Nigel Barker’s ‘Top Model’-inspired web series awards ‘Top Photographer’ prize

By Anthony Thurston Published November 30, 2016

Nigel Barker, probably best known for his work on Tyra Bank’s America’s Next Top Model series, teamed up with famed camera retailer Adorama on a new web series called Top Photographer. The show, which clearly draws its inspiration from the Top Model series, pits five photographers against each other in a progression of contests until two remain for the finale.

On November 20, 2016, the season finale of Top Photographer named 29-year-old commercial photographer Scott Borrero as the show’s final winner. Borrero’s portfolio includes shoots for Canon, Nike, Jeep, Ram, and several other large companies. The freelance photographer earned a prize package valued at over $50,000 after judges Nigel Barker, Coco Rocha, Joe Zee, Jeremy and Tom Jauncey, David Bergman, and Emily Soto picked him from the five finalists. The title also earns him a gallery showing in Manhattan. The full series is available on YouTube.

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The new web series was aired and distributed through Adorama TV, the camera retailer’s YouTube channel. The five chosen photographers battled across multiple episodes, taking part in challenges and other reality TV-style games to earn a shot at being one of the top two photographers.

The show set out to cast “a large net across the country looking for photographers from all walks of life and interested in all types of photography,” according to Barker. “Top Photographer … pits a few of the best shooters we can find from all around the country with the aim of singling out just one to win the title of Top Photographer. And in a world of photographers, that’s no small feat.”

The finale set the top two remaining photographers against each other for the chance at the grand prize worth $50,000 and an NYC exhibit hosted by Barker himself.

Article updated on 11-30-2016 by Hillary Grigonis: Added information pertaining to the show’s selection of the winner of the final photographer award.

Anthony Thurston

Former Contributor

Anthony is an internationally published photographer based in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Specializing primarily in…

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