For Lithuanian photographer Ingrida Rutkutė, the world is a constant stream of visual data. “As far as I remember myself, I was always about visuals,” she says. “It's just hard to describe the feeling when you go outside and you see everything in images, pictures. Even now, on the way to come here, I've taken ten images already. It's not about posting on social media, it's just for myself.”
Rutkutė’s career has taken her from Vilnius to the runways of Copenhagen, Milan, and Paris. She has worked with luxury houses such as Bottega Veneta and Jean Paul Gaultier, and her images capture the meticulous craft behind high fashion. Yet her approach remains grounded in a near-obsessive attention to detail: “All these angles, constructions, compositions, everything is just in my mind. So some people call me crazy because I cannot not take the picture.”
From Copenhagen to Haute Couture
Rutkutė’s entry into the fashion week circuit was anything but smooth. “We're in Copenhagen, some years ago I didn't know anything about Copenhagen Fashion Week. But I started realising there are fashion weeks and I was interested. And then I was scared to try it, I had no clue how it works, where should I go, what kind of shows there are, I didn't even know the Copenhagen itself or how can I earn money from that... You just need to do it.”
That leap of faith paid off. “I went and after Copenhagen I started with Milan, after Milan I see I'm in the backstage of Paris, you know, it's like... It's just one after another, it's like a circle. You should do what you are most scared of.” Her persistence led to a milestone moment last year: working during Haute Couture Week in Paris. “Surprisingly I had the chance to work with the client who was taking me everywhere because I needed to film her and take pictures at the same time. So we went to Bottega Veneta. The best moment of it was Jean Paul Gaultier premises. And when I went inside, for me it was like; 'ok, I've done something great in my life.'”
Inside the Gaultier atelier, Rutkutė found herself photographing not just her client but the dresses themselves. “I was taking pictures, not of the client only, but of the dresses as well. Then I got some really inspiring stories from the people who worked there, telling me that the dresses are made from crocodile leather or that this dress was worn by Kim Kardashian. In that place I realised that the world is really, really small, that you can appear in all of the locations where something important for your future projects can happen.”
The Art of Analysis
Rutkutė’s visual sensibility extends beyond her own work. She studies the craft of others with the same intensity. “When I check other people's photos, I always analyse, I zoom in close to your eyes to see what was the light set up etc. This is why I cannot watch a movie just normally as a person, as a viewer, I'm analysing what was the setting there, where was camera coming from. That inspires me – surroundings.”
One of her most cherished images is a detail shot from the Jean Paul Gaultier show, captured on film. “It was shot on film and then I didn't realise that it will come that nicely. Just for me, you know, I'm not sure how it is for other's eyes, but I like it so much. And the story behind it, how it ended up in that place.” Another favourite comes from the very beginning of her career, a shoot in Athens where she handled everything from styling to model selection. “It speaks out for myself that I've done something great.”
For aspiring fashion photographers, Rutkutė offers a blunt piece of advice: gear is not the answer. “When I started, I thought that the gear is the most important. Of course, and you can see on social media how all the cameras are helping you out in some case. But then you realise that networking is the most important, no matter how better you get with your equipment. You need to communicate around all the time, be an extrovert, which I'm not, and I'm just trying to do my best, and speak about your work, just all the time, especially during Fashion Weeks, just do your best and find...”
Rutkutė’s journey from a nervous newcomer in Copenhagen to a regular presence at the world’s most exclusive fashion events is a testament to the power of persistence and a relentless eye for detail. As she puts it, “You should do what you are most scared of.”
