Julia Baum, Patrick, digital c-print, 2008

Such a physical premise might raise "red" flags of reducing individuals to the typologies of their appearance. But by focusing on red hair so explicitly, the second take on these portraits intentionally avoids the hair and concentrates on the face. And Baum left a rich reservoir for viewers that dig deeper beyond the show's unifying element.

Baum captures her subjects with an impressive level of honesty and ease. Striking a pose or forcing a face enjoys widespread popularity in advertisement as well as vernacular snapshots. It's difficult to override these defaults and grab a picture as though the camera isn't present. Although the subject will always be cognizant of their representation on some subconscious level, some photographers like Baum do a far better job at getting their subjects to frankly just relax. By making her viewers feel safely rather than awkwardly self-conscious, Baum's mines gems of portraiture.

Baum's espouses her own theories about personality traits that all red heads share in common. As a carrot top herself, she can claims some authority. She remarked that "as redheads, we are used to being one in a crowd and regularly noted for our appearance. Experiencing life in this way from infancy through adulthood influences who we are. As a natural redhead, I know our hair color affects more than just our appearance. As only 1% of the entire human population, our distinctive coloring is a relevant topic from day one."

Posing for a portrait demands a certain level of vanity. Whether this effect is exacerbated by a lifetime of sprouting red hair or subtle coaching from a motivated photographer is too hard to tell. Either way, the gazes in these photographic subjects alternates between penetrating and haunting, the colors honed and striking, the lines crisp. Leave it to a red head to produce portraiture that ranks 1 in a 100.