A Lithuanian firework of expression and creativity.

A spontaneous night shooting with Jogilė Ramoškaitė where chaos, humor, and raw energy turned a simple idea into a full story by Christoph Rutenkolk

"Mute expression of feelings" - Jogilė Ramoškaitė

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Let’s call it planning

Before we even met, I was fascinated. Jogilė is a multi-talented creative from Vilnius: a videographer, social media content creator, TikToker, actress and aspiring songwriter . She describes herself as friendly, honest and unfiltered, with a love for sarcasm and good humour. When I first sent her my portrait book to check her interests, I asked what kind of portraits she is actually into: “weird topics and those genres” but can also shoot street photography if I’d have a mood board. At first, I wasn’t sure if our styles would match.

The pre-shoot sprint

That doubt disappeared when I mentioned a location: a vintage three-masted ship floating in Bremen’s harbour.

Her response? “omfg, OK, then definitely something classy and light. I’ll go check the secondhand for sure!” She didn’t just say yes; she was already thinking outfits.

We met at a thrift store close to the docks with barely 30 minutes before closing time. Most of the racks held junk. One Britney Spears costume was politely declined, instead, she grabbed a lace nightgown, the one you see in the photos while I suggested to shoot at some underground spot with her cheerleader-style bunny costume. She laughed, it was already packed for the Venus convention in Berlin and didn’t take up much space. Outfits in hand, we hurried to the ship to scout spots, synchronise our ideas and find our creative flow.

Shot in the last light at the harbor in Bremen Germany, where everything felt improvised but strangely right. A moment of tranquility. © Christoph Rutenkolk

Strong open light, cold wind, zero preparation. The kind of portrait that only works when both sides trust the chaos.

On board

Once aboard, the rusty steel, heavy ropes and river lights turned into a stage. Jogilė slipped into the vintage nightgown, “laughing” about wearing lace on a freezing deck. Her humour warmed us the most, I think. She told me stories of past shoots and the “creative-edgy” genres she enjoys, reminding me of her free-spirited mindset.

Pop colours and personality

Switching to a vintage Diet Coke tee and bright lipstick, she expressed herself better then Victoria Beckham herself: “it’s just my sleeping shirt, but if we can use it…” We both cracked up her comedy timing cut through the cold, fortunately for both of us but mostly for her.

Sin city style, her shirt in loud red. A face that, a pose, the truth?

Underpass antics

“I only have the bunny costume for the Venus convention!”

By late evening we moved to a nearby underpass. Out came the bunny outfit. Curious cyclists rolled by as she leaped and posed under the fluorescent lights.

“Germans not used to it” i mentioned, as one of them nearly hit a pillar, when he couldn’t take his eye of the scene.

We shot until midnight, ignoring frozen fingers. And she tucked the bunny costume back into her backpack.

Sometimes energy becomes weightless. Shot at midnight, when the city was quiet and we were absolutely freezing, mostly she. © Christoph Rutenkolk

She insisted on bringing the bunny outfit, ‘It’s already packed for Berlin anyway.’ The result: curious cyclists, confused pedestrians, and some of the best frames of the night.

The day after & a taste of tradition

The next day we explored Bremen together. We didn’t have much time for photos and opportunities either, but finished with a sailor’s feast: Labskaus, a northern German dish of corned beef, potatoes, onions, served with beetroot and pickled herring or cucumber. In Bremen, it comes with a “Rollmops”, a pickled herring rolled around a pickle.

As we ate, Jogilė looked at my plate and hit one last. She asked: “You mind if I can take your fish for the bus drive to Berlin?” It was the perfect closing line, a reminder that even after you’ve planned, thrived, climbed rusty decks and shot in tunnels, the best memories are held together by shared laughter.