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Patrick Güller
Master of beautiful light
Sports and the mountains are Patrick Güller’s two greatest passions. They come together in his photos to capture the beauty of the Valais Alps — especially in the Crans-Montana region. We shine a spotlight on this young, Swiss photographer who has strong local roots.
It all started with filming friends skiing in the winter and biking over the summer, with the Alps stealing the stage in the background. That’s how sports and the mountains became inextricably linked for Patrick Güller. To him, Valais is “an immense playground”, and skiing, VTT and trail running are all vehicles for exploration, a reason to wander the summits and valleys, an excuse “to explore new places”, and — more recently — a way to scout production locations.
Photography driven by passion
Patrick is the first to admit that he had not planned to be a photographer. But Instagram decided otherwise, motivating his initial development and technical growth. Little by little, passion overcame rationale, and (once he finished his marketing studies) the young man launched a solo career as a professional adventure photographer. Today, the most important thing is not the number of followers (despite having over 67K!), rather it’s the spirit of discovery that drives him to explore new techniques and new geographies. He knows the competition is fierce in the world of outdoor, sport, and travel photography.
So, how does he stand out in the flood of images on social media today? By drilling down into what he loves. For him, it’s wide-open spaces, massive mountains and, specifically, Valais — with its beautiful light at sunrise and sunset — that feed his soul. There’s no better excuse for packing an overnight bag, heading to high altitudes, and patiently waiting for the precise moment when the sun breaks over the mountains on the horizon, in the stillness of dawn, to spill its light over the countryside. It’s these serene moments, far from the crowds and the hustle of everyday life, that make him feel alive. “It’s magical”, says Patrick, and worth it — despite the cold winter nights spent in a tent.
Valais in his heart
Born in Martigny, and having grown up near Conthey, Patrick has a deep love for Crans-Montana, especially the “captivating sunrise and sunset views of the Plaine Morte Glacier”, the discreet “little known” savagery of La Tièche and the surrounding area between Bella Lui and the Plaine Morte, and the Pichoir, which in the summer hides the Raspille valley hiking trail and waterfall from sight. “What’s interesting about Crans-Montana is the wide variety of landscapes”, says Patrick. “There’s a vast playground to explore from the edges of the Rhône Valley all the way to 3,000 m and higher, which changes constantly depending on the season”.
A winter sunrise photographed high in Valais, autumn from within Tseuzier’s larch tree forests or a sunset over the Rhône River… behind every image lies a master plan of logistics that includes remembering the lift schedules and carrying kilos of equipment (yes, even a drone) and rolls of film, which Patrick enjoys as it forces him to “think very carefully about composition and timing, instead of coming home with 1,500 photos every day”. His commercial photo shoots require an almost military level of planning, with schedules, angles and models all selected and defined in advance. The rest of the time, Patrick simply hops in his van (his mobile headquarters), checks the weather and plans his hike time, giving himself the freedom to capture beautiful moments on the fly as his heart desires. His journeys have taken him into the Alps, towards the Pyrenees and even to North Cape. The planet is calling, and he will answer, “to be in the right place at the right time”.
