While the pictures in this book are undeniably of redheads, the true subject of Seeing Red is rapture–rapture of that particular sort found in those enthralled by the formidable magic of the camera.

Not all photographers are touched by that magic. At the heart of Howard Schatz’s work is the kind of uncompromised, wide-eyed ardor that has invigorated photographers since the days of Julia Cameron and Jacques Henri Lartigue. Whether redheads are the reason for this book or merely an excuse for taking pictures and feeing his rapture, Schatz ninety-three variations on a chromatic theme elegantly illustrate a virtuoso balancing act between methodology and a fine madness.

Beyond the rapture of photography, the boundaries of method and the obsession with a theme, Howard Schatz has accomplished the ultimate goal of the portraitist: he has offered respect and genuine interest and received truth in return. His redheads are heroic and unforgettable. Beyond giving us the obvious beauty of color, both photographic and human, Schatz does what the best photographers do, peeling our eyes and causing us to see again what we think we’ve already seen. Whether you look at Seeing Red back to front or front to back, you will never see redheads the same way again. -Owen Edwards