For this photoshoot I wanted to recreate the feeling of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” performance from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The scene is one of the most recognizable moments in classic Hollywood, with Monroe surrounded by admirers offering diamonds and attention.
I wanted to capture that same idea in miniature through my Life in 1:6 Scale photography project.
To build the scene, I used Miniverse diamonds and roses as props. They worked perfectly at 1:6 scale and helped recreate the glamorous, over-the-top feeling of the original performance. The roses added a romantic element while the diamonds helped tie the image back to the inspiration.
One of the most interesting parts of this shoot happened during editing. Instead of photographing multiple dolls at once, I created the effect using compositing. I photographed four separate Ken doll hands and then combined them in Photoshop so it looks like they are all reaching toward the Barbie at the same time.
The final image shows the Barbie surrounded by hands offering diamonds and roses, which references the choreography and staging of the original Marilyn Monroe scene. This kind of compositing is something I enjoy experimenting with because it allows me to build scenes that would be difficult to photograph in a single frame. It also makes the image feel more cinematic, which fits the Old Hollywood inspiration behind the shoot.
