苏格兰摄影师Kieran Dodds花费10年时间跨越多国拍摄红发人群，最近出版了摄影集《Gingers of America》[1]。这部作品从2013年开始筹划，记录了包括土著美国人、黑人和各族裔混血者在内的美国红发人士，通过他们的故事探索了美国的多元文化历史[1]。
根据Dodds的研究发现，美国的红发人口遗传比例约为4%，约合1400万人，这一比例显著高于全球平均水平的不足2%，接近苏格兰的13%[1]。在被记录的受访者中，红发特征来源复杂多样。例如，Muscogee Creek Nation的Joshua Elliot的红发源自母亲一侧的德国血统和父亲一侧的英国、瑞典血统；Comanche女孩Lottie Wahkinney则拥有来自Galashiels的苏格兰祖父母[1]。值得注意的是，Cherokee女孩Lakia的红发被认为是一个意外现象，因为她的家族两侧均无欧洲血统[1]。
Scottish photographer Kieran Dodds has spent a decade documenting red-haired individuals across multiple continents, culminating in the publication of his book Gingers of America.[1] Beginning his work in 2013, Dodds has traveled extensively to photograph red-haired people in Scotland, Russia, and Jamaica, before focusing on the United States.[1] Through his project, he explores the multicultural history of America by interviewing red-haired individuals from diverse backgrounds, including Native Americans, Black Americans, and people of mixed heritage.[1]
The project reveals surprising genetic patterns across American communities. Approximately 4 percent of the American population carries red hair genetics, representing roughly 14 million people—a notably higher proportion than the global average of less than 2 percent and Scotland's figure of approximately 13 percent.[1] Dodds documents how this trait appears across varied ancestry lines: Joshua Elliot, from the Muscogee Creek Nation, inherited his red hair through German ancestry on his mother's side and English and Swedish heritage from his father.[1] Lottie Wahkinney, a Comanche girl, has Scottish grandparents from Galashiels.[1] Perhaps most unexpectedly, Cherokee girl Lakia's red hair emerged as a genetic anomaly, as neither side of her family carries European ancestry.[1]