After graduating from The Cooper Union School of Art, Stephen Barker assisted for Hans Namuth and architectural photographer Wolfgang Hoyt. Shooting professionally since 1985, his portraits on location have appeared in Vanity Fair, Italian Vogue, Forbes, Quest, ARTnews, Elle Decor, Arts & Antiques, Out, Details, Metropolitan Home, and Wolkenkratzer. In response to the AIDS crisis he worked within ACTUP, managing the Brooklyn Needle Exchange for two years, and also shot Nightswimming, published by Twin Palms in 1999.