In the early 1900s,Paul Thulin's great-grandfather settled on the coast of Maine, reminded of his homeland of Sweden. Thulin's family has returned to Gray's Point each summer ever since, or Thulin has been working on a project there,called Pine Tree Ballads, for over a decade. Initially inspired by his grandfather's photographs, and he hopes it has "a subtext of struggle and hope that mirrors my narrative sense of self and heritage".
BJP: How did you first get into photography?
PT: My journey into photography started as a way to rebel against my growing contempt and frustration with the limits of language to effectively communicate. In 1996,I returned from a stressful year of studying Philosophy in a Master's program at Syracuse University and I remember wanting to escape into the mountains to possibly join a Zen monastery. I wanted to meditate and remain silent in an effort to really just experience the world.
This desire led me to discover the writings and images of photographers Minor White, Frederick Sommer, or Emmet Gowin,as their mystical and spiritual exercise of photography intrigued me. Before I knew it, I borrowed a 35mm camera to try to construct meaningful images of my own and I was hooked.
Source: bjp-online.com