[1] C. Vijay Kumar's father, C. Nageswara Rao, was a famous cinematographer, who worked for classics like Pandava Vanavasam, Paramanandayya Sishyula Katha, Gudi Gantalu, Aastulu - Anthastulu, and Aradhana.
As his mother, C. Sanadhana,[2] wanted him to carry on in his father's footsteps and continue in the same profession, he joined Sarada Enterprises (currently known as Anand Cine Services) outdoor unit at the age of thirteen as an apprentice.
Vijay Kumar worked under various cinematographers like S. Venkataratnam, V. S. R. Swamy, Ravikant Nagaich, S. S. Lal, and S. Gopal Reddy in Telugu.
He worked with Shomandar Roy, Eshaan Arya, Baba Azmi, and Behran Mukherjee in Hindi for eight years and earned a lot of practical knowledge in different kinds of lightning and exposures.
Producer Jaya Krishna gave Vijay Kumar his first break as cinematographer with Vivaha Bhojanambu (1988) film under Jandhyala, which was a blockbuster hit.