About

I’m Nigel Rumsey, a documentary photographer, based in Gravesend, Kent, UK.

In my spare time, I read, write and watch films about newspaper journalism. I’m interested in cycling, living as lightly as possible, and I’m currently slightly obsessed with building an Afghan-style box camera—if you’ve built one yourself, I’d love to hear from you.

Since the end of 2024, I’ve been going through a bit of a thing with antidepressant withdrawal syndrome, which is dominating far more of my thoughts than I’d like. It’s restricted what I can do to an annoying degree. You can read how it’s going here: My Head Hurts.

In the meantime, I’m doing my best to keep my other interests alive.

I used to publish local documentary stories for The Gravesend Journal. I’ve had to pause that work, but hope to pick it up early in 2027. Older stories are slowly being added to the new Gravesend Journal site.

What I’m Doing Now

Updated: 19 September 2026

Learning

• I’ve been reading a lot about climate change and reducing consumption. The issue of the impending climate crisis seems much like a huge iceberg (maybe not the best analogy). We’re getting closer; it’s getting bigger; meanwhile, we have our collective fingers in our ears, pretending it’s not happening. In case you’re still in any doubt, it is!
• I started using Obsidian for my study notes, syncing plain text notes to my phone. Normally, I find this sort of thing a bit of a chore, but at the moment, I’m enjoying learning something new. update: I have stopped using Obsidian; it’s great at what it does, but there’s a lot of friction, maintenance and tinkering. If that’s your thing, then great. For me, I just wanted something that works. I’m currently using Bear, which does just that. It’s very similar to Evernote, but without the bloat and the endless bugs.
• Mainly, in the winter, I self-study the history of European conflict photography, with a particular focus on its representation in the media. I like to publish that here, at some point, but that might be a way off yet!

Making

I have recently started assembling some parts to build an Afghan-style box camera. I’m going to document my progress here: Box Camera Project

Other Stuff

• I’m spending far too much time transferring the old Gravesend Journal website here. If anyone tells you it’s easy moving a site from Squarespace to WordPress, treat everything else they say with caution! However, the new home of The Gravesend Journal is slowly coming together.
• I used to ride my bike a lot, and because of ill health, I slowly got out of the habit. It’s a great way to keep fit and one I really enjoy. I have two bikes staring at me every time I go in the shed; I’m determined to get back on the bike as soon as possible.
• I’m gradually Moving Away From Big Tech. This site is one of the first steps in that process. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear from you.

Training & Workshops Attended

• 2024: Mountain Workshop (Photojournalism)
  Williamsburg, Kentucky. Western Kentucky University, Visual Journalism & Photography program.
• 2019: Visual storytelling workshop
  Lewis Bush (course leader, MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, London College of Communication)
• 2019: Investigative Techniques workshop
  Lewis Bush (as above)
• 2018: Speedlights, Flashguns and the Strobist Photographer
  London College of Communication, UAL.
• 2018: Missouri Photo Workshop
  School of Journalism, University of Missouri
• 2017: Shooting Documentary Video
  University College (Anthropology), University of London
• 2016: Documentary Photography workshop
  The School of Punktum
• 2015: Making Documentary Radio
  University College (Anthropology), University of London
• 2014: Portrait Photography
  Central St Martins, UAL.
• 2013: Seeing the World – Documentary Photography Course
  London College of Communication, UAL

For more information on these courses, see my list of Documentary Photography Courses and More.