Nuttgens began working in the film industry in 1981, joining the BBC as an assistant film cameraman and working with its Natural History Unit on documentaries filmed in locations around the world. He progressed through the camera department to become a cinematographer, developing experience in documentary and location-based production before moving into feature films.
He shot his first feature film, Electric Moon (1992), in India. During the early 1990s, he also worked on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, where he collaborated with director Deepa Mehta. Their subsequent work together included Fire (1996), Earth (1998), Heaven on Earth (2008) and Water (2005), the latter earning him the Genie Award for Best Achievement in Cinematography in 2006.
His other feature credits include The Deep End (2001), which won the cinematography award at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, Young Adam (2003), Asylum (2005), Hallam Foe (2007) and Midnight’s Children (2012). He also worked on major studio productions, including the Star Wars prequel films.
Nuttgens later collaborated with director David Mackenzie on Hell or High Water (2016), for which he received a BAFTA nomination for cinematography, and Outlaw King (2018). His other credits include Colette (2018), The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), Enola Holmes 2 (2022), Shoshana (2023), The Friend (2024) and Fuze (2025).