How I met Mr. Right!

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 ½ 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 ½ 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.

The first photo here is so old and I really didn't know a whole lot about file size back then and how to scan images in properly. The image is at 72 dpi and the original size.....

Here is how it all started:
April 2003

Just found one of the older ones...

Ah this one should have gone in after my first post but hey... that is why I am here.. no rules for me here...

Real Quick; I haven't really told you how and why i take the pictures the way I do... I have been through about 2 or 3 digital cameras since I started. I started with a 4 mega pix canon elf and now use a Canon Power Shot A550.

I was really jaded by the whole digital craze that started 5-6 years ago. I was a traditional photographer that went to Art school and didn't believe in digital. So, I wanted the images to seem candid and not picture perfect. I wanted Mr. Right to grow and change over time and not look the same in every shot; because I know I don't. This picture was scanned in from film. I think this is the last one I actually scanned in... then I moved on to the digtal later the next year.

Enough said this Mr. Right and me on Halloween 2003. I am ofcourse the little devil and he is the Angel...

Beth and Mr. Right move to NYC

A little back up story. I am from Louisville, Kentucky but moved to Chicago when I was 19 to go to Columbia College Chicago. I earned a BA in Photography in 2000. In 2003, my then boyfriend and I decide to part ways. I left Chicago and moved back to my hometown to figure out where to go to next. I searched for jobs all over the country; heck even outside the country and a colleague of mine emailed me one day that she had a job for me in NYC. (digital archivist at an architecture firm; was the job) Completely stoked and scared at the same time, and to make a long story short I managed to get myself there in Jan 2004. I knew all of 2 maybe 3 people in NYC so I spent a lot of time alone walking around the city. (a better part of my time in Central Park) I couldn't help but notice people/ couples and there everyday behavior in the city. NYC is perfect because you have so many people to watch. You have the couples that are clearly from there, and then the tourist...

About 2 weeks into my new move to the city I met a group of people in a bar one night and ended up going to the girls party later that week. I met 3 Brit girls there that night that little did I know would be come 3 of my closest friends today. Becky (wix), Lucy (tits), and Emily (Em)....

I had my new posse! I lived in NYC for about 15 months and during my time there, the girls and all my new friends that I would soon meet started to help me with my project. Over the last four years it has become something fun for my friends and I to do when we are out. "Hey, can you take a picture of me and Mr. Right? Thanks!" Friends and strangers gladly do it! Course the strangers don't know what they are even doing!

Here are some of the earlier ones....

Trip to LA

This was taken in Malibu in June 2004. I went out to LA for my friend Andrew's wedding. I stayed with my best friend from college Anna. Fast forward to present day, I live in LA now and with Anna! It is funny to look back at this picture because while I was living in NYC during this time I would have never thought one year from then I would move to LA!

Back in KY

This was taken in my friends backyard with the help of my friend Emily's daughter (she was 5 then). I was baby sitting that day and thought we would go outside and take some pictures. She follows direction quite well i might add.

My lease was up in Brooklyn in April 05.. I decided to move across the country to LA and try it out... (still here) But before that I stayed in KY for 2 months because I was in my friend Emily's wedding....

Our Trip moving out west

June 2005 The Grand Canyon; this was a great trip. We took the southern route to get to LA. I think I cried when I saw the Grand Canyon. Nerdy, I know but I was just so overwhelmed and taken back by how beautiful it is and HUGE....

I don't have any pictures of us in New Mexico but Santa Fe was my favorite...

First Trip to the Beach...

First trip when I moved to LA was going to visit my friend Tommy in Long Beach. I knew only a handful of people in LA. So it was a great day getting to see a old friend.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Mr. Right and me.

Let's cut a rug Mr. Right

He is a much better dancer than I am...... November 2005 Los Angeles

karaoke and dance party with Mr. Right

We love to go to Karaoke; this was a great night. We had friends in for Thanksgiving weekend...
After Karaoke back to a friends house for some more dancing!!

Rainbow Room

We had a great time this night. We went to the Rainbow room with Anna and Chad. (roommates) and saw Chad's friend play. Love that fireplace! I think this was in Dec 2005.. I will have to ask..

November 2005

a quick close up pix before heading out for the night! we don't have many close ups of us...

The beach in November 2005

Nothing like a day at the beach in November! This was such a great day, we watch the para surfers for a long time. I think you can see one in the background.... We also ate at Neptunes Net.. so good!

Cha Cha

He and I went out for a drink with Chad at the Cha Cha. It was a fun night but..... he doesn't look like he is having as much fun as me; guess that is because I was kicking his butt!

I heart the photo booth

We looked dumb in the other photos so I tore them up but I love this one of me giving him some kisses!

Don Caballero Show August 24 2006

Mr. Right and I went to see Don Caballero at Spaceland with Jake and Van. I hadn't listen to them in years; took me back to college days in Chicago. They sounded great!

Big 30th Euro Trip

Ah, what a great trip this was. I didn't want to be in LA for my 30th. I wanted to travel and go see a lot of art. So we headed over to the UK first. I have some photos of London and will post those next. This is one of my favorites of us in Paris.. Ugh, was so tired from walking all day all over Paris. When we finally got to the Eiffel Tower is was really dark and we got to see the light show.. pretty neat stuff.

Double Decker Bus in London

We don't usually do tourist things like this when we travel... but it was really cold that day and was kinda of fun to just sit and look at the London... instead of walking all over. We got off at the Tate Modern and walked around.... I think I have a photo of us by the water. I will have to look for it... Oh and btw this is in November 2006

Berlin

I love Berlin and wouldn't mind actually living there. We stayed in the Mitte and that is where a lot of the galleries are located. That is what we spent the days doing mostly. The best night was when we went to see Mono play. It was such a great show! Au Revoir Simone opened for Mono and it was cool to see some people from Brooklyn.

Can you see it honey; it's the Hollywood sign

August 2007

Emily and Lucy came to visit this weekend and we had a great time. They wanted to get a photo on front of the Hollywood sign; LA tourist style. Mr. Right and I have been here for over two years and never had our photo taken.. so here it is ya'll

San Fran Baby...

September 2007

Our first trip to San Fran. It felt so nice for us to be in a walking city. So different from LA where you are ALWAYS in your car. That is one thing we miss about living in NYC... I have to try and find the photos but I thinl this is prob the best touristry photo we have. We took a cab all the way to the Golden Gate bridge and it was soooo foggy you couldn't even see the bridge.. Too funny!

Oh anyway here is a photo of us at the Bay Bridge after a really long night... We walked along the farmers market and down to take a boat to Alcatraz... I need to find the photos from there... I will post when i do..

be well!

Washington DC bound May 2008

May 2008

We went to to visit my sister and brother in law this weekend in Virginia. We went to the Lincoln Memorial today. It was so packed because of Memorial Day weekend. Apparently, on Memorial Day weekend every year; motorcyclist come from all around to ride through DC in honor.

We had a great weekend we had not seen Ann and Dan for over a year and a half!