Mr. Right began after a long love relationship ended. It is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek statement on the illusion of the perfect mate, illustrated by how people interact with their significant others in photos. I?ve used this project as an opportunity to document my life for the past 4 ? years.
There is something about being photographed with a significant other that most of us can relate to. We tend to feel more comfortable and less vulnerable with someone we love. When you look at candid pictures of a couple, you are hopefully able to see and feel the happiness within the shared experience they felt at that moment. A photograph has the power to document and preserve, saying, ?we were here, together?. If we?ve yet to find them, we wonder who our Mr. or Mrs. Right might be and we?re never certain when they might appear. This forces us to live our lives as fully as possible.
Though it appears I am alone with my drawn-in Mr. Right, I am not by myself. I always had someone helping me, whether it was a friend or a stranger. Over the past 4 ? years, I have met so many people who have become a part of this project and I have consistently noticed by peoples? reactions that it seems to illicit both hope and laughter. It is important that while the viewer may laugh at Mr. Right and myself, hopefully one can ultimately relate to our moments together and picture themselves in my place.
I used a Canon Elf Power Shot and set it to the highest quality the camera would allow. Mr. Right was drawn using Photoshop. I like that leaving him hollow allows the viewers to fill in their own vision of what he looks like. The images convey everyday candid pictures that people take to document their lives and relationships.
Beth Moser
BA in Professional Photography
Columbia College Chicago 2000
