Lin was born in 1957 in Pingtung County's Donggang. His father Lin Qingyun was one of Taiwan's most important photographers of his generation. Although he worked as an escrow agent, he couldn't conceal his artistic sensibilities, and he took a liberal approach to his children's education.
林磐聳，1957 年生於屏東縣東港鎮，父親林慶雲是台灣最重要的前輩攝影家之一，雖從事土地代書工作，卻難掩藝術家氣質，對於子女的教育也極為開放。