Bartley was raised in Wellington, where he didn't get to watch television until his early teens, and even then only one channel was broadcasting in New Zealand.
[1] In an interview he said that National Velvet and The Bridge on the River Kwai were two of his favorite films when he was young.
[1] In 1995, Bartley received his first Emmy Award nomination in the category "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series" for The X-Files episode "One Breath".
[2] Bartley was nominated the following year for The X Files episode "Grotesque",[3] in the same category, and won the award.
[4] Bartley was also nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Cinematography For A One Hour Series category for the Lost episode "The Constant.