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.

Today, Carey dons his frills to fight breast cancer, one pirouette at a time. He’ll be self-publishing “Ballerina,” a book of his portraits and humorous stories, this fall, and hopes to raise $75,000 to benefit breast cancer organizations. Read more at thetutuproject.com.

Photo: Bob Carey