NEW YORK—Nigel Barker is a celebrity fashion photographer and judge on America's Next Top Model. He gained foothold in the fashion industry as a model after being discovered on a televised British program, the "Clothes Show".
After a successful career of modeling for Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Gaultier, Kenzo, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren he moved on to fashion photography.
We recently had a chance to sit down and talk to him about his career in the fashion world and the continued success of "America's Next Top Model."
ET: We are so impressed with the success of "America's Next Top Model." What is the secret?
NB: You know, it's a great recipe. The bottom line is that it's a very simple idea. It was really what the American dream is built on—it's a Cinderella story, it's the rags-to-riches. It was that Tyra Banks believes—and she truly believes—that everybody has beauty in them, and that all over America girls should have the opportunity to become models. And so she said, "Let's do a model search, that involves real people that we can transform and give them the opportunity to become a model!" And I think, people identify with that.
It's not just people in America, people all over the world have this same idea, "Hey, look that girl—she is like me! She is not perfect!" You know, there are small flaws here and there, but with the makeover, a bit of spit and polish, and some runway training from Jay Alexander, and good art direction from Jay Manual, and good photo training from myself, and all the rest of it. I think, we got an exciting show that people like to watch.
ET: How do you spot a good model? Do you have any fixed criteria?
NB: Not really. Originally, I might have had them, especially when I was a model myself. I may have thought. "You have to be 5'11 or 5'10. You've got to be skinny. The world is changing and has changed, and the world is not made of 5'10 skinny girls. The industry is changing, and so a lot of different shapes and sizes and colors are all-important, and so they should be part of the fashion industry.
When Tyra Banks started modeling, she was one of the few black girls who were out there, and found it difficult. Now she has paved the way for many more. So things change, and we are hopefully a part of that change. We try not to make the criteria too fierce, but you have to have a winning personality and you've got to be able to walk, and the ability to improve, to realize that you don't know it all is important. Hey, we all need to grow, and that's ultimately what the show is about.
ET: Let's talk about your own modeling career. I remember you started as a contestant.
NB: I have my mother to blame. I was actually in high school studying all the sciences - my idea was to become a doctor. And then my mother, who was a model herself, she was a former Miss Sri Lanka, entered me into a competition, which was a televised show in England. One thing led to another, it sparked some interest in me, I thought "Wow, becoming a doctor is important, and I'd like to do it, but let me see a bit of the world first!" Off I went to Milan for a year, then one year led to two years, and I was very lucky! I worked for some incredible designers, I traveled the world. I learned a lot about photography, which is my love and what I am doing now. I've done a full circle: I was a contestant on one of the modeling shows, and now I am a judge on a modeling show.
ET: What were the most challenging things about modeling for you?
NB: You now, the hard thing about modeling is the fact that you have to be sort of judgmental about yourself. It's difficult for children and for young people when they get involved with modeling, and it's something very serious to think about. You will be constantly getting criticism about the way you look, about the way you stand, the way you behave, and who likes criticism?
It's a very tough business, especially when you're young, and your skin isn't as thick as it is when you get older, you know. I think that's a very tough part. But the rewards, if you are lucky, and you are successful - which by the way is very few and far between—are massive: the ability to travel around the world, the ability to meet interesting and extraordinary people and to mix with the creative crowd. That's a lot of fun!
ET: Speaking of extraordinary, you have worked for some of the most famous designers, such as Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Gaultier, Kenzo, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren. Which were the ones that stood out for you?
NB: All of them stood out in different ways. When you are talking about people of that sort of height, and big names, they all had their little thing, and the photographers that I got to work with - they all had their special thing that they do: whether it was the lighting, the way they design, they handle the people around them, the locations they took us on. I tried to approach everything with a positive mindset and what I could learn, to try and be a sponge.
I think it's important no matter what you do, and in any environment to see what you can learn. It's easy to walk in somewhere and dismiss things, "Oh, I've done this before, I've been here before, it's another interview, it's another traveling job, it's another trip. There is always something subtle to be learned and picked up and it could be not from the most intelligent person in the room but from someone who works for him.
ET: As a photographer, now you have your own studio in Manhattan, and you take photos of various celebrities. Who are the most memorable ones that you've worked with?
NB: Every day is different in my life and in what we do, and we're constantly working with different celebrities from different TV shows, and different actors, and not just celebrities who are actors, but also sports stars, and musicians, and everyone offers something different. I try not to get too specific, because there are a lot of surprises in life, so you have to go with an open mind. One of my new pet, favorite things to do is shooting rock-n-roll bands.
ET: You were also at the recent New York Fashion Week, so fashion is still very much in the picture then?
NB: I describe myself as a fashion photographer/portrait photographer, but I have a fashion bend even on my portraiture. And since I am involved with the America's Next Top Model. I get invited to some of the best [fashion] shows. And it's great, because you get to see what the designers are thinking, and you get to see what kind of models they are looking for, and it's a fun week. That's how I keep my finger on the pulse of this industry.
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