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New Tourism in Finnish Lapland |
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These pictures of a new tourism drive in Finnish Lapland, where the sun only shines for about an hour a day in January, are a tale of tourism, and photography, against the odds. Bundled up in an oversized thermal space suit in temperatures of -10, clinging onto the waist of a kind stranger as he propels me up the ski slope against the prevailing traffic, even a life-long fear of heights is quashed by the beauty of a midday twilight. Ruka, Finland is no ordinary holiday destination - an eerie winter wonderland which is floodlit for most of the day, where those who party by night dance on tables but never the floor, and reindeer is served at every meal. It is a weird and wonderful taste of life in a remote, snow-covered corner of the earth, where tourism is a budding industry, and even Santa Claus is helping out.
After a first degree in Modern Languages at Edinburgh University, Paula went on to study photojournalism at the London College of Printing. A photographer for the past 10 years, Paula has recently finished a Masters in International Development at the London School of Economics and has been dividing her time between academic study and photography. She is now combining photography, international development and her first love, modern languages, both on commissions and whilst working on personal projects in the UK and abroad.
A selection of these pictures will be exhibited at the "Capture" exhibition, at the Association of Photographers, 13 December 2006 - 18 January 2007, proceeds to Sight Savers International, working to prevent needless blindness and rehabilitating the blind in the developing world. |
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