Jan Cornelis Mol was born in Venhuizen, the son of a fruit farmer. He took over the family business at a young age and later became general manager of the local fruit and vegetable auction. But Mol's real passion was photography, especially the possibilities of experimenting with this medium. In 1921, he took over the management of the photo magazine Focus. He was also interested in film and began filming microorganisms in the 1920s. "Uit het rijk der kristallen" (Eng: From the Realm of Crystals), one of his first scientific films, was highly praised and is a good example of the so-called "absolute film".