But its our physical differences that make us beautiful.
Each person has their own unique features.
However, theres one particular physical trait that is especially rare.
Clockwise: Steven McKay, Esther, Rebecca (mother), Chloe, Lois and Abigail, Scotland
Just 1-2% of the world’s population has natural red hair.
However, redheads exist all over the world.
And his series,Gingers, was recently published as a book.
Tatiana and Valeria Korotaeva, Russia, born 1998 and 1999
Dodds is a redhead himself, which is a pretty common characteristic of Scottish people.
For years, he traveled from the Americas through Europe, onto the Middle East and Asia.
We recently caught up with Dodds to ask him more about hisGingersseries.
Maya Duncan-Smith, Dundee, Scotland
Read on for My Modern Mets exclusive interview and find out more about theGingersbookhere.
I was first and foremost fascinated by nature from my earliest years.
I remember taking my first photograph aged 7 in Edmonton Zoo, Canada.
Alexander Soued, Scotland, born 2011
My cameras may be fancier today but that same instinct drives meto share remarkable things I see.
Maya Duncan-Smith, Dundee, Scotland
How did your seven-year-long project begin?
I was born ginger!
Randy Wong, Jamaica, born 1988
That insight coincided with a visit to the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh.
This was no parochial trait but a universal characteristic derided and also exalted in equal measure.
That informed the aesthetic but over the years it has taken on a life of its own.
Sveta Ni, Russia, born 1996
The story is bigger than me, and I am carried in its wake.
What began as something visually led has unveiled things I hadnt expected.
Alexander Soued, Scotland, born 2011
What do you find most fascinating about redheads?
Nixie Connelly, Scotland
The variety within a so-called uniform group.
Each time a person sits for a portrait I think Can this be any different?
But it always is.
Photographer Kieran Dodds, Scotland, born 1980
Why was it important for you to show that people with ginger hair can be found globally?
An understandable reaction to globalism is localismwhere we define ourselves as part of a smaller subunit.
Local isnt necessarily a geographical area but the community we identify with, especially online.
Dodds' twin daughters Izzy & Ada Dodds, Scotland
People we disagree with.
We are made of the same stuff, and in the case of ginger hair, it shows.
I met a woman called Sveta Ni whose mother was from Europe, but her father has Chinese ancestry.
Marteka Nembhard, Jamaica, born 2005
Her second name is Ni.
On a map that makes complete sense.
The trait itself is thought to have arose in Central Asia as a beneficial adaptation to cloudy northern latitudes.
Lucy Fleming, Scotland, born 2005
Sveta Ni, Russia, born 1996
The word ginger often has a negative connotation to it.
Why did you choose it for the title of the series?
Ginger can be used as an insult, but I chose it for its descriptive power.
Margarita Bezukladnikova, Russia, born 2013
Why should bullies get to define the terms?
The color isnt red, it’s golden or rusty as the Russians say.
Struggle is maybe too strong a word for my experience.
John Ross, Scotland, born 1950
Others I spoke to had a really hard time, even from their family.
I wanted to make portraits to not ridicule or other but to show our common dignity and connection.
What advice would you give to people who have been victimized simply because of their hair color?
Jordan DeLeon, Jamaica, born 2016
Look beyond your circumstances and see you are part of a bigger story.
You are part of the global human family!
Photographer Kieran Dodds, Scotland, born 1980
You dedicated your book to your two daughters.
Jamie Hallam, Scotland, born 2004
How do you hope the series will help them see themselves?
We live in the global ginger capital (Edinburgh) and even here it’s rare.
People stop us in the street and admire their beautiful hair.
Gilad Belkin, Israel, born 1988
I want them to grow up knowing that this beauty is present in every cell in their bodies.
Pacey Young, Scotland
Chris McCabe, Scotland
