Overview

"Renowned Dayton, Ohio photographer Dan Cleary blends his passion for photography with a fascination for the Wright Brothers' legacy. In his book, Wright Brothers: Then and Now, Cleary seamlessly blends historical images of the Wright Brothers with current images he has taken at the same locations. The result is a compelling visual tribute to the pioneers of flight. The Wright Brothers were accomplished photographers and used photography in their process of discovery. Cleary obtained digital photographs by and about the Wright Brothers for this project. He then traveled to Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, New York, and France to capture current-day photographs at locations where the Wright Brothers made their early test experiments and flight demonstrations. Using his artistry as a photographer and his mastery of Photoshop, he superimposes the old and new images into captivating new combinations where the past and present interweave. He also includes a written narrative in each picture about the people behind the history, helping to bring life to each photograph. The image in the book ""Bishop's First Flight"" references the day in May 1910 when Bishop Milton Wright, the Wright Brothers' father, flew for the first time. He and Orville traveled to a height of about 350 feet and flew for six minutes over Huffman Prairie in Dayton, Ohio. The Bishop is said to have exclaimed, ""Higher, Orville, Higher!"" The Huffman Prairie Flying Field National Historical Park is adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. While at Huffman Prairie taking photographs with this historical image in mind, a C-17 Globemaster III transport took off from the Air Force Base and flew into Cleary's camera's frame. Cleary states, ""The C-17 and Orville and Bishop Wright's plane lined up perfectly! It seemed to me that ""Higher, Orville, Higher"" was an appropriate metaphor for where aviation was soon to be."" About the image titled ""Kite Flying,"" Cleary recounts, ""While at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, Park Rangers started to pass out kites to visitors. It was the perfect opportunity to photograph, especially knowing the Wright Brothers used kites in their testing. Later in PhotoShop, I playfully inserted Orville and Wilbur with their kite into the scene."" This photograph of Cleary's is one of the more playful images in the book. Wright Brothers: Then and Now is a must-have book for the Wright Brother history buff. This book is available from Dan's website, www.ClearyFineArtPhoto.com, and at many aviation and history museum bookstores."

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Cleary's photographic collages are about the varying visual representations of the past and the present. He has revisited the many sites where the Wright Brothers did their early flight research and demonstrations to create modern images, incorporating a retelling of early flight experiments. He has created images that are nostalgic in their desaturated overtones but enlivened by the presence of modern-day activities. - Academy Art Museum, Easton, Maryland Dan's images represent moving back in time while standing in the present day. This historical, engaging project is filled with images of flight and other kinds of transportation from both the past and the present. As a photographer, it must be a powerful experience to document these places while imagining the Wright Brothers flying overhead! His images offer proof of events largely unknown by the rest of the world. Cleary offers viewers rare glimpses of life in these culturally and emotionally colorful historical environments. And in these environments, there is a stark comparison between the beauty of the contemporary, wide-open city and landscapes and visions of the historical sky above. The urban images are full of events and people going about their everyday lives. Everyone is probably thinking about the future and what comes next. Yet, he reminds us that the present could not be possible without all the events that occurred in these same places. Dan's photographic style of layering an image within an image speaks about the passage of time, nostalgia, and the relationship between American history and the way life continues to thrive. The color and the black and white images compare and contrast two experiences of the moment and over time. These photos create a sense of mood, atmosphere, and drama. The photos are interesting because they blur the line between fine art photography, historical photography, street photography, and documentary photography. - LensCulture Review

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