2025 Clare Irish Festival
It was great to make it to the 2025 Clare Irish Festival! This is first I’ve been able to attend since pre-covid.
JCI Michigan Year End Conference
I had a great time getting to photograph the JCI Michigan Year End Conference at The Graduate in East Lansing, Michigan. Huge thanks to my friend Jerry for letting me stay at his apartment while photographing the conference. Before the conference we got to tour the MSU Swine Teaching Research Center. I’ve been a member of the Jaycees since 2018 and am serving on the State Board as District A Director in 2025. During the conference I was awarded a Presidential Medallion. It was great getting to hang out with fellow Jaycees and seeing so many friends win awards for their hard work during 2024! I look forward to getting to serve with fellow Jaycees around the state during 2025!
Stephanie Headshots and Portraits
I had a great time getting photograph headshots and portraits of fellow Jaycee Stephanie in Battle Creek! Getting to play with her dog and see her sword and dagger collection where especially fun.
Voyage Michigan Magazine Rising Stars: Meet Ryan Watkins of Clare
I was recently featured in Voyage Michigan Magazine! Big thanks to 101st JCI Michigan President Kayleigh Gratz for recommending me to the magazine. Check out the article here. https://voyagemichigan.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-ryan-watkins-of-clare
Devin and Allison Wedding
I had a great time photographing Devin and Allison’s wedding at the Back Orchard Barn in Freeland. I was also super thankful to Bobbie Jo Call from the Muskegon Jaycees for second shooting the wedding with me last minute.
2024 Year End Review
2024 Year End Review
At the end of each year I like to write a short recap and share some of my favorite images of the year.
2024 has been one of the most chaotic years of my life.
Back in 2017 I created a facebook group titled the Michigan Photography Network which grew to over 9000 members. I was the sole admin and moderator of the group until early 2024. I added several new moderators to help take on the workload. After disputes between moderators led to them threatening to sue each other I decided to step down as an admin and leave the group.
I was thankful to be able to serve as a photographer for Royal Family Kids camp club for the 2023/2024 school year and during July camp. Sadly due to other commitments I wasn’t able to serve as photographer during the 2024/2025 club, which I’ve greatly missed.
This was my fourth year serving as a deacon at Christ Covenant Church OPC in Midland, Michigan. This was a difficult year for us as a church due to two deaths in the congregation.
Some of the highlights of 2024, have been serving with the Jaycees. I was able to help with events put on by the Ludington, Mt Pleasant, Great Lakes Bay, Livonia, Clare, and Allegan chapters. I was elected as the 2025 JCI Michigan District A Director and won the Membership Award of Excellence. I served as president of the Clare Jaycees who won the Programing Award of Excellence during their last year as a chapter before they sadly ended up having to fold. I am now a member of the Great Lakes Bay Jaycees.
Due to the lack of income I've had over the last two years through my photography business, I’ve hoped to transition to a different job for my main source of income. This transition has been far more rickety than I’d hoped. I took Meat Cutter training courses in 2023 through the Michigan State Extension Program but haven’t been able to find employment in that field. I was hired by USPS but wasn’t able to take the job due to the schedule conflicting with the weddings I already had booked. I worked briefly as a Youth Specialist for Eagle Village but quit after getting assaulted multiple times, including getting punched in the face so hard my nose remains slightly crooked. I finished the year working as a Temporary Bookseller at Barnes and Noble which I’ve greatly enjoyed. I hope to find full time employment in 2025 and only do photography as a side job going forward.
Outside of work and other organizations I’m part of, I was able to complete my goal of reading over 100 books this year. I started the year on the carnivore diet and got down to the lightest weight I’d been in the years, until I started stress eating and fell off my diet and exercise routine. I also ended up totaling my Chevy Malibu, when I got in two car accidents on the same day. Thankfully insurance covered it and I was able to purchase a 2011 Subaru Forester from a friend.
Here are some of my favorite images from 2024.
2024 Michigan Hawking Club Field Meet
JCI Michigan 100 Year Celebration and Conference featuring comic Anthony Grupido
Model Hayley from Hayley’s Wild for Modeling
Livonia Jaycees 7th Annual Murder Mystery Dinner featuring The Murder Mystery Company who has been featured on Shark Tank
Tiffany from Moon Child Modeling
Andrew and Lillian Engagement Session
Jason and Katie Engagement Session
Mt Pleasant Jaycees’ Mt Pleasant Craft Beer Festival
Derrick and Melissa Wedding
Michael and Chelsea Wedding
Wedding Candids
Michael and Kara Wedding
Jordan and Nassim Wedding
Wedding Details
Model Chelsea Olsen
Mario Senior Portrait
Rick and Allison Engagement Session
Buck on Drummond Island
Model Michelle Korte
Alex, Rachel, and Potato i.e. the dog
Andrew and Lillian Wedding
Tiffany from Moon Child Modeling
Tiffany Halloween Shoot
I’ve been working with Tiffany from Moonchild Modeling since 2019. For this shoot Tiffany brought a variety of Halloween themed props, smoke bombs, and some sheer fabrics we used for this shoot in Mt Pleasant. It was great getting to work with Tiffany again!
Vicc Alexis Legend of Zelda Cosplay Shoot
I had a great time getting to work with model Vicc Alexis for this Legend of Zelda themed cosplay shoot in Holland, Michigan!
Andrew and Lillian Wedding
I had a great time getting to photograph Andrew and Lillian’s wedding at the Edmore Market Place. They were the second wedding I’ve photographed this year to play music from The Legend of Zelda while walking down the isle. They also included a track from Final Fantasy as well.
Medford Family Portrait
I had a great time getting to do this fun fall family portrait for the Medford family. I’ve been close friends with them for years which made this shoot super fun.
Michelle Korte
I was very happy to hear about Michelle Korte moving back to Michigan so we would be able to shoot together again. For this shoot with Michelle we originally had hoped to do a Laundromat shoot but it was too busy to shoot in. We improvised and went on to shoot in the alley’s in downtown Bay City.
Buck
After photographing the 2024 JCI MI Fall Conference I got to spend the next day in Drummond Island with my friend and model, Melissa. The deer who frequently hang out in her backyard are so calm and docile they will come and eat potatoes out of Melissa’s hand. I joke about her being the real life snow white with how the animals act around her. Here are a few photos of a buck which came to Melissa’s back yard for potatoes. A fawn and two does also where in the backyard with the buck.
JCI Michigan 2024 Fall Conference
I’ve been a member of the Jaycees since 2018. This year I’ve had a great time getting to photograph multiple conferences and signature events around Michigan put on by JCI Michigan and the various Jaycees chapters around the state. During this year’s Fall Conference in Sault Ste Marie, my home chapter, the Clare Jaycees, was awarded a Programing Award of Excellence. I was also awarded a Membership Award of Excellence and was sworn in as 2025 District A Director. It was great getting to spend time with fellow Jaycees I’ve started to build friendships with.
Rick and Allison Engagement Session
It was great getting to talk with Rick and Allison about mutual interests like craft beer and our favorite restaurants while photographing their engagement session at the Shiawassee nature preserve auto trail. Usually I have to give couples a lot of guidance when posing them but Rick and Allison would instantly smile and kiss when near each other making the shoot an ease.
Mario Senior Portrait
It was great getting to photograph Mario’s senior portrait. I’ve know Mario and his family for several years. We all became members of Christ Covenant Church OPC in Midland, Michigan at the same time. I especially enjoyed getting to photograph Mario in his suit and top hat which he really enjoys dressing up in.
Chelsea Olsen
I’ve been working with model Chelsea Olsen for several years. For this shoot together we started by shooting outdoors in Traverse City, Michigan. For the final images of the shoot we did various studio images at Chelsea her boyfriend Dylan’s apartment. Chelsea and Dylan are always great to work and converse with!
Erik and Holly Wedding
I had a great time getting to photograph Erik and Holly’s wedding at the Michigan Wildlife Conservatory. I first met Erik’s dad and step mom through doing photography with Royal Family Kids camp. I had a great time getting to talk with fellow guests at the wedding about photography and other nerdy interests.
Jordan and Nasim Wedding
My second shooter Nikki had a great time getting to photograph Jordan and Nasim’s wedding at The Little Flower Barn in Lake Isabella. The groom Jordan and I have known each other most of our lives from going to school together at St Cecilia and Clare Public Schools. Jordan and Nasim had a beautiful wedding which incorporated Persian wedding traditions including knife dancing. I also greatly enjoyed how they used two songs from the The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess soundtrack, Zelda’s Lullaby and Zora’s Domain, as they walked down the isle. I had a great time getting to see acquaintances I hadn’t seen in years.
Michael and Kara Wedding
Michael and Kara had a very nice laid back wedding at SWJ Emerald Hills in Edmore, Michigan. It was nice running into a high school friend I hadn’t seen in a while as well.
Michael and Chelsea Wedding
Michael and Chelsea had an incredibly fun and laid back wedding at the Wagarville Barn wedding venue in Gladwin, Michigan in late August.
