Cleary Creative Photography

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Cleary Creative Photography Cleary Creative Photography specializes in portrait photography, commercial photography and fine art

Cleary Creative Photography specializes in portrait photography, commercial photography and fine art photography.

10/15/2026

Here is my latest finished photograph, “Wisconsin Sunrise,” a long exposure I made on the shore of Lake Michigan. I’ll show you how I brought out the warm golden light on the rocks, kept the cool tones in the water, and finished the image so it matches what I saw that morning.
Shot with: Nikon D850, 24–120mm f/4, 3-stop ND filter
Settings: 1 sec · f/22 · ISO 32 · tripod
Want one-on-one help with your camera or Photoshop? I offer private lessons. Get in touch at daytoncreativephotography.com.
Online class: Understanding Your Digital Camera, at www.clearyphotoworkshops.com
Join my photography community on Skool: https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231
You can see more of my fine art photography at www.clearyfineartphoto.com

09/08/2026

Night photography is not always about empty streets and still buildings. Sometimes the real story is the movement.
In this photograph of the Oregon Express, I used a slower shutter speed so the building, signs, and streetlights would stay sharp while the people on the sidewalk became soft, ghostlike shapes. That motion blur helps communicate the energy of the street and the feeling of a lively night scene.
What I like most about this image is the contrast between the stable architecture and the passing activity. It becomes a photograph about atmosphere as much as location.
I’m Dan Cleary, and you can see more of my fine art photography at ClearyFineArtPhoto.com. You can also join my SKOOL community, Dan Cleary Camera Coach, to learn more about the creative process and how to create images like this for yourself. https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231, https://clearyfineartphoto.com/

09/03/2026

Sometimes a photograph happens because the light makes you stop.
While walking through the woods, I noticed sunlight shining through this group of red leaves. The backlighting made them glow and revealed details in the veins and textures that would have been much less noticeable with ordinary front lighting.
I moved in close, simplified the composition, and allowed the softer background to keep all the attention on the leaves.
One of the best photography habits you can develop is simply paying attention to how light changes an ordinary subject.
I’m Dan Cleary, and you can see more of my fine art photography at ClearyFineArtPhoto.com. You can also join my SKOOL community, Dan Cleary Camera Coach, to learn more about the creative process and how to create images like this for yourself. https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231, https://clearyfineartphoto.com/

08/29/2026

Sometimes the unexpected element makes the photograph.
I was set up at Caesar Creek State Park to photograph the sunset over the lake as part of my Ohio landscape series. I had composed the scene around the warm evening light, its reflection across the water, and the leaves framing the foreground.
Then I heard a boat approaching.
Fortunately, it passed directly through my composition and across the reflection of the setting sun. That small boat gave the photograph something I hadn’t planned—a focal point, movement, scale, and a human story within the landscape.
Preparation matters in photography, but so does being ready when something unexpected happens.
I’m Dan Cleary, and you can see more of my fine art photography at ClearyFineArtPhoto.com. You can also join my SKOOL community, Dan Cleary Camera Coach, to learn more about the creative process and how to create images like this for yourself. https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231, https://clearyfineartphoto.com/

08/26/2026

From the camera to the finished photograph.
I created Sunrise in Miami County, Ohio after being commissioned to photograph the rural landscape of Miami County for a new hospital medical practice.
The first image shows what came directly from the camera. The second shows the photograph after I completed my work in Photoshop.
Editing allowed me to emphasize what originally attracted me to the scene—the warmth of the sunrise, the light across the land, the color, and the atmosphere of an early Ohio morning.
I don’t think of Photoshop simply as a way to “fix” a photograph. I use it as part of the creative process. The camera captures the raw material; editing helps me communicate what I saw and felt when I made the photograph.
I’m Dan Cleary, and you can see more of my fine art photography at ClearyFineArtPhoto.com. You can also join my SKOOL community, Dan Cleary Camera Coach, to learn more about the creative process and how to create images like this for yourself. https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231, https://clearyfineartphoto.com/

08/19/2026

Sometimes the purpose of a photograph influences the way I approach the scene.
I created this image as part of a series for a regional health network that wanted local landscape photography for its facilities. I was drawn to the quiet moment of a fisherman standing in the water surrounded by the warm colors of autumn.
By placing him away from the center of the frame, the surrounding landscape becomes an important part of the story. The result is an image about more than fishing—it is about solitude, nature, and the peaceful places that can often be found close to home.
I’m Dan Cleary, and you can see more of my fine art photography at ClearyFineArtPhoto.com. You can also join my SKOOL community, Dan Cleary Camera Coach, to learn more about the creative process and how to create images like this for yourself. https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231, https://clearyfineartphoto.com/

08/16/2026

While working on a photography project in New York, I made a trip to the Statue of Liberty and created this image. My original photograph showed the statue against a clear blue sky, but I felt the background was too ordinary for the mood I wanted.
In post-processing, I experimented with replacing the sky. I tried one version, then a second, and the dramatic cloud-filled sky gave the image the feeling I was after. It added atmosphere, strength, and a sense of monumentality that better matched the subject.
This photograph is a reminder that the creative process often continues after the shutter is pressed. Sometimes the final image comes from both the camera and the decisions made later in editing.
I’m Dan Cleary, and you can see more of my fine art photography at ClearyFineArtPhoto.com. You can also join my SKOOL community, Dan Cleary Camera Coach, to learn more about the creative process and how to create images like for yourself. https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231, https://clearyfineartphoto.com/

08/15/2026

I almost thought I was too late. While driving home from Washington, D.C., I stopped at New River Gorge in West Virginia. It was November, and most of the fall leaves had already disappeared. Instead of the broad autumn landscape I had imagined, I noticed something better—a streak of sunlight illuminating a small group of trees across the gorge. Using my 80–200mm zoom lens, I isolated those brightly lit trees against the darker forest. The photograph became less about fall color and more about light, contrast, and learning to see what the landscape gives you. One of the best lessons in landscape photography is not to become so focused on the photograph you expected to make that you miss the one happening in front of you.
Visit ClearyFineArtPhoto.com to see more of Dan Cleary’s landscape and fine art photography. And visit my SKOOL Community, Dan Cleary Camera Coach, to learn how to create images like this for yourself. https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231, https://clearyfineartphoto.com/

08/14/2026

A drive home from Atlanta turned into an unexpected photographic opportunity when I stopped at Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a little hiking.
Along the trail, I discovered this mountain stream moving through a bed of rocks. By using a slower shutter speed, I was able to soften the moving water while keeping the surrounding rocks sharp, creating a contrast between motion and stillness.
Some of my favorite photographs begin simply by taking the time to stop, explore, and see what is there.
Visit ClearyFineArtPhoto.com to see more of Dan Cleary’s landscape and fine art photography. https://www.skool.com/cleary-creative-photography-8231, https://clearyfineartphoto.com/

Address

4140 Linden Avenue, # 220
Dayton, OH
45432

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

+19372986776

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