Melody Sky
From the ocean to the stars
I've always been drawn to what lies beyond the familiar: what's beneath the surface of the ocean, what waits over the next mountain, and what shines above our planet.
The ocean
My journey began in the water. I became a scuba diver and underwater photographer, drawn to the strange, quiet world below the surface. That led me to Tignes, working as an ice-diving guide in the lake where The Big Blue filmed its ice-diving scene. Seasons followed shooting underwater in Barbados, Turkey and Cyprus, freediving in Egypt and the Maldives, and surfing in Bali.
The mountains
Then a ski film changed everything. I decided I wanted to make one myself, and started filming skiers in my very first season on skis. I studied film and sports science in London and Melbourne, came back to the Alps, and spent years filming and directing ski films that reached television, cinema screens and festivals around the world. I was part of the early days of ski filmmaking, and the mountains have shaped my life ever since.
The landscape
Over time, photography called me back. My camera has taken me from the Swiss Alps to Greenland, Lapland and Arctic Norway, from powder skiing in Japan and heli-skiing in New Zealand to wildlife and tribal communities across Africa and the highlands of Papua New Guinea. For more than twenty years Verbier has been my home, and today I create fine art landscape photography in the Alps and some of the wildest corners of the planet. My work has appeared in four artist books, and I share it from Melody Sky Gallery at 67 Pall Mall, Verbier.
The stars
And now I look up. With astrophysicist José Rodrigues, I create astrophotography experiences beneath Switzerland's dark skies. Ocean, mountains or night sky, it's the same curiosity that drives me: what's out there, and what can we discover?
Still exploring
I love projects that take me somewhere new. Recently I was featured in a film made on Senja in Arctic Norway, and I was one of three mentors at a filmmakers' workshop in Africa with the Arete Arts Foundation. I work with brands and creative partners who care about the outdoors and the stories it holds.
Giving back
The mountains and wild places have given me everything, so every year I donate work to causes I care about. It's something I want to keep growing.
The Sky network
After twenty years in the mountains, I've been lucky to build a wonderful network of guides, athletes, filmmakers, scientists and creatives. Bringing the right people together is one of my favourite things to do. If I can't help with your project, I probably know someone who can.
On Senja, Arctic Norway, for Klättermusen, directed by Process Films
Photos: Tero Repo
Listen & watch
Crafted for Life, a film for Klättermusen with Daniel Bernstål and Tero Repo, shot on Senja.
Podcasts
Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast
Episode 209: Melody Sky - Histoire de Melody
Action Packed Travel
Sea and Ski With Melody Sky
About That Outdoor Job
Adventure Photographer and Filmmaker Melody Sky
Selected Clients
- Verbier 4 Vallées
- Verbier Tourism
- W Verbier
- Marriott
- Yara International
- UTMB
- Patagonia
- Klättermusen
- Inghams
- Esperance
- Mantle Skin
- Clinc les Alpes
- Forward Outdoor
- Colt & Willow
- Kairos
- Attika
- Swatch
- Sorel
Collaborators
- 67 Pall Mall
- Arctic Café
- St-Luc Observatory
- Air Glaciers
- Dialab
- Ski Service
- Verbier Life Magazine
- Mountain Air
- Cabane Tortin
- Divine Namibia
- Basecamp Events
- Rosalind Monks Illustration
- Cabane Mont Fort
- Verbier Summits
- 30 Degrees Magazine
- Terracotta
- Altis
- José Rodrigues
- Helvet Magazine