Black and white photo of woman's legs in fishnet stockings and heels. boudoir photography Christchurch

See yourself in a new way

Emulating Marilyn


Today we’re emulating Marilyn Monroe in a white sheet shoot. With a twist!


Photographers, like other artists, will sometimes be inspired by an existing body of work and then apply their own spin to it. That is what today’s photo shoot is about.


In 1961 Douglas Kirkland photographed Marilyn Monroe wrapped up in white sheets. The photos were playful and sensual and reminded me of some of my own White Sheet sessions.

Black and white photo of a photographer kneeling to photograph a woman reclining on a bed in a bedroom.

My model today is my friend Laura, who I have photographed before. She’s wonderful in front of the camera and immediately grasped the concept. Here are a few of our photos.

Smiling young woman with red hair and blue eyes looking up, bathed in natural sunlight.
Woman lying on white bed wrapped in white sheets, head tilted back in a relaxed pose near a bright window.
Smiling young woman lying in bed covered with white sheets, looking up at the camera in a bright bedroom.
Smiling young woman lying in white bed with soft pillows, stretching and relaxing in the morning.
Young woman with long hair lying on white bedding with eyes closed, appearing peaceful and relaxed.
Happy young woman lying in white bed, stretching and smiling, enjoying a relaxing morning wake-up.
Young woman with long hair lying on white bedding, smiling peacefully in bright natural sunlight.
A smiling woman lying on a white bed, wrapped in soft white bedding, enjoying a relaxed morning.
Young girl with long blonde hair lying on white bed, smiling at camera in bright bedroom.
Close-up of a woman with long auburn hair cascading over her face, bathed in warm sunlight against a white background.
Smiling young woman with long blonde hair lying on white bedding, looking relaxed and happy.
Smiling young woman with long hair wrapped in white sheets sitting on a bed near a bright window.
Smiling young woman with red hair and blue eyes looking up, bathed in natural sunlight.
Woman lying on white bed wrapped in white sheets, head tilted back in a relaxed pose near a bright window.
Smiling young woman lying in bed covered with white sheets, looking up at the camera in a bright bedroom.
Smiling young woman lying in white bed with soft pillows, stretching and relaxing in the morning.
Young woman with long hair lying on white bedding with eyes closed, appearing peaceful and relaxed.
Happy young woman lying in white bed, stretching and smiling, enjoying a relaxing morning wake-up.
Young woman with long hair lying on white bedding, smiling peacefully in bright natural sunlight.
A smiling woman lying on a white bed, wrapped in soft white bedding, enjoying a relaxed morning.
Young girl with long blonde hair lying on white bed, smiling at camera in bright bedroom.
Close-up of a woman with long auburn hair cascading over her face, bathed in warm sunlight against a white background.
Smiling young woman with long blonde hair lying on white bedding, looking relaxed and happy.
Smiling young woman with long hair wrapped in white sheets sitting on a bed near a bright window.

Several of Kirkland’s photos of Marilyn were taken from above with him hanging off a balcony. I didn’t do that, as I’m not crazy. And I'm old. Plus my ceilings are only 2.4m, or eight foot, high.


Instead I bought a good sturdy stepladder, and had my head bumping the ceiling.


Black and white photo of a person leaping from a loft above a bed where another person lies sleeping.

The twist I mentioned earlier is  I wanted to make it look as if we had warm, evening sun coming through the windows. That’s difficult in a Christchurch winter, where warm anything is in short supply. So I made my own.


An orange gel on a basic flash speed light and one tall light stand and we had our warm sunlight.


Woman with blonde hair lying in white bed covered with white sheets, looking relaxed and peaceful.
Young woman lying on white bedding wrapped in a white sheet, arms outstretched, viewed from above.
Young woman lying on white bed sheets in a relaxed pose, wearing a white dress, viewed from above.
Young girl with long hair lying on white bedding, looking up at the camera with a gentle smile.
Person lying in bed with white sheets and blanket, legs visible, resting comfortably on a white mattress.
Smiling young woman with blonde hair lying on a white bed, wrapped in a white sheet in a bright room.
Woman with long hair lying on white bed wrapped in white sheet near bright window in serene bedroom setting.
Woman with blonde hair lying in white bed covered with white sheets, looking relaxed and peaceful.
Young woman lying on white bedding wrapped in a white sheet, arms outstretched, viewed from above.
Young woman lying on white bed sheets in a relaxed pose, wearing a white dress, viewed from above.
Young girl with long hair lying on white bedding, looking up at the camera with a gentle smile.
Person lying in bed with white sheets and blanket, legs visible, resting comfortably on a white mattress.
Smiling young woman with blonde hair lying on a white bed, wrapped in a white sheet in a bright room.
Woman with long hair lying on white bed wrapped in white sheet near bright window in serene bedroom setting.

The results from this photo shoot were wonderful, and I’m glad to offer it as a variation of the very popular White Sheet mini-session. If you want these results for yourself, then fill out the form below to contact Smoke&Mirrors Studio.

Let’s design your photo experience


Interested in a photo shoot, a free, no-obligation phone consult or just like to know more? Pop your details in the form and we’ll get back to you. There’s never any hard sell.



We carefully design every photo experience. For that reason all sessions begin with a brief consultation call. This allows us to ensure that we’re the right fit for each other, walk you through the full experience, and answer all of your questions before taking the next step.