BOTTERS

Craftsmanship has always been important to me. As someone that has followed a study in carpentry I know what it means to make, or restore something with your hands. I find it beautiful when someone manages to put meaning, worth and emotion into materials like wood and stone. It doesn’t always have to be of the highest quality, for it is about the passion and personal value for the craftsman.

With this series of photo’s I try to bring awareness to a dying craft. Botters, as we call these ships in the Netherlands, are smaller boats perfect for sailing the canals of cities and open waters. The men that work on this wharf have more passion and fire for their craft than any other I’ve seen in my life so far. This lit a fire inside of me that made me want to show their passion and story. We should prevent artisans like these from losing their jobs because of new technology.