Rob and Melanie Wedding
My second shooter Nikki and I had a great time photographing Rob and Melanie’s beautiful laid back wedding in Gladwin, Michigan!
Melissa’s Modest Modeling
I had a great time getting to work with Melissa and her husband Joshua! They are an incredibly sweet couple. Melissa had several great ideas for renaissance and fantasy themed images and Joshua did a great job helping assist. Can’t wait to work with them again!
Behind the scenes
Lisa Sunrise
Huge thanks to Lisa for coming to this shoot at 6am to grab the dramatic blue hour before sunrise! We had two blue herons almost fly into us during the shoot as well.
Four Leaf Brewing
I had a great time getting to photograph the new taps at Four Leaf Brewing in Clare, Michigan!
Lisa
I had great time working with model Lisa in Clare, Michigan. As I drove over to the shoot the weather kept getting increasing worse. Tree branches started to snap while we where shooting and a torrential downpour started as well. Looking forward to working with Lisa again! Hopefully next time with better weather.
Childs Schmidt Family Portrait
I had a great time getting to photograph my former high school Spanish teacher and her family on the McIreland Trail in Clare, Michigan.
Hayley
I had great time getting to work with model Hayley again in July! Shoots with Hayley are always incredibly fun. During this shoot we wanted to cover Hayley in paint for some of the images. We saw some other artists painting in the park so Hayley ran over and recruited one of them to help paint her. Huge thanks to Project Jai Creative Space for being willing to help with the shoot and to Hayley’s friend Kat for helping assist.
Art Walk Central 2021
My portrait of model Tiffany will be on display at the Isabella Community Credit Union in Mt Pleasant for this year’s Art Walk Central until September 4th. For more information on Art Walk Central and to vote for your favorite artists visit https://www.artreachcenter.org/art-walk-central
Justin and Rachel Wedding
I had a great time photographing Justin and Rachel’s wedding in Remus, Michigan. During the wedding a tornado touched down near Remus and the power went out briefly. Despite these inconveniences Justin and Rachel had a beautiful wedding and I’m thankful to have been part of it.
Brad and Bailey Engagement Session
I had a great time getting to photograph Brad and Bailey’s engagement session at Empire Bluff. Can’t wait to photograph their wedding next year!
Tiffany Poison Ivy
I had great time getting to work with model Tiffany again for this super Poison Ivy themed shoot.
Mathew and Gabby Wedding
I had a great time getting to photograph Matt and Gabby’s wedding at The Venue at 501 in downtown Clare, Michigan in May! The wedding was originally planned for 2020 but got postponed due to covid. It felt great getting to shoot with my second shooter Nikki again. They had a beautiful wedding and loved getting to document it.
Four Leaf Brewery
I had a great time working with the Four Leaf Brewery for some new images for their social media presence. Stop by the next time your in Clare, Michigan!
Chase Engel and The Nightshift
I had a great time working with Chase and Engel and The Nightshift again! Looking forward to the second album coming out.
Tyler and Kayla Engagement Session
I had a great time photographing Tyler and Kayla on their family farm outside of Clare, Michigan back in May. Can’t wait to photograph their wedding in the fall!
Jake and Angel Engagement Session
I had a great time getting to photograph Jake and Angel’s engagement session at Nelson and Island Park in Mt Pleasant, Michigan. Can’t wait to photograph their wedding later in the year!
Wayne and Jessica Wedding
I had a great time getting to photograph Wayne and Jessica’s wedding at The Riverwalk in Gladwin, Michigan in late February.
Ceremony
Flower girl
Reception
2020 A Year in Review
Tom and Coi Wedding
2020 started with me just moving back to Clare, Michigan from Tampa, Florida. In 2019 I had moved to Tampa for a long distance relationship that didn’t work out. I had turned down several 2020 weddings in Michigan due to thinking I would be living in Florida. When getting back to Michigan I had about half of the photography jobs lined up for the new year that I typically do.
The first months of the year were spent searching for a day job in addition to photography. In March I got hired as an in home caregiver for a friend of mine’s grandfather, Bud. I loved this job and Bud and I became good friends. Bud had a stroke in late June and passed away in July. In late July I got hired as a part time Direct Care Worker for a company in Mt Pleasant. I stayed there for a couple months till I took on a Direct Care Worker position elsewhere in Mt Pleasant offering more hours. In late December I got covid-19 and am currently in quarantine with mild symptoms.
Marci and Jeff Chadwick
My first shoot of the year was for Health Monitor just prior to everything shutting down due to the pandemic. This editorial shoot featured former NFL player Jeff Chadwick and his friend Marcy.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic several weddings I had lined up for 2020 where postponed or canceled. My next wedding wasn’t till June and had changed drastically since the consultation a year prior. The wedding was shifted to outside and had social distancing.
Dan Headshot
A week later I got to do a headshot shoot with Dan, a local dentist. We had been trying to work together since just before the pandemic.
Model Tiffany
In July I got to work with model Tiffany again who I had worked with in previous years.
Joe and Marie Wedding
Brandon and Ciera Wedding
Charlie and Danielle Wedding
Rommel and Tiffany Wedding
Clayton and Alexis Wedding
I got to photograph two weddings each month from August to October. These weddings were all over the state ranging from Alpena to Grand Rapids with some closer to home in Clare and Mt Pleasant.
Justin and Lauren Wedding
Jesse and Aleeshia Engagement Session
Also in October I got to photograph a very fun engagement session at Dave and Buster’s in Kentwood.
Liberty Senior Portrait
In early November I got to use the back of Four Leaf Brewing for a senior portrait session and had a proposal documentary at Dow Gardens in early December.
Conrad Proposal
Outside of work I’ve been able to pursue several hobbies this year including making my own kombucha, gardening, lots of reading, and learning how to cook. I’m hoping to pursue beekeeping and homebrewing in the upcoming year.
I have no idea what 2021 will bring, but Ryan Watkins Photography will still be open and offering weddings, portraits, and fine art prints in Clare, Michigan.