Sonoma photographer takes compelling animal portraits

Tania Soderman lived much of her youth in Africa and returned to her parents’ home country of Norway at age 13. She says that her time in both countries fostered a deep love of animals and planted the seeds that one day she would own a farm of her own.

In 1994, Soderman moved to the U.S. and trained as a photographer at Academy of Art San Francisco and the San Francisco Art Institute. For 15 years, she worked as a commercial photographer in the city and traveled worldwide for commissioned work.

In 2014, she moved with her family to Sonoma and began taking the steps to make her dream of owning a farm a reality.

“In building and designing my farm, each decision was made with a photographer’s eye so the habitat became a picturesque backdrop,” she said. Her farm, located south of town near Broadway Market, is called Sonoma Chicks. All of her portraits are shot at her home there.

Soderman says she sought to create a “slice of Norway” on the small 3-acre farm. Today, its charming red and white buildings are home for dozens of breeds of chickens, along with ducks, quail, rabbits, geese and a herding dog named Ollie.

Soderman’s friends and visitors have been known to open up powder or laundry room doors to find chicks incubating or rabbits coming in to be groomed or just to visit.

“My close relationship with the animals establishes a trust that enables me to capture the animals’ individual and unique personalities,” said Soderman.

Soderman’s artwork and cards can be purchased online at sonomachicks.com or by contacting her via Instagram or Facebook @sonomachicks or by phone at 415-307-4410. She also accepts pet portrait commissions.