Commercial Photographer Roger Gruetter: Master of Light, Landscape & Sport

Renowned Swiss photographer Roger Gruetter is known for his stunning commercial, sport, and landscape imagery that blends technical mastery with artistic precision. From alpine summits to wind-torn lakes, his lens captures the rhythm of nature and human motion with cinematic depth. To achieve that level of clarity and control in unpredictable outdoor and water settings, Roger relies on Outex — the professional-grade waterproof camera housing system trusted by photographers worldwide. With its optical-glass ports (not acrylic), precise lens alignment, and universal compatibility, Outex gives Roger the freedom to shoot anywhere without sacrificing image quality, control, or creativity.

Roger's visual language is driven by precision, atmosphere, and the ability to capture motion with stillness. Based in Switzerland, his portfolio spans commercial, sport, landscape, tourism, and wedding photography, blending aesthetic sensitivity with technical command. His clients include leading brands in snowsports (Rossignol, Berger Sport, SwissSnowsport) and corporate commissions such as annual & financial reports (for SGV Holding AG). 

Over the years, Roger has built a reputation for delivering images that feel both grounded and cinematic — whether freezing a mountain wind-swept ridge, capturing a wingsurfer’s aerial arc, or orchestrating a commercial product shoot with immaculate detail. He operates across environments that demand both creativity and durability, from frost-bitten alpine slopes to dynamic sport arenas to serene destination landscapes. On his website, he also highlights editorial work such as a surf feature in Surf Magazin (“Schön der Föhn”) and various adventure and sport campaigns. 

His body of work reflects a deep respect for natural conditions, light behavior, and the storytelling potential within a single frame. It also shows the trust of top clients who rely on him to deliver consistent, expressive visuals under demanding conditions.

Why Roger Chooses Outex for Outdoor & Underwater Imaging

When your mission is to make images in the wild — at sea, in surf, along coastlines, or in unpredictable weather — your gear must be as dependable as your vision. That’s where Outex enters Roger’s toolkit. Over time, he has come to lean on Outex housings and systems for their unique advantages, especially compared to many conventional waterproof housings.

Here’s what Outex gives him — and why it matters for his workflow:

1. Optical Imaging Quality — Glass Ports Over Acrylic

One of the biggest compromises in many underwater enclosures is the use of acrylic domes or flat ports, which can subtly degrade image sharpness, introduce color shifts or distortions, and limit wide-angle lens usability. Outex offers optical glass ports, which preserve clarity, contrast, and fidelity even under challenging light and marine conditions. Those glass surfaces maintain consistent refractive properties, guarding against edge softness, chromatic aberration, and unwanted reflections.

Moreover, Outex designs its port assemblies to align precisely with the lens’ optical center, minimizing aberrations induced by misalignment. For a photographer like Roger, who often works wide open or near critical apertures, that precision is nonnegotiable.

2. Positioning & Port/Lens Placement

The way a housing places the port relative to the lens affects field of view, vignetting, and the ability to integrate large or specialty lenses. Outex’s modular system allows customizable port spacing to ensure optimal alignment. That means whether Roger is mounting a fisheye, a zoom, or a telephoto in a surf environment, the port can be adapted so the lens stays in its sweet spot — not pushed to the edges of a generic dome.

3. Universal Compatibility with Cameras & Lenses

Roger’s work demands flexibility: he shifts between bodies, lens types, and sometimes legacy optics. Outex’s design philosophy emphasizes compatibility. It supports multiple mounts, interfaces, and adapters without forcing large reworks. This universal adaptability means Roger can bring in a DSLR, mirrorless, or cinema camera with little hassle, and still retain control over focus, iris, and lens control systems within the housing.

4. Lightweight & Compact Design

In the field — especially in surf, tide zones, or while wading — bulk is the enemy. Many underwater housings are heavy, bulky, and cumbersome to carry, assemble, and transport. Roger appreciates that Outex systems tend to be lightweight and compact, without sacrificing structural integrity. He can travel with them easily, set up quickly, and move between locations with minimal fatigue or logistical friction.

5. Significant Advantages Over Other Waterproof Housings

Bringing it all together, the distinct advantages Roger finds in Outex compared to conventional options include:

• Minimal optical degradation (thanks to glass ports, precise alignment)

• Ability to use a wide range of lenses with proper port adaptation

• Seamless integration of camera and lens control (iris, focus, zoom)

• A modular and compact form that is field-friendly

• Reliability in harsh environments — salt spray, waves, strong light contrasts

For Roger, Outex doesn’t just make underwater or surf work possible — it makes it expressive. His images retain the same crispness and tone he’d expect from land-based shoots. When he goes into marine or transitional zones, he isn’t compromising quality — he’s adding dimension to his creative palette.

Case Study: Riding the Föhn — When Storm Winds Meet Water & Lens

The Shoot: Surfing in Alpine Winds

One of Roger Gruetter’s standout assignments was a five-page surf / windsurf feature in Surf Magazin titled “Schön der Föhn”, capturing the dramatic interplay of strong Föhn winds and alpine lakes under unusual surf conditions. (Roger Gruetter)

The conditions were extreme: gusty, shifting winds, spray, spray drift, sudden light shifts, and the constant threat of splashing, mist, and gear exposure. For Roger, this assignment posed several serious challenges:

• Rapidly changing lighting and contrast (sun + cloud + reflective water surfaces)

• High moisture, spray, salt / minerals in the air

• Need to get close to the wave face while maintaining safety

• Protection of gear without sacrificing image fidelity

He wanted images that felt cinematic — crisp, high contrast, detailed — not softened or distorted by substandard housing.

The Challenge & Why Many Housings Fall Short

In conventional underwater / splash housings:

• Acrylic domes or flat ports tend to introduce softening at edges, subtle distortion, or slight color shifts — especially with strong backlight or side light

• Many housings misalign the optical axis, especially when using non-standard lenses, leading to vignetting or aberrations

• Bulk and weight make handheld or near-wave movement tough

• Some designs force compromises in lens choice, iris flexibility, or even force you to stop down too much to mask optical defects

Roger needed a system that would let him push his lenses, retain full creative control, and survive in harsh conditions.

The Outex Solution: Precision, Port Design & Field Freedom

By using Outex with an optical glass port, Roger gained key advantages:

1. Crystal clarity, even under glare and contrast extremes
   The glass port maintained sharpness and contrast across the frame. Highlights remained clean; midtones were preserved; edge softness was minimal. This enabled Roger to shoot at wider apertures without sacrificing image quality near the corners.

2. Optimally positioned port relative to lens optics
   Because Outex allows configurable port spacing and alignment, Roger could ensure the lens’ nodal point and the port’s curvature were aligned. This meant his wide or mid zooms weren’t being forced into optical compromises, and aberrations were reduced.

3. Full functionality inside the housing
   He retained precise control over iris, focus, zoom, and exposure — the kind of responsiveness needed when working in a dynamic environment. He didn’t have to “set and forget” — he could adapt on the fly to waves, light shifts, and spray.

4. Modular and compact, yet robust
   The Outex rig was light enough to carry near the water’s edge, quick to assemble/disassemble, and strong enough to withstand spray, knocks, and repeated use. It didn’t feel like a bulky cage looming between the lens and the scene — it was more like an invisible shell protecting the true intent of the frame.

Results: Imagery With Atmosphere & Technical Integrity

The published spread in Surf Magazin shows the payoff:

• Crisp details in the water droplets, the textures of wind-sculpted waves, and spray in motion

• Clean transitions between dark shadows and bright highlights

• Edge-to-edge sharpness, even in challenging compositions

• A sense of immediacy and immersion — you feel as though you are in the spray zone, not removed from it

Roger reports that using Outex in this setting let him shoot more confidently, move more fluidly, and trust that his images would match what he saw, not what the housing “forced” him to accept.