Cor Jaring exhibition in Amsterdam Photography Museum

I went to Amsterdam this Easter and visited the Photography Museum. By the time I arrived there, it was exhibiting Cor Jaring's photography. I have never heard of him before this trip and after we left, I was absolutely fall in love with his work and fascinated by his life. We are not allow any photos there so only two sneaky photos I managed to take.

Cor Jaring (1936–2013) was a remarkable character who began working as a professional photographer in the 1950s. He came from humble origins and had started out as a dockworker. Between his working hours he started to photograph the marginal areas in which he moved, with friends, fellow dockers, gaugers and ironworkers as his subjects. He also used his kiekkassie, or ‘snapbox’, as he called his camera, to record mass redundancies and the cold-hearted automation of harbour work. Cor was one of those working men, and made his name as a photographer only later. 

He-She at work 1966
Cor Jaring, Amsterdam City Archives

It was the time which he moved to Japan to seek for job opportunities. He meet this man who dressed up as a female and worked in club house. There were an exhibition room showing a lot of by-sexual workers and the secret behind them. I could see Cor was amazed by this as this was such an unusual thing to see and to be accepted at that time. The photographs are honest and show a lot of reality which let the audience to experience his life.

Janus ‘The Polisher’ in café Hans en Grietje 1958
Cor Jaring, Amsterdam City Archives

In the Oosterkerk, Amsterdam 2012

Sander Troelstra

Sander Troelstra is Cor's student and took a series of photos of him in 2012. His work was also displayed in the exhibition along side with Cor's photograph. This is Cor Jaring's back and I really like this picture. There are so many story in this man's life and this photo has tried to show them. After the trip, I have learnt that a good photo is no need to describe and can tell the story also to photograph the truth and the feel of the moment.