Jan Koelinga came into contact with film and photography when he started working for an optician. In his own words, he immediately fell in love with the camera. The next step in his career was an appointment as a photographer at the socialist newspaper "Voorwaarts. Koelinga then worked as a free-lance photographer and filmmaker. In 1932 he made the film De steeg - a documentary about a working-class neighborhood in Rotterdam. The film was provided with music by A.P. Bauer and was particularly well received in Filmliga circles. Koelinga remained active as cameraman and editor throughout the 1930s, but no more of his films appeared. During World War II, Koelinga - by now a member of the NSB - shot for the German UFA and for the equalized Dutch production company Nederland Film. He produced a number of short films and did the camera work for the film series Wat een tijd. His attitude during the war was not appreciated after the war. First of all, he was suspended for three years as part of the film purge; after that he had great difficulty getting back to work.