MAGNIFICENT REDHEAD PORTRAITS: RARE BEAUTIES
Fire and grace, vulnerable and powerful, redheaded humans possess rare and unique beauty. Yet they will likely be extinct within the next century.
Representing just 2% of the population, their beautiful coloring is created by MC1R, a recessive gene, selected out in many cultures because it is considered undesirable. They’ve been bullied, burned at the stake because they were considered to be witches, and shut out of sperm banks.
But many find their red hair to be exceptionally beautiful. We are featuring 2 fine art photographers, Alexandra Bochkareva and Vivian Keulards, who focus on redhead portraits. See their magnificent works below.
Firey red hair sparked a fire within photographer Alexandra Bochkareva. The striking colors of silken strands, the scatter of russet freckles against creamy ivory skin, the soft, yet piercing contrast of pale green and blue eyes peering out from a fringe of ginger lashes inspired Bochkareva’s series of red-haired portraits.
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, now based in St. Petersburg, Russia, Bochkareva is also drawn to the vulnerabilities of red-haired people, sensitive to the discrimination, bullying, and dangers they often face.
Bochkareva’s redhead portraits are a celebration of diversity, innocence, and sensuality.
Bochkareva focuses on the emotions of each of her subjects as much as she does composition and lighting.
She mainly shoots in natural light with manual lenses, producing a dreamy quality. She likes to shoot late in the day, when the sun is low, using only a reflector to modify the existing lighting.
Bochkareva’s interest in photography began in 2012, when she gave birth to her first child. She worked with Zenit camera which belonged to her dad. She only had formal training during a 2-week class photography school. The rest she learned on her own through books and experimentation.
Photographer Oleg Oprisko has inspired Bochkareva the most. We can see evidence of this in her tender use of flowers to accent the beauty of her subjects’ faces and hair.
Red foxes are frequent companions to Bochkareva’s red-haired human beauties. Their wildness both compliments and contrasts.
Dutch photographer Vivian Keulards is both fascinated and moved by red-haired children. Her photos are her opener for speaking out against the prejudice and bullying that victimizes many of them.
“Their orange-red hair, their pale skin with clusters of freckles and their bright, light eyes are just breathtaking and magical to me. At times, they even seemed translucent,” says Keulards.
Finding her red-haired subjects in the Netherlands, the US, and Ireland, Keulards aims to capture their mystical qualities as well as their power. She also hopes to raise awareness. “If it's true that they're threatened with extinction, I might even be photographing history,” says Keulards.
Keulards studied at the Photo Academy, in Amsterdam. She began her 1st portraits in the series “Flaming Grace” in 2007. “They’re visual poetry to me!” says Keulards.
Check out Keulards’ new book, Flaming Grace, to see more of her extraordinary redhead portraits.
Read more about Beautiful Reds. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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