KINGSTON, Jamaica — There are those among us who can tell the best stories with words, but some of the most talented people can do just the same through the art of photography. Jamar Cleary is a multidimensional young man with a passion for telling stories with photographs.

Cleary is a travel and fine-arts photographer who has taken pictures in Jamaica, Panama, The Dominican Republic and Barbados.

“I would refer to myself as a third-generation creative because my grandfather was an author and my father was a poet,” Cleary told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Despite a strong family history of writers, he has defined his own path by capturing the beauty of culture, art and people with his camera and eye for detail.

Cleary is also fond of highlighting remnants of history through his photographs.

“My favourite film project was during my trip to the Dominican Republic, especially my visit to the colonial zone. They kept the old buildings intact and ran businesses on the inside. My favourite photo I took was of an old hospital where they used to treat cholera. I felt like taking a photo of the archway would have teleported me back in time to experience everything first hand,” Cleary told OBSERVER ONLINE.

This young creative prides himself on being a diverse photographer who takes photos capturing nature, street art and client portraits. However, his undying passion for capturing moments lies in travel photography.

“I believe that all my photos are good but you can feel more emotions from my fine art and travel photos. For me, photography is more about emotions and how you feel,” said Cleary.

Describing his photos as “emotive”, he is determined to make any viewer of his content feel an overwhelming sense of fulfilment from his work.

At first, photography was a mere hobby until he decided to take a step into entrepreneurship by establishing a photography business called ‘Clear Editz’; a year before the pandemic. This name represents a play on his last name as well as the quality of the images he creates.

Although his professional camera was damaged right before the pandemic, leading him to improvise by using his phone to take photos, Clear Editz has still come a long way. In fact, some Jamaicans living in China use his photography to cope while abroad. Jamaican travel pages online are also constantly reaching out for permission to reshare his photos.

“I think that the difference between me and other photographers is that we can all take the same photos but I find a different perspective in which I tell stories through my photos.”

As a self-taught photographer, his inspiration primarily stems from pictures that he sees as well as the work of Von Wong and Craig Phang Sang. Wong’s photography, in particular, brings awareness to social issues in a creative way that Cleary himself hopes to mimic as well.

He has also been gifted with the skill of editing photos to make his content more visually appealing. However, he generally refrains from over-editing or retouching photos unless requested as he prefers a more authentic look to his photos.

“Photography has been a means in which I can bring whatever I am feeling to life. You can even see it in my editing. I had a photo I edited purple for instance because that’s how I was feeling that particular day,” expressed Cleary.

Within this line of work, time management is of utmost importance as he manages life as a film production student at the University of the West Indies, his own business and works at a film studio.

Regardless, he appreciates the cultural experiences gained from travel photography and how rewarding it feels to make clients happy on seeing the final version of their photos. A podcast is also in the works as he tries to explore other forms of content creation.

Cleary has dreams that one day he will be able to photograph the Dalai Lama in Tibet.

“He’s a very powerful spiritual figure not just in Tibet but the world. I’m a very spiritual person and I feel like capturing him in his element would be fulfilling not only for taking the photo but also personally,” Cleary told OBSERVER ONLINE, adding that he is also hoping to improve his craft and bring even more stories to life with original photo concepts.