Melody Sky 2015

This Scottish photographer swapped surf for snow when she arrived in Verbier in 2002. Judging by the way her pictures exude the essence of nature, she did the right thing!

My job as an outdoor photographer has taken me to tons of places, but for me, the snow, sun and amount of easy-access off-piste skiing make Verbier one of the best in the world!” Melody Sky first arrived in Verbier 14 years ago. At the time, the young Scot – daughter of a hippy surfer from the McLeod clan and an amateur photographer – was more into surfing and the ocean. That’s something she returns to regularly, when she goes looking for whale sharks for example.

The 43-year-old lives in Verbier all year round, and has snapped some of her best mountain shots on the slopes. “I often adopt a photo-essay approach, because I like to capture moods, and hate getting models to pose too much”, confides the bubbly photographer, who is also a keen film maker. No matter how talented the skiers she shoots, it’s often nature that steals the limelight. That’s no coincidence: Sky is a fervent environmentalist and often donates a cut of her profits to environmental protection groups.

An intrepid production company
A year and a half ago, Melody Sky teamed up with snowboarder and fellow Verbier resident Xavier de Le Rue and four other equally reputed partners, to set up Timeline Missions. “This is my third company, which means I get to have a third mobile number!” laughs the overbooked business woman, who also has a hand in graphic arts. “Timeline Missions makes ski and snowboard films and benefits from a huge network of names in all areas, from mountain guides or helicopters to hotels. That’s one of our biggest assets”, explains Melody. As for the team’s artistic skills, you just have to watch “Degrees North”, a film made in Alaska last October to see how stellar they are!

www.melodysky.com 
www.timelinemissions.com