Sonya Tanae
Fort

SONYA TANAE FORT has always had an appreciation for photography, especially black and white images. However, she probably would never have picked up a camera if it were not for her nephew Jo’Rai. Sonya ventured into photography in 2013 when her nephew refused to have his high school senior yearbook portraits taken unless she agreed to be his photographer. Sonya’s background is in graphic and web design. Even though she had no photography experience at the time, her nephew was convinced that she could do it. “You can do it! I have faith in you. I’m telling you, you’ve got this auntie,” were the words that her nephew encouragingly spoke to her. Not wanting to disappoint, she did some research on portrait shooting, borrowed a co-worker’s camera, took him to a local park, and captured his portraits. Sonya was pleasantly surprised by the results but Jo’Rai was not. He said, “See, I knew you had it in you.” The rest, as they say, is history...

Shortly thereafter, Sonya Tanae Fort purchased her own camera and began practicing on family and friends. She spent the next few years absorbing everything she could about photography from various sources including other photographers who were gracious enough to share their decades of knowledge and experience with her. In July of 2017, she opened S. Tanae Designs & Photography, her own graphic design and photography studio located in Stoughton, Massachusetts. In addition to commercial photography, Sonya enjoys capturing fine art images. In 2018, she became a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).  

As a photographer, I am blessed with the ability to suspend and memorialize moments in time. Those moments then become part of history so I strive to capture the very essence of each sentient being, inanimate object, or landscape that I photograph. I tell their stories in the form of images. My portraits are a glimpse into the subject’s personality and the raw emotion that they are feeling at that particular moment. With my still life photos, I try to convey how the mundane and ordinary can become something unique and extraordinary from my perspective. Landscape and wildlife photography allows me to express my love and appreciation for the beauty and wonderment of creation. In all genres of photography, my mission is to create timeless, thought-provoking photographs that I hope will leave an indelible legacy around the world.