We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zusha Goldin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zusha below.

Hi Zusha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

How to describe the experience of getting a first-ever client… Well, the first person that wants you for you and wants to work with you purely because they decided they love you and your work? It’s such a surreal, and validating experience. As entrepreneurs, most of us have crippling self-doubt and imposter syndrome. There isn’t a single first-time business owner I’ve heard of who isn’t worried that their endeavor might be destroyed. So you can imagine how it must feel to receive that first DM on Instagram inquiring about your rates… I think the hardest aspect of appreciating your first ever client is that you may not feel the elation you’d hope to feel. You may be terrified of charging what you’re worth. That changes over time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The name is Goldin, Zusha Goldin. Born and raised in a Brooklyn townlet called Crown Heights. I was born the youngest of eleven to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family with immigrant parents. Growing up, there was not much room for creative expression, nor the ideas about pursuing your dreams. Ever since I can remember touching my first camera I’ve been completely ensnared by the idea of capturing a moment in time and telling a story. Throughout my formative years my older siblings had acquired for themselves a few Canon point-and-shoots, which I would dabble with. I always loved it. By the time I was 17 years old, I decided it was time for me to take my hobby pro. With the help of my older sibling, I purchased my first ever professional camera, which was the Sony A6000 Mirrorless. It took me to new heights. Very early on, I knew that my talent and skill weren’t enough to create the life I wanted for myself. That life looked like photographing editorials, publications, CEOs, founders, and A-list talent. Attending premieres, screenings, events, and after-parties. I dared to be brazen enough to dream that little me from Brooklyn could be in Los Angeles, working at the top of the hierarchy of the industry. How I got there? The answer is via sheer persistence, grit, tenacity, perseverance, brazen Chutzpah, perfecting of my craft, and networking like crazy. I’m proud of my journey and how far I’ve come. My story, when one knows the intricacies, is nothing short of amazing! What sets me apart from the rest is twofold. Firstly, my photography is all about capturing emotions and telling stories. I believe all art is conveying a message. A great artist understands this and never allows their work to showcase anything otherwise. The second thing that sets me apart is the photoshoot experience. From the initial onset of the onboarding process with my client until they receive the final images, the entire experience is personalized, fully curated, in-depth to their individual needs, and very much all about them and their brand. From the moment they book with me, it stops being about me. It’s all about creating the best possible photos with the best possible photoshoot experience! And I’m happy to say that my clients love that about me.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

So this is an interesting question for me considering I’m entirely self-made and without any co-founders. I do have many people who have helped me along my journey to get me to the place I am today, and without them I could never be anywhere close to the position I’m currently in. I’ve been blessed to have an amazing support team of family and friends who believe in me and will stop at nothing but help me pursue my goals and accomplish them. I guess in a certain sense they are my business partners.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

At the beginning of my career, I reached out to hundreds of actors, musicians, and publicists, sending them emails, DMs, and phone calls, only to get rejected repeatedly. That type of rejection can really be a blow to your self-esteem as well as your belief in your ability to do what you set out to do. Every single step of the way for me was an uphill battle. It still is. Making it in Hollywood as a Celebrity Photographer, but also in any industry, requires, like the “Tiktok girlies,” like to say, “Extreme Delusion”.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.zushagoldin.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/zushagoldin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zushagoldin/

Image Credits
Selena Gomez photographed by Zusha Goldin for Deadline. Ben Stiller photographed by Zusha Goldin for Deadline. Sydney Sweeney photographed by Zusha Goldin for Deadline. Patrick Stewart photographed by Zusha Goldin for Deadline.