It’s not every day that a man walks around a field of cows wearing nothing but a pink tutu. Or the Grand Canyon, for that matter. But photographer Bob Carey does it all the time. Nine years ago, Carey took his first self-portrait dressed like a ballerina, and hilarity ensued. Since then, he has snapped more than 100 tulle-clad silly shots, from amusement parks to beaches, Times Square to Michigan. Though the images are whimsical, the story behind them is somber: Carey’s wife Linda was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. She beat it, only to have the cancer recur in 2006; and she has been undergoing chemo ever since. The illness taught Carey that though life can be hard, sometimes the best thing to do is laugh.
The photographer took a page out of the Patch Adams book of medicine and decided to make his wife laugh. So he decided to put on a pink tutu – only a pink tutu – and start taking pictures of himself in different locations. His goal was to boost his wife’s spirits during a very dark time. Linda even took the photos to the hospital to show the other patients. “It makes me laugh, it helps me keep positive,” she says to Deutscher Telekom. She likens it to a superhero putting on a cape.
When they realized the effect the photos were having on the other patients, they knew the photos and stories had to be shared. The couple started ‘The Tutu Project’ and Bob has embarked on a journey around the world taking photos of himself in different locations. They also created a Twitter account, YouTube page and website to showcase the photos, share stories and raise awareness.