Once Upon a Woman
Self-published book / 150 pages / edition of 90
Once Upon a Woman challenges the traditional portrayal of women in fairy tales - where heroines are often passive, idealized, and valued for their beauty. Through photography, styling, set design, and visual storytelling, I reinterpret five iconic tales: Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Undine, and The Ballad of Mulan.
Inspired by classic illustrated fairytale books, this photo series reclaims the narrative - giving both heroines and villains new life, autonomy, and authority.The book is both an homage to timeless stories and a call to imagine new, liberated versions of the ones we thought we knew.
With this book, I hope to open a conversation about how we choose to depict women today and how much power lies in that choice.
Art Direction / Bertine Monsen
Photography and retouch / Bertine Monsen
Lighting Technician / Cameron Daravi
Lighting assistant / Kenneth Novela Gran
Digitech & lighting assistant / Iver Ambrosius
Assistants / Live Gåre / Rebecca Johnsgaard
Styling / Svetlana Nekrasova
Set design / Svetlana Nekrasova
Make-up / Jeanette Gjerde Olsen / Sophia Lundberg
Hair / Sophia Lundberg
Talent /Juni Olav / Elise Kildal / Rebekka Olsen / Minken / Ylva Kristine / Barbora Otterstein / Live Helene / Julie Vindedal
