Name? Tina McClelland Job/ Position? Photographer Hometown? Manchester Website? www.photo2000.co.uk What was your first setup? 2 x F90x What are you using nowadays? D1x Main influences / sources of inspiration? With my music photography, i am generally inspired by the music itself and the talent of the people i work with. with my portraits and concept images, i draw inspiration from many areas, mainly memories, people i have met and words they have spoken. some good memories and some not so good. Would you consider any of your photography, in some sense, as art? Why? Definately. i create images. anything that is created from sctratch is worth calling art i believe. photography is painting with light. it's the most bebautiful artform to me. Favourite magazine? British Journal of Photography Current projects? I have several projects in the pipe line. i want to explore the vunerabilities of male teenagers in todays society and another project will explore our attitudes towards death and the virtual world of the internet. Were you trained in photography or was it just a case of trial and error? I went to evening school and did an a-level in photography and gained 5 city and guild photography distictions. In case of any school, do you recommend it? I went to Harlow college in Essex and had a wonderful tutor there. Any handy hints for a rookie photographer? i beleive that every photographer is different or has the potential to offer something different if they are prepared to avoid following trends. never believe tin the saying that there is too much compitition out there as there is only one you. freelancing is tough in any field and you will often feel under valued but keep at it and always beleive in what you do. no matter how bad things get, no one can ever stop you making pictures.