much like in one of her favourite photos: a couple beneath their umbrella, arm-in-arm on a Christmas evening, as the snowflakes – so thick that not even a snowplough can make a difference – tumble down around them.

Emily assures us that her photography is not hiding subliminal messages – it’s just what she describes as “a simple quest for pure beauty”, never fulfilled, and ever revived with each new snowfall or blizzard. Nature decides. And while she does keep a list of new places she wants to photograph tucked away in a drawer, “my best photographs usually happen spontaneously”, she says. To get the perfect shot, she’d be willing to move mountains.

She’s constantly working to improve her technique. Whether that’s exploring black and white photography to emphasize the play of light and shadows in the Alps to emphasize their timelessness… or developing narratives and adopting more of a documentary approach to her photography. She is never short on ideas or desires. On Instagram, Emily has a link to her Etsy shop, where she has recently been selling archival quality or brushed metal prints of her photographs. She’s also started working as a photographer for hire for some of the many hotels in the ski station. A possible new career path, which allows her to still pursue her passion for photography. “It’s a way for me to express my creativity and expand my personal limits, both physical and artistic”, she concludes.

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