That’s me
My name is Arnd Sturm. I live in Basel, a city in the northwestern corner of Switzerland.
I was born in Germany. From my mother I inherited her love to nature, from my father his interest in books. After an apprenticeship as a lab technician I studied chemistry at the University of Marburg (Germany) and earned a PhD degree in plant biochemistry. I received extensive postdoctoral training at UC San Diego, California. In Basel, I worked for many years as a researcher and university lecturer. A cancer ailment and increasing hardness of hearing forced me to change my profession. Thus, between 2000 and 2014 I worked as web publisher and webmaster. I have been retired since 2014.
I have been fascinated with photography my whole life and I love to take pictures. I like to photograph all sorts of things but the main focus of my work is in macro photography of plants and insects.
From our home in a multicultural borough of Basel it is not far to fields, woods and meadows, which I love to roam with my camera. During my ‘photographic journeys’ I leave the hectic life behind and immerse into a far quieter and more peaceful world. While mainly paying attention to details in my immediate vicinity, I feel very close to the beauty and wonders of our world. I hope my photographs convey at least some of the magic that I have been allowed to experience.
Thank you for visiting ‘Foto-Werkstatt Basel’
Arnd Sturm
Contact Information
I value your thoughts, opinions and questions. Please leave a comment on an individual photo or send an email to arnd.sturm@bluewin.ch.
About my photoblog
On January 1, 2004, I began this photoblog and called it ‘Foto-Werkstatt Basel’ [Photo-Workshop Basel]. Its first version, which was solely based on HTML, CSS and a little JavaScript, was replaced by a Pixelpost powered version on December 1st, 2007.
The Pixelpost photoblog used self-coded, CSS-formatted XHTML-templates inside of the open-source Pixelpost photoblog application. As the result of an upgrade of the system software of my webserver, Pixelpost stopped working on February 3, 2021. RIP! I loved its simplicity and reliability very much.
The actual photoblog ‘Foto-Werkstatt Basel’ is powered by WordPress, Photocrati, NextGEN Gallery and NextGEN PRO. WordPress is open source software for creating websites and blogs. Photocrati is “the original, most popular, and most epic WordPress theme for photographers” [text from the Photocrati website]. NextGEN Gallery is a WordPress plugin and a sophisticated photo gallery management system. I am still learning how to use those four and, thus, this website will not be flawless during my ‘apprenticeship’.
Photo equipment
Nikon D500
AF-S DX 16-80mm f2.8-4.0 E ED VR
AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
I favor a minimalist, low tech approach to photography. The less I have to tote around the better! The majority of photos in my blog and my galleries were taken with a hand-held camera. Only occasionally I use a tripod and a cable release.
About my images
All of my images pass through a ‘digital darkroom’, in which I bring to life my memories of color, light and mood from the moments I captured them. My image processing with Adobe tools does not create ‘alternative realities’. I usually try to preserve what I was allowed to see.
Liability for links
My photoblog contains links to external web sites of third parties, the contents of which I cannot influence in any way. Therefore I cannot carry any liability for the same. The respective providers or operators of these sites are responsible for them.
Gray scale for monitor calibration
Proper adjustment of your monitor will allow you to see images the way they were intended to be seen. At a minimum you should have the contrast and brightness adjusted correctly. If that is the case, the gray scale below should be neutral gray with all 16 shades clearly visible.
