Hasan, a refugee from Damascus shows a photo of his son
Taxi drivers gather to protest against Uber in The Hague
People in Poland celebrate Halloween
A man cleans his shoes during a night shift
Yearly music festival in Leiden
A Valentine’s party in a pub
Minister of Economic affairs Henk Kamp after a press conference on the reduction of gas exploitation
Students protest against eduction budget cuts
Dutch PM Mark Rutte during his weekly press conference after the cabinet meeting
Worker’s Party leader Diederik Samsom (C) during a break in a debate
Sint Nicholas gets a fine from the Police
A participant at a meeting for youth media education
People in Bydgoszcz gather to commemorate the crash of Polish government airplane in Smolensk
Extreme weather in The Netherlands
A biker fights cold and rain
A biker fights cold and rain
Minister Dijsselbloem and PM Rutte during a break in the debate on the aid package to Greece
Minister Dijsselbloem and PM Rutte during a break in the debate on the aid package to Greece
Leszek Miller visits Bydgoszcz during a campaign
Leszek Miller visits Bydgoszcz during a campaign
A man works on the constrution of a new tram line in Bydgoszcz
A man works on the constrution of a new tram line in Bydgoszcz
Right wing party leader Geert Wilders during the debate on the aid package to Greece
Right wing party leader Geert Wilders during the debate on the aid package to Greece
A woman is seen outside the Palace of Justice ahead of a test trial against acclaimed Jihadists
A woman is seen outside the Palace of Justice ahead of a test trial against acclaimed Jihadists
A child is seen with makeup during Sint Nicholas celebrations in The Netherlands
A child is seen with makeup during Sint Nicholas celebrations in The Netherlands
A refugee from Syria is seen holding his families passports at a detention center in The Netherlands
A refugee from Syria is seen holding his families passports at a detention center in The Netherlands
A couple is seen ahead of a crossfit competition
Jaap Arriëns (1975) received his degree from Leiden University in Cognitive Psychology. His research concentrated on “human error” and was completed with the help of the Royal Dutch Air Force (KLu) where he investigated the leading causes of aircraft incidents in recent conflicts. Having once heard the story of a friend whose father discovered old photographs from his university days Jaap grew fascinated with the medium realising the documentary potential it has. Wanting to pursue the tradition of photography as a tool for documenting history he started cooperating with he WFA photo agency in 2003.Having moved to Poland permanently in 2011 Jaap has decided to follow stories in Eastern Europe where many people still struggle to gain control over their daily lives and the condition that determine their context.