How It All Began – My Photographic Journey
I’m Arne – born in 1968 in Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein – a passionate photographer with a fondness for the distinctive. Growing up between the North Sea, the Elbe, and the Kiel Canal, I developed a love for clear horizons, northern German light, and honest imagery.
My first camera, an analog Nikon F301, accompanied me as early as the late 1980s. After a few years away, I rediscovered photography in the late 1990s through digital cameras. Today I work with the Sony Alpha 7 IV and refine my images in Lightroom and Photoshop—not as an end in itself, but to make visible what truly moves me.
Miarto – Finding My Own Visual Signature
The name Miarto was born in a conversation with my wife. In my early “digital” days, I photographed almost exclusively in HDR—the extreme tone mapping masked technical weaknesses and allowed me to experiment freely.
When I once said, “I can’t really do anything else,” she replied, “That’s simply your kind of art.” From that moment, My Kind of Art emerged—my own visual language, my photographic expression. Later, it evolved into Miarto, a portmanteau of mia and arto, Esperanto for “my art.”
The technical shortcomings are long gone—but the idea remains: to show my own view of the world with every image.
My Photographic Style
I photograph intuitively and creatively, with a clear focus on emotion, light, and composition. Whether fine art, street, portrait, or astrophotography, I seek what makes each subject unique. My images tell stories—stories of people, moments, and places. I’m not a follower of trends. Instead, I trust my instincts—for subjects, for timing, and for what endures. As photographer Elliott Erwitt put it:
“It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place …”
Community & Exhibitions
As a co-founder and active member of the photography club Blende 8 Itzehoe, I don’t photograph only for myself, but in exchange with others. We organize regular meetings, exciting projects, and joint exhibitions—most recently Li(e)benswertes Steinburg at the IZET in Itzehoe. I also regularly take part in national and international competitions, including the German International Photocup and the Siena Creative Photo Awards, and publish on curated platforms such as 1x.com.
Professional Background
I hold a degree as a Diplom-Ingenieur in Technical Computer Science and work in the IT field for a globally operating technology corporation. My professional career began at Bayer AG and led me through Telekom and Lufthansa Technik to Senvion and ultimately the Siemens Group—with roles including software developer, configuration manager, project manager, as well as team and department head. Reliability, clarity, and creative thinking shape not only my professional work, but also my photography.