Lifestyle- Swedish Photographer David Thornell

Lifestyle- Swedish Photographer David Thornell is a good friend of our's here at ELEVATED. He runs StreetAddict, a store in Gothenburg, Sweden, and he has the luxury of traveling the world taking pictures and exploring his creative side. This post is dedicated to his work, which we're confident will show you a more in-depth look at America than you're used too. We all see it, day to day, but it takes an artist to capture images like these and present them in a consistent form of "lifestyle" that showcases certain side of life throughout the US. Read our interview with David below and then check out some of his captivating photography. [caption id="attachment_5824" align="alignnone" width="700"] Biggie Smalls[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5825" align="alignnone" width="700"] Barstow[/caption] 1.Where are you from and what do you do? D: I was born in a small town called Lidköping in Sweden. I'm basically A swedish based photographer with a project right now to see all states in the US. But I also work with other type of photography like portraits and some studio work. But my real passion is to travel and document it. 2.How did you get into photography? D: At first I've got into photography while I started with skateboarding in the late 90's. You wanted to see your tricks on film and photos. I was into graffiti about 10 years also and it was the same thing there, you paint and travel and took pictures of your work. 3.Describe your style of photography, or do you have a specific style? D: My photos is a blend of documentary and art. Think that's the way to describe them. [caption id="attachment_5844" align="alignnone" width="960"] Punks in Venice[/caption] 4.Tell us about this trip around America, what inspired it and why did you decide to document it in pictures? D: I have been coming over like 20 times now. First time was in 2006. I always wanted to go to New York City and that's where I went. 6 times before I did go somewhere else. And my 7th trip to America was to the other coast. And I've been spending a lot of time over in Califiornia. Took a big place in my heart, But after that trip to the west I wanted to explore more states so I went on a big road trip in the south, and got more and more inspired to cross the country. I have always documented my trips in form of photography, at first only for myself as a memory of what I have seen. [caption id="attachment_5847" align="alignnone" width="700"] Texas Amarillo[/caption] 5.Were you traveling with anyone else? D: I have been traveling a lot with my brother on shorter trips like 8-14 days and a little longer road trips with my wife and also friends been coming along. 6.Was the whole trip planned out or did you just wing it? To make it with the economy I had to plan a lot of trips but sometimes we just felt like going and book a flight the next week. 7.Were you trying to capture something specific, or is this simply a collection of your impression of what America was to you? D: Wow. Um, I like so much of America so it hard to just document somethings for me. But I put a lot of work down to photograph all retro stuff you see around while driving. Old motel signs, gas stations, diners and old cars. And it's not just Route 66 that delivers that stuff. It's everywhere. [caption id="attachment_5836" align="alignnone" width="960"] Harlem[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5839" align="alignnone" width="960"] Mel's Drive In Hollywood[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5840" align="alignnone" width="679"] Miami [/caption] 8.Capturing America from a Swedish Eye: how are our countries similar and how are they different? D: I don't think much things that are that similar to each other more than McDonalds and Burger King, haha. We both got them. But as a nature I saw some similarity in the state of Vermont. We have a lot of forest and some of the landscapes over there looked kind of the same as in Sweden. 9.What is the most memorable moment from your trip? D: I try to collect so many memories (and things) actually so It's very hard to just break one down but let me say we had some really great time spending my 25th birthday in New York and 27th in Vegas. 10.Is there a specific photograph that sums up your experience of traveling across America? D: Probably one shot from Monument Valley in Utah. 11.Were else can we see your work, and what’s next? - D: I have exhibitions, most of the time in Sweden but I had one at the Swedish Church on 48th Street in New York City. Will work to have more places in the states. You can always see my work at my website. http://www.davidthornell.com 12.Anything else you want people to know about you? - D: Have the guts to be who you wanna be. I do. Do whatever pleases you and don't let nobody turn your dreams down. The world is yours. I try to think about that everyday. 13.It's almost summer in Sweden, what are your plans? - D: My plan is to work hard on a book release about crossing 50 states. Save up money and come back on a big road trip again to catch the 8 states I've got left. Other than that I try to get some free time to enjoy the short time of summer we have over here with bbq's, party and friends. [caption id="attachment_5826" align="alignnone" width="960"] Bella[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5827" align="alignnone" width="700"] Brooklyn[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5828" align="alignnone" width="700"] Cali Skate Girl[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5829" align="alignnone" width="700"] California Girls[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5830" align="alignnone" width="960"] Chicago[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5831" align="alignnone" width="700"] Coney Island[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5832" align="alignnone" width="700"] Downtown SF[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5833" align="alignnone" width="960"] Empire Diner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5834" align="alignnone" width="700"] Golden Gate Bridge[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5835" align="alignnone" width="700"] Grand Canyon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5837" align="alignnone" width="960"] In N Out[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5838" align="alignnone" width="960"] Melrose Lowrider[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5841" align="alignnone" width="700"] Monument Valley[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5842" align="alignnone" width="700"] Empire State Building[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5843" align="alignnone" width="960"] Newberry Springs, CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5845" align="alignnone" width="960"] Roaring SF[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5846" align="alignnone" width="960"] Serena and Bella[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5848" align="alignnone" width="960"] Williamsburgh[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5849" align="alignnone" width="960"] Wyoming[/caption] Check them out, then Like and Share.