Chic mini shoots feature fowl at Sonoma Chicks

As a child living in Africa, Tania Soderman was surrounded by animals. She once brought home a horse she discovered wandering near her home, hopeful she could keep it, but the owner soon came looking for it. She did get to keep the tortoise she found, but she released it back into the wild when she moved back to her native Norway.

“We lived in the city in Norway,” Soderman said. She missed being surrounded by nature and its creatures. “That’s when I got really into bugs.”

She grew into a noted photographer, who worked all over the world photographing everything from high-end real estate to weddings to museum exhibits. Her parents owned an antique store, so she has a habit of looking for interesting things, amassing a collection of treasures like Norwegian egg cups, beautifully bound antique books and vintage wallpaper squares.

While she loved the travel, she always had a different vision for her life — one that involved a lot more feathers and feed. When she and her husband moved to Sonoma seven years ago, they snapped up a few acres near Four Corners — enough to plot out a series of coops, pens and corrals that would soon be filled with life.

“My husband was not on board,” Soderman said with a laugh, “but I had an idea.”

It began with two little chicks, John David and Daisy. “It was an easy pet,” she said. “I had never had chickens before, and I wanted to ease in.”

She was quickly captivated by their quirky personalities and intricate plumes of feathers. The floodgates were opened. Along with a gaggle of chicks came geese, ducks, turkeys, goats, bunnies, pigs and even a 22-year-old tortoise.

“I love my animals, I like the relationship I have with them,” Soderman said. “I understand them.”

Her photographer’s eye saw something special. Mixed with her extensive collection of vintage items, enough props to fill a whole studio, she got an idea. She lined baby chicks up on stacks of books, or placed a stately goose against a lush linen backdrop. The photos can only be described as regal, like the classical portraits of royalty that hang in every major museum.

“I don’t think people think of chickens as fine art,” she said. “They’re so beautiful, though — I love photographing them.”

Soderman is an obsessive artist, compelled to shoot even when she’s not inspired or being paid. Sonoma Chicks began as a personal hobby, something just between her and her animals. But after a few years, with enough positive feedback, she started selling prints, art cards and even fine art pieces, like the massive turkey portrait that hangs at Pangloss Cellars.

“My vision of beauty is probably not what most people think. I am drawn to character,” she said.

This month, she launched a new service, for those looking for a unique portrait. Working in mini sessions, Soderman will invite clients to her home farm and position them with baby chicks or an inquisitive duck. As a mom of three, she sees this as an especially fun option for children — they can even bring their own pet to join the session.

“If I was a kid, that would have been something I wanted. Can I take my guinea pig or my bunny and get a photo?” she said.

She works with families to find the right backdrop and animal assistants, but makes sure to keep the sessions short and sweet.

“Kid’s attention spans are so little,” she said. With years of experience, she knows “major shoots are just a pain. There’s hair, there’s make up, it’s a pain.”

She aims to make her mini sessions pain free with plenty of feathered distractions in a bucolic setting that’s hard not to love. Find out more at sonomachicks.com.