In 1992, Barrett met the cinematographer
Gabriel Figueroa and talked to him about Figueroa's work for the 1947 film
La Perla, an encounter Barrett considered a pivotal moment in his career plans. He earned a bachelor's degree in art from
University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Fine Arts in film from
Columbia University. Starting in 2001 Barrett worked for the TV series
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2002 he received an
ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in the category "Movie of the Week or Pilot (Network)" for his work on the CSI pilot "
Cross Jurisdictions". In 2006, his work on
Bobby was selected for the main competition at the
Camerimage Festival. In 2008, Barrett was a member of the jury of the Camerimage Polish Films Competition. Barrett is an active member of the
American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). ==Personal life==