When did you know you finally "made it" as a professional?
Vik Orenstein:
When I got to quit my day job! I was working as an on-site manager for a special events company and though I really enjoyed that job, I was delighted when I got to leave it in '89 to pursue my passion full time.
Did you have a mentor or someone who helped guide you as you were getting started?
The Jester
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Vik Orenstein:
Lots of them! My first husband taught me darkroom and the basics of shooting, helped me research and buy strobes and my first camera. And at least 6 or 7 shooters from the Ford Centre - the building in which my studio has been for the last 18 years – helped me out very informally. They all had different specialties; editorial, fashion, commercial product, etc., and I took away a little from each one and applied it to my work with kids.
That's why I strongly believe in "cross-training". If you're a people shooter, learn from a flower and a product shooter. If you're a sports shooter, learn from a studio shooter. And so on.
Do you remember your first photography sale?
Vik Orenstein:
I remember one of my very first ones. A mom of four saw a display that the owner of a local toy store was kind enough to allow me to hang in her shop.
It wasn't even hung up yet – it was sitting behind the counter. She saw the display, took my number, called me immediately, and booked a shoot. She purchased 20 16x20 hand colored portraits from that session, and we worked together many times over the years. I was very blessed to have her as one of my first clients. I learned so much from listening to her about how she wanted her children portrayed and her color palette. Her kids were a riot and she was very creative and very kind.
Hand Colored Portrait
© Vik Orenstein
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How did you get your first book deal?
Vik Orenstein:
Before I was ever a photographer I was a writer. I ghosted several books for a New York writer and when I came up with the idea for the How To Break Into Modeling book, he put me in touch with his agent.
Often it's harder to get an agent than a publisher, I'm told, so I was lucky to have that connection. From the moment I got the idea for the book to the day it was accepted by the publisher, it was only about 4 months. That's EXTREMELY fast in the world of publishing.
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