Camilla Rutherford (née Stoddart)

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Maybe it was because there were no windows. No green trees waving at me, no sun streaming in, no birds singing. Just white walls.

It was in a basement of Central Saint Martins Collage of Art and Design that I pursued my passion of all things dramatic and studied set & costume design for film & theatre. Little did I know that getting this country girl from Scotland to thrive in biggest London Town was like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

Every opportunity I got I was escaping the city, back to nature and the highlands of Scotland, teaching skiing in the Italian Alps and fleeing the UK summers for New Zealand’s winters and the adventure town of Wanaka, near Queenstown. None the less, I stuck it out and graduated with a BA Honours Degree in Design for Performance. I had come to realise that the city lifestyle was not for me, so I took my passion of drama to the mountains and discovered I could tell stories through photographing them. The world became my theatre, and the mountains, lakes and wilderness my stage. Phew.

After ‘just a few ski seasons’ taking photos and making films of professional athletes performing with nature, chasing the snow around the globe, I settled on Wanaka New Zealand as home and a high country merino sheep farmer for my life partner. Our two sons make us complete as I learn every day how to be a better mother, wife and photographer.

I absolutely love working with people from all over the world in outdoor environments, using natural light and mother nature to paint an authentic story full of awe and wonderment.

Over the years I've been fortunate to work with some incredible clients, agencies and publications as well as keeping the passion alive to work on my personal photography projects, inspiring connection to nature, along side being a farmers wife and mother.

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AWARDS

Camilla won the 2020 CANON PRO GRANT to realise a personal photography project. Camilla is still working on this and to see results so far visit her project blog HEAL THE EARTH

Camilla was a finalist in the 2018 NZ GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR awards with an intimate photograph of her husband and son sharing a bath in their farm cottage, this image was in the society and culture category.

Camilla won THE 2015 NZ PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR for adventure photography with her image series Kombi’s and Bikes, this gallery can be seen in her portfolio.

Camilla was a finalist in NEW ZEALAND GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR in 2013. Her photograph of mountain biker Kelly McGarry was chosen out of thousands of entries to represent the spirit of New Zealand society and culture.

Camilla was asked to appear in Whistler as a finalist for the PRO PHOTOGRAPHER SHOWDOWN 2012 at the Telus Ski and Snowboard festival. She was one of 5 photographers flown to Whistler for the event, and presented her 9min slide show to an audience of 1800. Check out the slide show here.

Camilla’s photograph of BASE jumper Josie Symons made the finals of the prestigious RED BULL ILLUME IMAGE QUEST 2010– the biggest international photography competition that celebrates the world of adventure sports. Close to 23,000 images were submitted and only 50 made the finals. Camilla’s shot was selected as one of the final 50 and top 5 of its category. She was the only female finalist.

In July 2011 Camilla competed in the SCANDINAVIAN PHOTO CHALLENGE, in Are, Sweden and won. She was up against 4 of the world’s most renowned mountain bike photographers and was given 5 days to shoot and edit a slide show of work using the mountain bike resort of Are as a location. She beat all the male competitors and came out victorious. Check out the show

Camilla is proud to be an ambassador for F-Stop Gear adventure camera packs.