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Marco Schnyder
Passionate about Valais
We introduced you to him in 2021 in the pages of our partner 30° magazine. Born and raised in Valais, Marco Schnyder has become famous on Instagram thanks to the photos he posts of his dog Nala frolicking in the Swiss mountainsides. We meet him again, this time in Zermatt.
Back then, he was a just a young man, barely past his adolescence and full of zest, who spent his days crisscrossing the canton’s most beautiful mountain landscapes with his chocolate lab glued to his side. When we featured him in the magazine, we contributed to the start of a new chapter in his life: that of a young photographer, who has since become a partner at a content creation agency, FreshFruits. In just four years, Marco’s sphere of professional activity has expanded and now includes photography, video and social media. Along with an exciting, brand-new project: following the dogs of the search and rescue organisation Redog.
Nala, for her part, experienced a few health hiccups. There was a first surgery and then a second, followed by months of recovery and re-education, but she’s back to being able to follow her master in his nomadic life and his hike adventures (although they are tamer these days), along with — the icing on the cake! — a new playmate and partner in crime: Sando. Nala is still the star of his iconic Instagram account Dogswiss, which has accumulated more than 70,000 followers over the years, even though Marco’s busy professional life means he has less time to post.
While he did leave his village Bratsch for Eggerberg, near Viège, the young photographer is forever faithful to Valais’ sunny side, its mountains that “feed the soul”, its forests, and its animals, both wild and on the farm. His favourites? The black nosed sheep that his family raises, of course. In fact, a photo he took of a sweet, young ewe — named Berta — kickstarted his career, receiving the grand prize of the PR-Bild Awards 2017 in the Social Media category for Switzerland. It was a glorious beginning to a grand adventure that hinges on a profound love for Valais and everything it encompasses.
Destination Zermatt
Marco can see the Matter Valley from his home. Even if walking at a slow pace, it takes Marco less than an hour to find himself in the heart of Zermatt’s wonderland. The young man makes the journey almost every week these days, especially since Air Zermatt became a recent agency client. “When we found ourselves in a helicopter, with the door open and a full view of the Matterhorn as we filmed a second helicopter flying over the mountain, I had the feeling like I was living a dream come true”, Marco said smiling.
Enveloped in graceful wisps of clouds beneath the twinkling stars of a winter’s night, the iconic summit and all that surrounds it are there, immortalized, reassuring, unchanged, and constant, despite the scene’s constant mutation. “It’s always different depending on the season, the light, and the weather”, specifies the photographer, who finds himself constantly trying to photograph its thousand-and-one nuances in an attempt to “capture the breathtaking beauty of where we live”.
“These landscapes, as stunning as they are, make for incredible photographs”, added Marco. “The catastrophe that happened in Blatten this summer, reminds us how powerless we are is when faced with the destructive strength of the mountains”. It was a demonstration of sovereign power, which imposes its will on those who live at its feet, reminding us to stay humble and recognize our modest place in the hierarchy of the universe.
