My name is Adrian Wirz, and I live in Gelterkinden, Switzerland. I am the webmaster and photographer of this website.
I used to photograph the noise and speed of Formula 1. Composition wasn't so important back then. The key was to be in the right spot early enough. Shooting at dangerous spots right behind the guardrail was still possible and very popular in the 70s and 80s. Lenses lined up one after the other, waiting in the rain or the sweltering heat until the heroes of the asphalt thundered past. I'd advance the film manually, focus on the perfect spot, and wait. From 1982, I used a Minolta X700 with manual focus, and from 1988, a Minolta Dynax 7000i, which finally had automatic focus and film advance. By the mid-90s, it all became too expensive! Finding optimal spots for photography along the track was no longer so easy; everything was cordoned off. The whole scene had changed. So, I attended my last Grand Prix in 1995, and photography faded somewhat into the background.

In the spring of 2011, I bought my first digital SLR camera: a Nikon D5000 with two lenses. A Nikkor 18-55mm and a 55-200mm. The very next day, I set off for the Bölchen mountain. This region has fascinated me since my youth. My first photographic attempts were rather modest in retrospect, but I discovered a love for landscape photography. However, I enjoyed wildlife photography even more at the time. Chamois were my favorite subjects! Through countless excursions, I soon learned where they frequented. Looking at my early photos of these beautiful animals today, I can't help but smile. That same year, I also created the website belchen-schweiz.ch, which was initially intended as a purely documentary site, but over the years has evolved into a dedicated photography platform.

• Camera: Nikon Z7 / Z8 and Nikon D7500

• Lenses: 14-600 mm

• Tripod: Gitzo Mountaineer

• Filter: KASE filter system

• Drone: DJI Air 2s / Air 3s

• I photograph exclusively in RAW format.