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.
Latest Blog Posts
Wright Brothers Anniversary of their 1st flight
Today 118 years ago, Orville and Wilbur Wright made four successful powered flights, 120 feet, 175 feet, 200 feet, and 852 feet. Unfortunately, after the fourth flight, a gust of wind overturned their machine, and it was damaged beyond repair. But they had created a lighter-than-air machine that flew under its own power. They packed everything up, came back to Dayton, built another machine, and in the summer of 1904, were learning how to be pilots at Huffman Prairie. As Orville wrote in his diary that day, “I got on the machine at 10:35 for the first trial. The wind, according to our anemometers at this time, was blowing a little over 20 miles. The machine lifted from the track just as it was entering the fourth rail. A sudden dart when a little over a hundred feet from the end of the track or a little over 120 feet from the point at which it rose into the air, ended the flight.” You can see more photographs from my series Wright Brothers: Then and Now at www.ClearyFineArtPhoto.com.
High School Senior Football Player Portraits
I had a parent call me about photographing his son’s high school senior picture. The Dad’s comment was, “My son doesn’t want his high school senior portraits taken, but if he has to have them, then he wants them in a field while he runs and catches a football.” This high school senior is an all-state football player and has a scholarship to play football in college. I have experience with many high school senior boys who don’t want to be bothered to get professional portraits taken. I did some scouting and found an old football field that no one would bother us while creating the photographs. It was a cloudy day, so I set up two lights to add to the outdoor light. My job was not to let this young man think he was being photographed. We started with his Dad tossing a football to him, and I photographed the catches. He then broke out the weights, and I created a few more photographs. This high school senior boy was built, doing 40 lbs lifts with ease. Finally, his father threw him long passes, and he ran like the wind, making perfect catches. The funny part is he is a defensive back, so he doesn’t make that many catches unless he intercepts a pass from the opposing quarterback. We finished the session with him in his college pullover. He was relaxed, and we got a few natural expressions that his mother and father liked very much. To get more information about Dan’s high school senior photography go to ClearyCreativePhoto.com/high-school-senior-portraits/
