Todd Anthony Tyler

Todd Anthony Tyler is a Canadian reality television judge, fashion photographer and former model. He is best known for his role as first season resident photographer and judge of Asia's Next Top Model. Currently he is the resident photographer and judge of TV show Fit for Fashion. Tyler is listed as "being the 4th top fashion photographer in the world" by the website Top Teny.

Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Tyler is the son of Judy Smith. He has one sister and graduated from Trent University with a BSc in Biology and related studies in art history, having also done one semester at Simon Fraser University. He is 75% French and 25% British by birth and was influenced by the art direction of Star Wars at an early age.

Fitness was an early hobby with him being on the track team at 8 years old. His specialties were 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter and triple jump. He was on the basketball team, volleyball team, gymnastics throughout high school. Tyler became interested in maximizing his performance through proper nutrition and weight training. When he was young, he lived on a farm until he was 16. Spending the time working on the farm developed his physique. When his parents divorced his step father had a gym, it was then he began a lifelong commitment to weight training.

Tyler started as an amateur photographer early in life, primarily shooting nature and landscape images, when his mother gave him a 110 film cartridge camera.

Model, Photographer, TV personality

Tyler started his professional modelling career modelling in Milan, Italy with model agency Model Plan in 1994. He carried on modelling internationally until 2003 when he switched to the other side of the camera and took up professional fashion photography which has been his main career ever since.

He is self-taught having never attended photography school, his first professional position was as a shoot photographer for Singapore-based catalog magazine. He went on to build a client roster that includes Vogue China, Elle Singapore, Harper's Bazaar China, L'Officiel, GQ China, Indochino, Ports 1961, Nike Numero, Stella McCartney and others. Whilst he has worked all over the world, the focus of his work is Asia, having opened his studio "Todd Anthony Tyler Photography" in Shanghai, China in 2003.

In December 2013, Tyler photographed HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana of Thailand for Numéro magazine. He has also photographed some of Asia's most famous models such as Liu Wen, Fei Fei Sun and Kiki Kang. He was ranked as the 4th top fashion photographer in the world in 2015 by the website Top Teny.

He has provided art direction and photography in the form of advertising campaigns for Uma Wang, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, L'Oreal Paris, Adidas and Ports 1961.

Some of his influences are Steven Meisel, Terry Richardson, David LaChapelle and Helmut Newton. He likens his work to "National Geographic style images" in that they are drawing influence from various cultures.

In 2012, he was the resident photographer and judge on season 1 of Asia's Next Top Model. Since 2014 Tyler has been the resident photographer and judge on reality television show Fit for Fashion. He appeared in episode 7 of China's Next Top Model season 5. In 2013, Tyler appeared as guest judge on MEGA Fashion Crew's season 3.

In 2014, he was the chief photographer for the stills team of The Apartment - Celebrity Edition he also provided creative direction, production and photography for the advertising media campaign for Lady and The Tiger theater production in April 2014, Shanghai.

As of November 2016, he was guest lecturing on fashion and photography at the Conde Nast School of fashion in China.

Tyler has also written columns on the profession. He contributed a monthly column to Asian Photography magazine from 2010–2014 and is sometimes guest technical columnist for Mega Man magazine in the Philippines.

His other business interests are:

• Todd Anthony Tyler Photography studio was founded in Shanghai, China in 2003 providing full pre and post production facilities. Fashion photography, location scouting, video and still editing, prop sourcing, shoot scheduling, creative direction and art direction.
• Todd Anthony Tyler Models was founded in 2014 offering full fashion model agency functionality and representation.
• Tyler is currently working on a clothing range called TAT by TAT.
• Tyler maintains a men's style and fashion blog.

Photographic style

Tyler's work is influenced in part by his international travels combined with his passed modelling experience which enables him to connect well with his models. Though he does do commercial work, his preference is for images that have a raw energy to them that blend a touch of fantasy and story telling without losing complete touch with reality. He leans towards darker and at times sexually charged images. His final images are a combination of planning and what happens organically on the shoot. When it comes to technical approach he adapts to what each shoot calls for: crisp, clear, sharp shots for commercial work in general and atmospheric selective focus shots for creative/editorial style images. He uses lighting units by Broncolor, Elinchrom and Profoto and photography equipment by Canon although he also may use Nikon and Sony if the shoot calls for it, for larger projects he uses Hasselblad.

Filmography

Tyler tries to keep up a healthy work-life balance by doing yoga, weight training and running daily. He is co-owner of a yoga clothing company called Aumnie. Tyler has no children and is married to ex model Karina Smith, who now works with Tyler.

Hobbies include recording, in written and photographic form, the emerging alternative youth culture in China and a love of dogs.

Tyler carries out philanthropic work for Happy Hearts Fund Indonesia and Foundation for Mother and Child Health.

He can speak some Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Filipino and Bahasa.