At first glance, you will probably laugh at the pictures of middle-aged photographer Bob Carey in nothing but a pink tutu. His work, labeled The Tutu Project, began in 2003 with a photo of Carey in front of a barn which was donated to the Arizona Ballet for a fundraiser.
Shortly after the fundraiser, his wife, Linda, was diagnosed with breast cancer . Carey tells Shine that, “It wasn’t about her when I started,” but after Linda’s surgery, it was the best way for him to take a break. Linda’s cancer went into remission, but returned in 2006.
Ever since, Carey has been working on The Tutu Project, in honor of his wife. Linda says of the collection, “It takes a lot of love for him to put that tutu on…and it makes us laugh.”
Bob Carey recently launched a website for the photos, to benefit breast cancer organizations such as Cancercare.org and the Beth Israel Department of Integrative Medicine Fund. Currently, the website is selling prints and t-shirts to raise money. It will eventually feature Ballerina , a book that Carey plans to self-publish in the fall.
The book will be a compilation of both photographs, and anecdotes about the photo shoots. The Carey’s goal is to raise $75,000 for the organization, and all of the book proceeds will go toward this. They are well on their way toward reaching this goal. In fact, the website, which has only been up since March 12th, has raised over $8,000.
Linda assures Shine that, “I’m feeling good…I’ve been in chemo for five years and most days I’m okay.” She declares that she has an open mind, and refuses to let cancer define her. Bob adds that, “She’s kind of a rock star at the cancer center.”
Would you be like Bob Carey and don a tutu for breast cancer?
Check out the video below about Bob and Linda Carey’s Tutu Project:
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You can also check out a short video of Carey at his photo shoot in Monument Valley, Utah:
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[Images courtesy of thetutuproject.com ]