Hire a Woman for Your Next Photoshoot? Adair Rutledge Behind the Lens

This week in our article series celebrating the talented women of Sally Reps, we’re profiling the intrepid Adair Rutledge. Never one to back away from a challenge, Adair’s award-winning editorial photography delivers a nuanced glimpse into often overlooked, always fascinating subcultures that help define race, gender and class in America. She brings the same emotional spontaneity and fearlessness to her commercial lifestyle campaigns for companies like Brooks Running and Lands’ End, in addition to many hospitals and medical centers nationwide. For this interview, Adair spent a little time talking with us about how gender plays a role in what she does and how she does it.

Which female photographers or entrepreneurs inspire you?

There are so many. I feel lucky to have many creative women in my life who keep me inspired and energized. My dear friend Caroline Wright, a cookbook writer, is always dreaming up new book ideas and culinary projects, all while wrangling her two wonderfully wild boys. My filmmaker friend Evan Briggs, also a mother of three, directed a powerful documentary, The Growing Season about a combined daycare and nursing home in Seattle. It’s received all kinds of incredible press and accolades, from The Today Show to PBS, though the project took years to make. That kind of tenacity and confidence in your work is so inspiring to me. As a new momma, myself, I love seeing other women who can stay true to their creative selves and be very present in motherhood. 

Photography has historically been a male-dominated industry. What skills or innate ability do women bring to the table?

I believe creative talent is best considered on an individual basis, and not genderized. I think I bring a certain level of sensitivity and empathy to a lot of situations, but I’m not sure that has anything to do with being a woman—even though those qualities are stereotypically associated with women. That said, I recently worked with an all-female team for the first time on a project for Brooks Running. I was 8 months pregnant, and it was a very active shoot with an ambitious shot list. The women were so supportive and almost protective of me, while still being completely confident that we would make great work together—and we did! It felt like a sisterhood of sorts, the way we were all looking out for each other and working in sync toward the same goal. The week had a special kind of energy to it that I hadn’t experienced before. 

How do you stay fresh creatively?

I love shooting assignments, but shooting personal work is what keeps me fresh creatively. Pushing myself to explore new concepts, even if I’m not sure where they’re going or if they’re “good” is very important. I started my project Azalea Trail Maids a year ago, not knowing if anyone but me would be interested in this old-fashioned tradition in my hometown. It’s since won a lot of awards and is part of a traveling exhibition, The Fence, that just opened in Brooklyn. 

Are you most inspired when you are shooting or editing?

Definitely shooting! Though I do appreciate the quiet, solitary time editing, especially after a long shoot.

See more of Adair’s work here.