Adorama first premiered the series “Top Photographer with Nigel Barker” in 2017, debuting the reality competition to the world and showing viewers what it takes to create an image start-to-finish and receive direct feedback from some of the industry’s most-respected talents. Hosted by fashion photographer and “America’s Next Top Model” judge Nigel Barker, the series featured up-and-coming talents from across the country and challenged them with creating exciting photos all around New York City.
In 2019, the Adorama team and Nigel Barker took the program to Instagram, launching the monthly “Top Photographer Challenge with Nigel Barker,” and expanding the competition to creatives all across the world. Every month, Barker would announce the theme for the month (it included portraits, landscape, fashion, action, pop, and video) and would task all viewers to go capture the best image they could to fit the month’s requirements. At the end of the period, Barker announced his picks on Instagram Live, giving photo critiques and feedback, and challenging all creatives to expand their own creative limitations.
A cross-channel promotional content campaign was used throughout the entirety of the challenges. All videos, tutorials, and challenges were published on IGTV and winners announced on Instagram Live, each guest host received an exclusive “Meet a Pro” feature on Adorama’s award-winning blog. Tips from additional creatives were also shared to help viewers complete each challenge, and corresponding Adorama Podcast episodes were released to highlight the launch of each new challenge.
The multi-pronged approach allowed for “Top Photographer Challenge with Nigel Barker” to reach audiences across channels. From Instagram to podcasts and with dedicated articles, the entire series saw a boost in viewers thanks to the additional support.
Throughout the six-month series, Adorama and Nigel Barker launched and executed six separate challenges, and saw over 15,000 submissions across the board.
Shared on IGTV across multiple accounts including Adorama, Art of Visuals and Nigel Barker, the series has amassed over 350,000 views, bringing in new audiences and aspiring creatives on their journey to success.
