‘What you see’ is Mansfield woman’s art
A self-taught Mansfield hobby photographer never expected to have one of the world’s most famous pop singers, Britney Spears, share her photographs on Instagram.
But the singer used one of Andrea Mcclain’s pictures on April 11, when Spears announced to the world that she is expecting a baby with her partner, personal trainer Sam Asghari.
The photo of a delicate pink teacup and carnations was the 14th Mcclain photo that Spears has shared on her Instagram page.
Mcclain, 50, who lives on Millsboro Road, also was interviewed for a story in The Washington Post this past week.
Mcclain said in April 2018 she noticed her own Instagram page where she shares her work suddenly gained thousands of followers.
Daughter called to say Britney Spears had used Mcclain’s photo
Her daughter, who is also named Britney, called her to tell her that Spears had shared one of her photos on her Instagram page.
The pop star until recently was under a 13-year-long conservatorship following a series of highly publicized mental health breakdowns in 2008. The legal arrangement was terminated by a Los Angeles judge in November, according to The Washington Post.
During her conservatorship, throughout which Spears said she was forced to use a pregnancy-preventing IUD, the singer shared a photo Mcclain took of three flowers, two antique keys and a white butterfly. One follower commented, “She feels locked in,” while another asked, “Is she in prison?”
Mcclain doesn’t get paid when the singer posts her photos but said she has seen a boost in her Instagram followers, gaining some 3,000 after Spears’s pregnancy announcement.
At an interview in her home Friday, Mcclain said she would love to meet Spears someday.
“A friend said maybe she will hire you to photograph her new baby,” Mcclain
said laughing. Mcclain’s daughter said she would be her assistant on that assignment as she is a big Britney fan.
“It’s been fun, exciting, crazy. I sold quite a few of my prints on Etsy,” she said. Mcclain’s photographs can be seen at Andreakmcclainphotography on Instagram and on Facebook at Andreamcclainphotography
Mcclain’s love of photography began in 2009
Mcclain really began shooting photographs of flowers and nature around 2009. She had a camera as a child. Her late father gave her a digital camera. “And that’s when it took off,” she said.
“The lens on it had a macro and I started taking pictures of plants and
flowers and I just was like, ‘Wow,’ how close up you can get,” she said.
Her husband David, who passed away in August, had told her photography would be a great hobby for her.
Born and raised in Mansfield, she attended Mansfield Senior High School but moved to Fort Myers, Florida, where she graduated from high school.
Mcclain often finds inspiration in nature. For her shoots, she gathers fresh-cut flowers from her garden and antiques from her personal collection.
“Kingwood Center (Gardens) is my favorite place to do photography,” she said.
Her favorite flower is a Ranunculus although she hasn’t tried to grow it yet. She is considering buying a small hoop house so she can photograph flowers
year round. She also grows flowers and has a vegetable garden at her home.
Mcclain said her photos have been featured in “a few book covers and greeting cards.” Her images, which she sells to a stock photo agency called Arcangel, can be bought online through her Etsy page or in a local Shelby store, Stumps Discount Merchandise, 48 Mansfield Ave.
She used to be a preschool teacher and served as a children’s youth director on a cruise line.
Mcclain said she is surprised that out of all the photographers on Instagram, Spears picks her photographs to share. lwhitmir@gannett.com 419-521-7223
Twitter: @Lwhitmir