VUE

There are a select few within the fashion industry whose names hold a lot of weight, and even less in the world of photography. Nigel Barker, however, is widely recognized throughout both fields, with a longstanding career as a successful male model and leading cameraman for women such as Coco Rocha and Naomi Campbell. While most people are familiar with Barker from the hit television show "America's Next Top Model" in which he served as a judge and recurring photographer for 17 seasons, he has since appeared on Oxygen's "The Face," published a book entitled, "Models of Influence," and most recently, debuted his own show, "Top Photographer." VUE recently caught up with Barker to discuss everything from his career, experience within the fashion industry and how he sees the future of photography. B arker recalled getting his first camera when he was just seven years old, a gift from his mother, but it wasn't until several years later that Barker actually learned how to print and develop photos on his own, thanks in part to his high school biology teacher. "Back then, there weren't degrees or any sort of classes to take on photography," Barker explained. "The closest you could get would be an apprenticeship, and even buying a camera and film was very expensive. It was a huge process and difficult for any young person to pursue as a career." While he admitted that as an adult he believed he was destined for the medical profession and even applied to med school, modeling became Barker's first introduction to the fashion industry. He modeled from the late '80s until the early '90s, appearing in numerous high-fashion campaigns before he was in some ways forced to make a transition in his career. During the mid-'90s, Barker explained, the fashion industry underwent a drastic change, deeming his large, athletic build simply out of style. In came models like Kate Moss and brands such as Marc Jacobs who were redefining prefixed notions of beauty, what Barker described as "heroin chic." With years of experience and a laundry list of big-name contacts, Barker thought rather than completely starting over, he would take what he knew about the fashion industry and try his hand at professional photography, picking up tips and tricks along the way from people who have shot him. "I used to witness photographers shooting these fashion models and that's what opened my mind to what photography could be and what that type of career would look like. I've always loved the creative aspect behind photoshoots and even as a photographer, you have a chance to be more creative than the model sometimes. For men, modeling is pretty conventional and I knew this opportunity [in photography] would take my career to the next level." Barker built up his portfolio by photographing close friends and other models, catching them after work while they were still in hair and makeup from previous shoots. After eventually making the move from London to New York in '96, Barker set up his studio in the Meatpacking District just two years later, a time when pop culture experienced yet another huge shift but this time, in terms of technology. V U E N J . C O M 25 VUE ON FASHION

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