Josef Ritler 1939 – 2026

Biography

Josef Ritler spent four decades telling Switzerland’s stories through words and photographs. Born in Naters in the canton of Valais in 1939, he discovered his passion for photography early and turned it into a lifelong career, working as a writer and photographer for the newspaper Blick for 40 years. His camera captured everything that crossed his path, from everyday Swiss life to the moments that made the news. Later in his career he also worked as a video journalist for Tele Tell, the central Swiss television station, bringing the same observant eye to the screen. Ritler died on October 29, 2026, at the age of 87, leaving behind a body of work that chronicled his country across four decades.