Dan Cleary was voted best photographer in the region by Dayton Magazine readers for 2024.
With years of experience and a genuine passion for photography, Dan Cleary at Cleary Creative Photography captures the essence of your most meaningful moments. Dan brings creativity and a personalized touch to every session, from family portraits that reflect deep connections to high school senior photos that showcase individuality to professional headshots that exude confidence. As a Certified Professional Photographer and a Master of Fine Arts graduate from the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art, Dan combines technical skill with artistic vision. Recognized as a Proud Dayton Original by the Dayton City Commission, he embodies the city's spirit of innovation and creativity. Trust Cleary Creative Photography to tell your unique story through images you'll cherish for a lifetime.
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Photography Lessons Make A Great Holiday Gift
Make 2024 The Year For Your Best Photographs
Taking a photography class from a professional can offer numerous benefits, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer looking to enhance your skills. Here are some reasons why you might consider taking photography lessons:
- Learn the Basics: If you’re new to photography, lessons can provide a solid foundation by teaching you the basics of camera operation, exposure, composition, and lighting. Understanding these fundamentals is crucial for creating compelling and technically proficient images.
- Improve Technical Skills: Even with some photography experience, lessons can help you refine your technical skills. You may learn advanced techniques, post-processing skills, and how to use different types of equipment effectively.
- Feedback and Critique: In a structured lesson environment, you’ll likely receive feedback and critique from instructors and peers. Constructive criticism can be invaluable for identifying areas of improvement and gaining insights into your work.
- Ultimately, whether you choose to take photography lessons depends on your goals, learning style, and the level of expertise you seek. Some people thrive with self-directed learning, while others benefit from the structure and guidance provided by formal lessons. Consider your objectives and the learning environment that best suits you.
Sign up for our 7 Steps To Better Photography Workshop
Why Hire A Professional Photographer For Headshots
Hiring a photographer for professional headshots offers several advantages compared to taking headshots yourself or using a friend who’s an amateur photographer. Here are some key reasons why you should consider hiring a professional photographer like Dan Cleary with Cleary Creative Photography:
- Quality and Expertise: Professional photographers, such as Dan Cleary with Cleary Creative Photography, have the knowledge, experience, and skills to capture high-quality images. He understands lighting, composition, and posing, which are crucial for producing flattering and professional-looking headshots.
- First Impressions: Headshots often serve as your first impression in various professional settings, such as job applications, social media profiles, and business websites. High-quality headshots convey professionalism and competence, helping you make a positive impression.
- Brand Image: Professional photos can help maintain a consistent and polished brand image if you use headshots for branding or marketing purposes. Dan Cleary knows how to match the style and tone of your headshots to your brand’s identity.
- Lighting and Equipment: Dan Cleary is a certified professional photographer who uses his studio’s high-quality equipment and lighting setups to ensure your business headshot looks its best. He can also bring his studio to your location without sacrificing quality so an entire staff or company can be photographed at their convenience.
- Editing and Retouching: Dan Cleary with Cleary Creative Photography provides post-processing services, which include retouching to enhance your appearance and correct minor imperfections. This can result in a more polished and attractive final image.
- Time and Convenience: Hiring a professional photographer like Dan Cleary allows you to focus on your role or prepare for your session while leaving the technical details and creative decisions to him. This can save you time and effort.
- Creativity and Artistry: Dan Cleary has 30-plus years of experience as a professional photographer and artist and can infuse creativity into your headshots. He can suggest different poses, backgrounds, and styles that align with your goals and personality, creating unique and visually engaging images.
- Guidance and Direction: No one feels completely comfortable in front of the camera. Dan will advise you on how to pose and express yourself in front of the camera, ensuring that your headshots convey the desired message and capture your personality.
- Consistency: When taking headshots for a group or organization, professional photographers can maintain a consistent look and feel across all images, making them appear cohesive and professional.
- Confidence Boost: A professional photographer like Dan Cleary can help you feel at ease during the session, resulting in more natural and confident expressions in your headshots.
- Adaptation to Purpose: Dan will tailor your headshots to their intended use. Professionals can adjust the style if they need headshots for a job application, corporate website, or personal branding.
While hiring a professional photographer for a business professional photoshoot may involve a cost, the investment can pay off in the long run by helping you create a robust and professional image that can benefit your career or personal brand. Call 937-298-6776 or email Dan at Dan@ClearyCreativePhoto.com for more information and to schedule your photography session.
New Actor’s Professional Headshots
Inspired New Actor Needs Headshot To Help Launch Career
I was asked recently to create an actor’s photography portfolio to help him start a new career. For years he has dreamed of being a comedic actor. During the photography session, he performed a few of the many characters he has developed. He was pretty good at a variety of voices. I try to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera. Many people have a fear of being photographed. I hear the old saying, “I’d rather go to the dentist than have my photograph taken,” all the time. He was very at ease in front of the camera, which worked well for him. He’s probably not the most handsome, but I don’t think that will hurt him. Hopefully, my model photography will help show the many sides of his personality and help jump-start his acting career.
Music City USA, Nashville, Tennessee
I just returned from Nashville, Tennessee, for the Professional Photographers of America annual convention. I attended classes on marketing, posing, and keeping myself creative. Whenever I visit a new city, I like to go out and see what I can create with my camera. I had some extra time late afternoon on Saturday, so I went down to music row to see all the honkytonks. I was there from about an hour before sunset to an hour after. Some people call this the golden hour of light. When the outside light dims, the city’s neon lights grow brighter. Around 5000 other people had the same idea. In Nashville, there is a four-block area lined with bars and people. I am always interested in visually finding things in places like this, and I found a guitar player perfectly centered in a window playing to the crowd inside. I call this photograph “Music City USA.” The blue effect in the guitar player comes from color temperature and some work on my part. There was stage lighting inside the club with a particular color temperature, and then the exterior lighting was another color temperature. Usually, I would try to get these two color temperatures to be the same, but here I like their opposite effect. My camera tried to correct the color temperature for the outside lighting, which left the interior lighting shifted to the blue side. In my post-production work, I did enhance this effect. Blue and yellow are opposite colors but complementary to each other. I also liked the layering of the neon lights and signs in the window reflection. But the blue guitar player was what drew me to this image.
You can see more of my fine art photographs at ClearyFineArtPhoto.com.