P#14: Vik Orenstein's Picture of the Screaming Boy

A Screaming Match

Vik Orenstein: I call this picture my screaming boy shot. This is an example of one of the ways that I keep the kids engaged when I'm shooting. I ask them to scare me and I tell them to use just their voices because I don't want them to use their hands.

I have them pretend they're a bear or something like that. I ask them to scare me just with their voices so they scream at me or growl or make some other scary noise. Then I surprise them by screaming back even louder than they screamed, and then they scream back at me, then I usually say something silly like, "Don't do that again," a little reverse psychology. (click the image for a larger version)

So we scream back and forth a lot. This little guy really, really got into it. I was hoarse when I got done with that shoot. That's an example of one of my screaming shots. I love to do that.

Audri Lanford: Is he backlit?

Vik Orenstein: He is backlit. We were actually on location and he was sitting on a little bench in a shaded area, and the sun was behind him.

Audri Lanford: Wow. I love his eyes.

Vik Orenstein: Yes, he was a very expressive little guy.

To Sum Up

Sometimes you have to get a little creative to get the unique shots. Vik Orenstein uses a secret technique to get her subjects excited and interacting with her. This shot of the screaming boy shows just how well that technique works.