Art & Life with Douglas Mason

Today we’d like to introduce you to Douglas Mason.

Douglas, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
When I was a kid, I discovered that my camera could get me out of class at Ocean City High School. I got a job at the Ocean City Sentinel Ledger in New Jersey. At the Rhode Island School of Design I learned that, as long as I paid careful attention to a teacher or a client, there would always be another “job” and more than likely, I’d be able to “play” for the rest of my life. I taught photography at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania for 20 years, which was really about helping people find motivation, reinforcing my understanding that when we do what we love, everything else follows. My wife and I moved to western Massachusetts about 15 years ago where we converted a 250 year old farm house into a carbon neutral home and studio with a windmill and solar PV for electricity. Technology has always inspired me, from the latest drone to our electric car. I got my commercial FAA UAS (drone) certification several years ago and started “HilltownDrone”, I am also doing 3D scanning of homes and businesses, as well as traditional photography. My latest and continuing personal project is to document and protect the valley where Buddha lived in Bihar, India. My two kids are re-educating me on the value of play.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Everything about photography comes down to craft for me. These days, technology is extraordinary, and inspirational tools and procedures are being developed at a rapid pace. When I’m making art, I get in touch with what I want to communicate and apply what I already know, incorporating relevant new tools. When I’m working for someone else, I try to learn about them, to understand what they want to document or how they want to present themselves or their product. Photography for me has always been about learning, clarifying and distilling, eliminating the “noise” and bringing forward the truth of the moment, light, surfaces, and emotion.

What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
One of the things I miss most about R.I.S.D. was the critique. It’s really hard to find people to get together and discuss ones work. I have some old teachers who offer to beat me up once in a while. I suppose there are discussion groups on line to do this, but to offer real criticism you have to know and care about the people you’re working with and they you. My old friend and mentor Larry Fink famously said that you can’t photograph a person if you can’t smell them, I’d say the same thing is true of criticism. Make the connections on line, with like minded artists (or not), but keep the discussion real (in person) and local.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My website, www.douglasmason.com, is the best place to find out about my work (weddings, festivals, historic preservation in India, aerial drone photography, etc.).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.douglasmason.com
• Phone: 413-339-4756
• Email: dougmason@hughes.net
• Instagram: douglasscottmason

Image Credit:
Douglas Mason

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