Kehres Health and Chiropractic
The staff of Kehres Health and Chiropractic was great to work with! For more information about their services visit https://www.kehreshealth.com/
Hayley shoot at Clean Scene Laundromat
Huge thanks to Clean Scene Laundromat for letting model Hayley from Hayley’s Wild for Modeling and I shoot there for this early morning shoot.
Clara Senior Portrait
Very thankful for the opportunity to photograph Clara, her friend Stephanie, and he mom Sarah in Grand Haven! We had a beautiful sunset for the senior session and got to have great conversations along the way.
Shawn and Jessica Wedding
Shawn and Jessica had a great wedding at Treetop Meadows in Ludington! Here are some of my favorite images.
Fine Art in Mt Pleasant
Testing out some new gear purchases. A few fine art images from Mt Pleasant.
Hayley Modeling Shoot
I’ve been working with Hayley from Hayley’s Wild of Modeling since 2019. Here is our latest shoot together!
JCI Michigan President Portraits
It was great getting to do some headshots and portraits of JCI Michigan President Jessica Anderson.
JCI Michigan Leadership Summit
It was great having the opportunity to photograph the JCI Michigan Leadership Summit in Bay City. In addition to photos of the speakers I also photographed headshots of the attendees. I was also award a Presidential Medallion by JCI Michigan president Jessica Anderson. To learn more about JCI Michigan visit https://jcimi.org/
Chelsea Modeling Shoot
I’ve been working with model Chelsea Olsen since 2021! This is our latest shoot together at her home.
Tiffany Modeling Shoot
I’ve been working with Tiffany from Moon Child Modeling since 2019! Here is our latest shoot together in Mt Pleasant, Michigan.
Fricke Elopement in Frankenmuth, Michigan
It was great getting to photograph this last minute elopement in Frankenmuth, Michigan for the Ficke’s.
Fine Art from Dow Gardens
Swung by Dow Gardens to see the tulips and chit chat with former coworkers post tax season. A fine art photo of tulip stems.
Grand Rapids Junior Chamber Annual Gala 2026
The Grand Rapids Junior Chamber had me come out and photograph their Annual Gala this year! What a great event and beautiful venue! to learn more about the Grand Rapids Junior Chamber visit https://www.grjuniorchamber.com/
Coldwind Brewing
Coldwind Breweing had me come out to photograph the location of their soon to be open new brewery in Mt Pleasant, Michigan! To learn more about Coldwind Brewing visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/p/ColdWind-Brewing-61578365289013/
JCI Greater Muskegon’s 2026 Snowfest
JCI Greater Muskegon had me come out to photograph their 2026 Snow Fest this year! To learn more about JCI Greater Muskegon visit https://www.jcimuskegon.org/
JCI Michigan Year End Conference
It was great getting to photograph the JCI Michigan Year End Conference in Livonia in February. It’s always an amazing experience getting to see my Jaycees friends win awards for the volunteer work they do for their local communities throughout the year. I ended up winning two awards Sandra K. Luikes Memorial Award for my work as 2025 District A Director and a Presidential Medallion from 2025 JCI Michigan President Kayleigh Gratz. To learn more about JCI Michigan visit https://jcimi.org/
Headshots for the JCI Greater Muskegon
JCI Greater Muskegon had me come out to their February General Membership Meeting to do some headshots! For more information on JCI Greater Muskegon visit https://www.jcimuskegon.org/
Canvas Rebel: Meet Ryan Watkins
I was recently interviewed by Canvas Rebel for a recent feature. https://canvasrebel.com/meet-ryan-watkins/
2025 Year in Review
At the end of each year I like to do a year in review blog post where I showcase some of my favorite images from the year and give a recap of the year's events.
I started 2025 by finishing up working a seasonal job as a temporary book seller at Barnes and Noble in Midland. As an avid reader, I loved working there and getting to talk with people about books everyday.
From March to October I worked a seasonal guest services job at Dow Gardens. This was one of the best jobs I’ve had. Great bosses and coworkers and talking with the regulars was always fun.
One of the highlights of 2025 was getting to serve as the District A Director for JCI Michigan. JCI is a non profit organization for people 18-40 where they learn leadership skills by serving their local communities. As District A Director I worked as the middle man between the local Northern Michigan chapters, Great Lakes Bay, Ludington, Mt Pleasant, and Frankenmuth, and JCI Michigan. I had a great time going to these chapters’ meetings, befriending their members, and getting to go to their signature events like Ludington’s Freedom Fest, Frankenmuth’s World Expo of Beer, and the Mt Pleasant’s Craft Beer Festival. Getting to see the positive impact these chapters had on their local communities was amazing. I was very thankful to receive a Presidential Medallion during the Year End Conference in February. I look forward to serving as a Programming Director for JCI Michigan in 2026 as well as Secretary for my local chapter, Great Lakes Bay Jaycees.
I also served as chairman of the deacons at my church, Christ Covenant Church OPC in Midland, Michigan. I’m incredibly thankful for my church. When the engine died in my car on my way to work back in late April, several members of my church wrote me a substantial check which I put towards my next vehicle purchase.
I was only able to serve as a photographer one day at Royal Family Kids camp this year due to my busy summer schedule. I miss being able to do more with Royal Family Kids camp.
Photography has become a much smaller part of my life with age. The last couple years I’ve had so many last minute client cancelations, clients not paying, and drama with other photographers that I’ve been far less enthusiastic about photography. It just isn’t worth my time dealing with clients who won’t pay or show up, or other photographers who are constantly looking to slander and sue their competition. I’ve turned down many clients this year due to being busy with other commitments. I still photographed a few weddings, portrait sessions, and events this year.
On a personal note I got to read a bunch this year which I always greatly enjoy. I also finally got around to getting my CPL which I’ve wanted to do for years.
In January 2026 I’ll be starting a temporary job as a receptionist for McDonald and Associates in Saginaw during tax season.
