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.

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.

In July I got to work with model Tiffany again who I had worked with in previous years.

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.

Also in October I got to photograph a very fun engagement session at Dave and Buster’s in Kentwood.

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.

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.

2020 A Year in Review

Wayne and Jessica Wedding

Conrad Proposal Documentary