James Clifford Kent (b. 1983) is a London-based photographer, scholar and co-founder of Yuma Studios—an agency devoted to creative, collaborative visual storytelling. His practice is rooted in connections and relationships spanning more than two decades working predominantly in the UK and Cuba, his images ranging from everyday scenes to landmark moments such as Fidel Castro’s funeral in November 2016. He gained his PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London (2012)—where he lectured on visual culture from 2015–2025, authored Aesthetics and the Revolutionary City: Real and Imagined Havana (2019) and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society (2022). His work has featured in BBC News, The Guardian, British Journal of Photography, The Times and It’s Nice That. Maternity, supported by NHS England, won The Lancet’s photography prize and appeared in Portrait of Britain and Portrait of Humanity. NHMN—created in response to Cuba’s deepening crisis—was selected for both the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. His debut photobook, Yuma, is scheduled for publication in 2026. 

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Educational background 
BA London
MRes London
PhD London

Selected affiliations
Fellow, Royal Photographic Society (FRPS)
Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
Centre for Visual Cultures, Royal Holloway, University of London