Olivia Rutherford

Picture Perfect

Name: Olivia Rutherford
Age: 34
Born: London
Lived in Scotland: 4 years

“I moved to Scotland from London because my boyfriend at the time was living here.” Olivia laughs at the memory. “Except now he’s back in London and I’ve stayed here, so that worked well!”

She is, however, still very much in love with life in Scotland.

“I made the move four years ago because it was getting difficult to do what I like doing in London. It’s so expensive. I can do it better here.”

And that means dividing her time between a successful career as a freelance photographer, and an increasingly successful sideline as a DJ.

(The photographs accompanying the interviews on this website are Olivia’s work, including the self portrait above).

Travel photography

“I still do a lot of photography for clients in London. It’s no problem for them that I live in Scotland, particularly as a lot of my work is travel and reportage for people like Conde Nast, Cadogan Guides and Thompson Holidays.

“But the thing that’s really taken off for me since I moved is the DJing.”

Known as an avid record-buyer and music lover, Olivia first starting DJing when she and a female friend were invited to play a set at a London club.

Hip hop

“It was intended to be a one-off. We were complete cowboys, playing hip hop loudly and badly! But they loved us and we just kept getting booked. It’s changed a lot since then. By the end, Lucy and I were playing places like The Fridge in Brixton.”

That was six years ago and now Olivia is a regular on the Edinburgh club scene, playing at venues such as Pivo, Human Be In, Opal Lounge and Super Saturday at the Venue.

Buzz

“I suppose I really started taking it seriously when I moved to Scotland because that’s when I started doing it on my own.”

A self-confessed London girl at heart, does Olivia miss the buzz of London life?

“London is where I’m from, it’s who I am. But nowadays I’d rather visit it like everybody else than try to live in it. That way I get the best of both worlds. It’s a lot easier to live in Scotland.”

Friends

“Now I come to think about it, I didn’t know many people when I first moved here. Now I’ve got loads of amazing friends but I’m not quite sure when and where I found them all!

“It seems to like me here. Everything’s fallen into place. I love Scotland. It’s beautiful to jump in the car and whiz up to the Highlands or down to the beach.

“I get to do the two things I love best, I’ve got a lovely big, cheap workspace and I can see a mountain from my window even though I’m in the middle of a city. Fantastic.”

Insider Info

Olivia says: “I always go to the beach at Portobello when I feel the need to see a big horizon. You don’t get that opportunity in most cities.”