general info about the person who makes the pictures . .

So, who is this Alan Mason character ?

Getting older by the day, perhaps a bit wiser and if possible, even more fascinated with two dimensional art.

From the age of about 3 - had only one great ambition in life - which was to be an artist. An early fascination with the pictures of Vermeer and Albrecht Durer, formed an impression and a respect for art, which has endured ever since.

Age and maturity brought an appreciation of painting in a wider sense, encompassing the works of the modern movements, impressionism, neo impressionism, expressionism, surrealism, dada. you name it, I've been there.
Simple economic reality propelled me from school into a mundane office environment, which I stuck for about three years.
I gained acceptance onto a full time fine arts course at Sunderland, where I began seriously to follow my vocation. It was at this place that I developed an interest in photography, at the age of about 20, I was merrily printing my own work in the darkroom and also making prints on a huge etching press which would have done credit to Rembrandts workshops.
I felt that the course at Sunderland wasn't art oriented enough. Whilst I was trying hard to be an artist in the painterly sense of the word, many of my fellow students were constructing giant toothpaste tubes from cardboard or papier mache pyramids in which to store and add magical powers to their cannabis.  
Nothing wrong with this, but not quite the same area as my leanings.

I decided to go it alone. I left the course and set up a studio in a town called Cullercoats, spending two years basically working from a garret of sorts - I rented studio space in a disused theatre. I had the stage area - the coloured lights were fun . . .
Although I took part in and even organised many exhibitions of paintings, this turned out, perhaps due to my lack of business expertise, into a somewhat Quixotic venture.
Reality struck again.
Fell in love, got married, needed money, took various jobs - basically to pay the mortgage. All the while continuing to paint and print at both the studio of the Newcastle Society of Artists and at the Charlotte Press, where I got my hands on those copper plates, acid baths and Rembrandt style etching presses again, I also cycled up my involvement with photography - using the darkrooms of a collective in Newcastle called Spectro.

Fine art became commercial art, I became an illustrator, producing finished artwork for publication. Much of it airbrush work, I put my soul into my art again, however the commercial artwork meant long hours, some of the work smacked of drudgery.
A mortgage later, I have emerged into the light as a photographer with a studio in the county town of Morpeth, Northumberland, where my work has built quite a good name for itself. That's the past . . . .

I've recently won a stack of awards for my Wedding, Fashion and Portrait photography.

I even ended up placed in the top 8 Avant Garde Wedding Photographers in the UK. that isn't too bad.

(but hasten to add that I certainly make no claim to be No 1 in the U.K. - anyway - who can say that one persons work is better than anothers . . .?  it's all subjective anyway).

In this business - if you start to relax
you'll find you're sliding backwards.

So I've gotta keep on creating - theres' only one way to go - and that's forwards!

Oh . . awards, I'd better mention them.

at the end of  2008 I decided not to enter for any more awards,
I really don't think I have anything to prove.

I'm more interested in producing pictures for my customers. they're the ones who really matter to me !

but if you aren't happy unless your photographer has won some awards,
I've listed below some of the trophies and shiny things that I've won in the last couple of years.

MPA (North East) Top CONTEMPORARY (creative) Wedding photographer 2008

also . . .

MPA (North East England) CONTEMPORARY (creative) Wedding award of excellence 2008

MPA (North East England) Classical Wedding award of excellence 2008

MPA (North East England) another Classical Wedding award of excellence 2008

MPA (North East England) FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY award of excellence 2008

MPA (North East England) FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY another award of excellence 2008

MPA (North East England) Top Avant Garde (creative) Wedding photographer 2007

MPA (North East England) Top Classical Wedding photographer 2007

MPA (North East England) Top Avant Garde (creative) Portrait photographer 2007

MPA (North East England) Top Classical Portrait photographer 2007

MPA (North East England) Top Black and White photographer 2007

MPA (North East England) Fujifilm Best overall wedding 2007 award of excellence

MPA (North East England) Classical Wedding award of excellence 2007

MPA (North East England) Avant Garde Wedding two awards of excellence 2007

MPA (North East England) Classical portrait award of excellence 2007

MPA (North East England) Avant Garde (creative) portrait award of excellence 2007

MPA (North East England) Black and white photography award of excellence 2007

MPA (North East England) Best overall wedding 2006

MPA (North East England) Top Avant Garde (creative) Wedding photographer 2006

MPA (North East England) Top Classical Wedding photographer 2006

MPA (North East England) Fujifilm Best overall wedding 2006 two awards of excellence

MPA (North East England) Classical Wedding award of excellence 2006

MPA (North East England) Avant Garde Wedding award of excellence 2006

MPA (North East England) Creative use of digital imaging - two awards of excellence 2006

MPA (North East England) Classical Wedding award of excellence 2006

MPA (North East England) Avant Garde (creative) portrait award of excellence 2006

MPA (North East England) Classical portrait award of excellence 2006

MPA (North East England) Black and white photography award of excellence 2006

at the British Professional Photography awards in October 2004,
achieved awards of Excellence and placed in top 8
Avant Garde Wedding Photographers in the U.K. today.

MPA (North East England) Best overall wedding 2005

MPA (North East England) Best Classical Wedding photographer 2005

MPA (North East England) Best Avant Garde Portrait photographer 2005

MPA (North East England) Best childrens portrait photographer 2005

MPA (North East England) avant garde (creative) wedding photography award of excellence 2005

MPA (North East England) black and white photography award of excellence 2005

MPA (North East England) Top Avant Garde Wedding photographer 2005

M.P.A. INTERNATIONAL award of Excellence : Avant Garde wedding photography 2004.

M.P.A. INTERNATIONAL award of Excellence : Child portraiture 2004.

Mario Acerboni silver plate, North East England top wedding photographer

MPA (North East England) Avant Garde Wedding Photographer of the year 2004

MPA (North East England) Portrait photographer of the year 2004

MPA (North East England) Monochrome (black & white) photographer of the year 2004

M.P.A. Associateship in Portrait Photography
presented at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, 2003

MPA (North East England) Master Photographer of the year 2003

MPA (North East England) Best wedding album 2003

MPA (North East England) Portrait photographer of the year 2003

MPA (North East England)avant garde (creative) portrait photographer of the year 2003

M.P.A. INTERNATIONAL award of Excellence : Avant Garde (creative) portraiture 2003.

M.P.A. INTERNATIONAL certificate of merit #1: Avant Garde (creative) portraiture 2003.

M.P.A. INTERNATIONAL certificate of merit #2: Avant Garde (creative) portraiture 2003.

M.P.A. INTERNATIONAL certificate of merit #1: Classical Wedding 2003.

M.P.A. INTERNATIONAL certificate of merit #2: Classical Wedding 2003.

M.P.A. INTERNATIONAL certificate of merit : Commercial photography 2003.

MPA (North East England) under 5's portrait photography award of excellence 2003

MPA (North East England) commercial photography award of excellence 2003

MPA (North East England) fashion photography award of excellence 2003

MPA (North East England) wedding photography award of excellence 2003

MPA (North East England) portrait photography award of excellence 2003

MPA (North East England) avant garde (creative) wedding photography award of excellence 2003

MPA (North East England) under 5's portrait photographer of the year 2002/3

MPA (North East England) Alternative (creative) photographer of the year 2002/3

MPA (North East England) portrait photographer of the year 2002/3

MPA (North East England) licentiate open photographer of the year 2002/3

MPA (North East England) wedding photographer of the year 2000/01

MPA (North East England) portrait photographer of the year 2000/01

MPA (North East England) fashion photographer of the year 2000/01

Portrait and Alternative (creative) photographer of the year 2000/01

B.I.P.P. British Institute of Professional Photography North East Fashion photographer of the year 2000/01

previous to 2000 - I hadn't actually bothered to enter for any awards,

my photo lab was constantly asking me to try - I entered - simply to keep them happy,

I then immediately won lots of trophies and shiny things.