BIO
Line Ørnes Søndergaard (b.1986) is a visual storyteller from Oslo, Norway. Her background is in documentary-film and television before she turned to photography, completing her BA in photojournalism at Oslo Metropolitan University in 2015. She is now a staff photographer at the daily newspaper Klassekampen.
Søndergaard´s work deals with social and political issues, often using intimate encounters as the framework for her projects. She tends to focus on the emotional aspect of the situation people find themselves in, looking for resemblance.
Her work has received international accolades from, among others, Norwegian Picture of the Year, POY, the Lucie Foundation and NPPA Best of Photojournalism award. Søndergaard has been selected for prestigious programs including World Press Photo’s Joop Swart Masterclass, Norwegian Journal of Photography, and VII Photo Mentor program. Her work has been widely published and exhibited and is a part of the permanent collection of Preus National Museum of Photography, Norway.
In 2021, Søndergaard published the book "Bruddet" (Press, 2021) together with writer Yohan Shanmugaratnam, focusing on a town in transition around the Brexit vote. Alongside her long-term, personal projects, she is an established editorial photographer and educator in visual narrative storytelling at the BA program in Photojournalism, Oslo, Norway.
AWARDS / GRANTS / HONOURS
2022
Norwegian Art Council / 1 year work grant
Spotlight Award / Fotografia Etica / Winner
2021
Norwegian Art Council / 1 year work grant
Fotografi portfolio prize / Jury
Documentary Works / Gomma Grant / Finalist
Burn Emerging Photographer Fund / Finalist
The non-fiction fund / Project grant
2020
Norwegian Art Council / Project grant
Freedom of speech foundation / Project grant
Karina Jensen memorial fund / Project grant
2019
Lucie Foundation Emerging Scholarship / Shortlisted
Freedom of speech foundation / Project grant
Norwegian Journal of Photography / Participant 2017 - 2019
2018
Picture of the Year Norway / Jury
Nikon Noor Masterclass / Participant
Lumina Mentorship / Participant
2017
Picture of the Year Norway / Portrait / 3rd
Freedom of speech foundation / Project grant
2016
Picture of the Year Norway / News / 1st
Picture of the Year Norway / Portrait / 1st
Picture of the Year Norway / International documentary / 3rd
PDN Photo Annual / Student work
Joop Swart Masterclass / Participant
2015
CPOY / Interpretive Project / Bronze
CPOY / Domestic Category / Award of Excellence
Freedom of speech foundation / Project grant
2014
POYI / Online Feature Story Editing – Magazine / Honorable Merit
NPPA´s Best of photojournalism / Feature Multimedia Story / Honorable Mention
CPOY / Multimedia Project / Silver
Picture of the Year Norway / Domestic documentary / 2nd
Picture of the Year Norway / Open section / 3rd
Freedom of Speech Foundation / Project grant
Karina Jensens memorial fund / Project grant
EXHIBITIONS
2022
Bruddet - byen som ville ha brexit
Helsinki Photofestival, Finland
Festival Della Fotografia Etica, Italy
Nordic Light Festival, Kristiansund
Kapittelfestivalen, Stavanger
Litteraturfestivalen, Lillehammer
How do you see him?
A Female Gaze / Copenhagen Photo Festival, Denmark
2021
Bruddet - byen som ville ha brexit
Trondheim Dokumentarfestival
Vaterlandsparken, Oslo
Spor // Trace
Dali International Photofestival, China
Dette Året / Preus Museum, Horten
Fremmed i det nære / Fotografiens hus, Oslo
How do you see him?
A Female Gaze / Oslo Negativ, Gamle Deichman, Oslo
A Female Gaze / Nordic Light Festival, Kristiansund
A Female Gaze / Shoot Gallery, Oslo
2019
Malaise - French chapter
Norsk Dokumentarfotografi / Henie Onstad Kunstsenter
2015
Lao Tou
China Dream / Dokfestivalen, Fredrikstad
2014
Time To rest
Vi skynder oss langsomt / Dokfestivalen, Fredrikstad
BOOKS
2021
Bruddet - byen som ville ha brexit
Press
2020
Spor // Trace
Box, Self published
2019
Malaise
Box, Self published
BOOK CONTRIBUTIONS
2021
Dette Året
Molo press
2020
Photography Rules
Frances Lincoln Publishing
2019
Norwegian Journal of Photography #4
Journal
2017
Se!
Cappelen Damm
2015
China Dream
Fotokina
COLLECTIONS
Preus Museum permanent collection, Horten
Private collections
EDUCATION
2012-2015
BA Photojournalism, Social Sciences,
Oslo Metropolitan University
2014
Internship,
Danish daily newspaper Politiken
2010
Documentary-film,
Lillehammer University College
2007-2008
Film and television production,
Kristiania University College