Pictures of the week: Redheads by Hanne van der Woude

She isn’t one herself, but Dutch photographer Hanne van der Woude grew up in a family of redheads.→
Photograph: Hanne van der Woude

This, and a raft of reports that suggested redheads are a dying breed, inspired her series of portraits taken in the Dutch countryside – specifically the landscape around Nijmegen, close to the German border.→
Photograph: Hanne van der Woude

Her settings are luminous greens, washed-out browns against murky skies, or vibrant autumnal woods: backdrops that, in different ways, allow the portraits to glow, helped by cinematic lighting.→
Photograph: Hanne van der Woude

'The landscapes played an important role,' Van der Woude explains. 'It took a long time to find the right settings, and wait for the right weather. I wanted to create a slightly otherworldly feel.'→
Photograph: Hanne van der Woude

She has so far photographed 150 subjects, from young boys and girls (including three flame-haired siblings playing in a treehouse), to adult twin sisters, in a project entitled MC1R after the gene for red hair.
Photograph: Hanne van der Woude

Originally, Van der Woude had little luck finding suitable people online or by approaching them in the street. So she teamed up with a local newspaper journalist on a front-page article, and potential subjects came flooding in.→
Photograph: Hanne van der Woude

Only one in 10 made the final cut. 'I aimed for a mix of different reds, skin colours and ethnicities,' she says. 'But it’s hard: most redheads have freckles and pale skin.'→ Photograph: Hanne Van der Woude

See more of Hanne van der Woude's work here www.hannevanderwoude.nl
Photograph: Hanne van der Woude