The photo shows England fans celebrating the victory over Paraguay in the opening group match of the Football World Cup 2006 with a bath in the fountains of Trafalgar Square.

I was in London on 10 June when I heard that England had just won their football match. I decided to see whether any fans had turned up in Trafalgar Square. It was almost impossible to get into the square. Spectators and tourists were blocking each others’ view and the Police were in the process of forming a cordon, letting people exit but not enter.

I don’t quite remember how I slipped past them. I probably slid down a low wall and then just walked towards the fountains. No-one stopped me. I had to take several shots of these lads in order to get all four of them looking at me.

Bettina Strenske originally wanted to be a screenwriter, but when a feature script about a young man wanting to be a photographer couldn’t find funding, she realised that what she actually wanted to do was to be a photographer herself.

So in 2005, after a stint of freelancing, Bettina signed up for a three month porfessional photography course at the London College of Communication, since when she has picked up editorial and studio assignments for several agencies and is working on personal projects and is also hoping to break into fashion. The October edition of Professional Photographer will feature a cover shot taken by Bettina as the result of winning a competition with the magazine.

Photographer since 2005, EPUK member since 2006.