Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Ray Nard Imagemaker is a wedding photographer located in Grand Rapids, MI. Ryan R. Jackson, the creative behind the lens, uses his middle name Ray Nard as a tribute to his late father, who encouraged his artistic abilities.
This talented photographer began his passion over 2 decades ago when his brother gave him a used film camera and he's been hooked ever since. For the first decade of his career, Ryan traveled the world with the U.S. Navy and captured everything from flight decks to commanding officer portraits. For the last 10 years, Ryan has been published in many West Michigan art and entertainment publications, websites and blogs due to his work in dance photography and portraiture.
Ryan's unique skill is being able to bring dramatic lighting to your images using either natural light or off camera flash. He is currently booking weddings, engagements, headshots, family portraits, and senior photos. To learn more about his pricing and how Ryan can help you, don't hesitate to reach out and arrange a consultation.
Hi! Nice to meet you. My name is Ryan R. Jackson. I use my middle name, Ray Nard, as an homage to my father who shared the same middle name and encouraged my artistic abilities.
What I really love is working with couples, really listening to their story, vision, creative tastes and goals to create lasting images that they will love to share again and again.
When I'm not photographing weddings, I'm photographing professional dancers and theatre. My skillset of posing, dramatic lighting, and an easy going professional attitude helps capture your timeless memories in a seamless way.
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.0
20 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Overall, the reviews for these wedding photographers were overwhelmingly positive, with multiple reviewers highly recommending them for their weddings. The photographers, specifically Jackson and Ray, were praised for their professionalism, patience, and exceptional work. Reviewers appreciated the quick turnaround time for edited photos, excellent communication, and ability to make the wedding day stress-free and enjoyable. The photographers were commended for capturing beautiful moments and exceeding expectations, making them highly recommended choices for wedding photography services.
Brooke E
5.0
10/20/2025
Jackson was great to work with for our wedding this summer, and we love the pictures!! I would definitely recommend!
Brandon W
5.0
2/28/2025
Definitely recommend him as a photographer for your wedding. He was kind and patent with us before and during our wedding. The pictures turned out amazing and I have gave his infor...
mation to many friends and family.
Any questions?
Kristyna W
5.0
2/27/2025
Definitely recommend him as a photographer for your wedding. He was kind and patent with us before and during our wedding. The pictures turned out amazing and I have gave his infor...
mation to many friends and family.
Derek A
5.0
2/19/2025
Ray was so personable and amazing! We loved our experience and he did amazing work!
Mike S
5.0
2/18/2025
Ryan was super easy to work with and fun on our special day! Pictures turned out just as great as our day!
Allie A
5.0
2/17/2025
Ray was great and super easy to work with. He listened to what we were looking for with our wedding photos and exceeded them! Great experience from start to finish! Highly recomme...
nded.
Jennifer S
5.0
2/17/2025
Great experience all around, thank you for being part of our special day!
James S
5.0
1/30/2025
What else can I say except everything was exceptional. The turnaround for the photos was only two weeks. The communication was prompt and always responsive. His energy the day of w...
as also infectious. He made what was a stressful day fun and gave my wife and I a chance to really connect through the process of the photos and allowed us to relax and have fun with one another instead of juggle all the crazy details of the day.
Kendall S
5.0
1/21/2025
We had a WONDERFUL experience with Ray Nard Imagemaker as our wedding photographer! Our pictures turned out so wonderful and we got them back fully edited in under two weeks!!
I wi...
ll be recommending Jackson to everyone I know who is getting married in the area.
Annabella T
5.0
11/03/2024
We hired him for our wedding and could not be more pleased! He was super professional and helped direct us through the day! We couldn’t be more thankful for the photos he’s provide...
d for us to cherish forever. 100/10 ⭐️
Tara H
5.0
2/09/2024
Ray was our photographer at our wedding in West Michigan on November 5th 2023. From the moment my wife came across ray's website she knew he was the photographer for us! His moody ...
style combined with his eye for detail was what led her to call Ray in the first place and wow oh wow did it pay off because our photos were absolutely stunning! He took all of our ideas and incorporated them seamlessly- and even improvising for better lighting, poses, and shots. We have received nothing but wonderful compliments on our wedding photos from our family and friends and I know it was all due to Ray's dedication (he froze his butt off alongside the whole wedding party just to get the best shot of us at the pier on Lake Michigan!) and willingness to stay until he got the shot just right. We cannot say enough wonderful things about him and our wedding photos. We will truly cherish them and our memories from our happiest day ever. Thanks so much again Ray! Jason and Tara Hughey
Holly A
5.0
12/11/2023
Ray Nard Imagemaker is a top notch professional. I highly recommend his services. At every step he under promised and over delivered. He was great with helping me and my teenage so...
ns with posing, great at communicating and keeping everyone on track throughout the day without being pushy. He was focused on making sure we were comfortable and getting us great shots from the moment we arrived at the venue. The finished gallery is full of amazing memories and was delivered in less than 2 weeks, we were still on our honeymoon!
Alysse S
5.0
11/29/2023
We had such a lovely experience, our photos turned out great and he was so helpful with any requests that I made. I would recommend to anyone looking for their photos.
Lyda J
5.0
9/13/2023
I have been following Ryan and his photographic career for many years and have had the privilege of getting to know him and his wonderful family. When my husband and I decided to d...
o a blow-out celebration for our 40th wedding anniversary, we could not think of many we would rather have to capture the precious moments of that memorable evening. We were thrilled with the results and will cherish these images forever. He was very professional on site and quickly delivered a wonderful edited gallery for us to use. Both my husband and I highly recommend Ryan to photograph your event and put together package that will allow you to relive your momentous event always.
David B
5.0
9/05/2023
We had such a great time getting our 5 year anniversary photos taken and Ryan did a fantastic job! He not only made the experience fun and feel natural, but was very timely on his ...
response with the photos to view!
Aaron S
5.0
9/03/2023
Jackson has done amazing work for my business over the years, including drone and action photography. He’s very professional, focused, fun, and easy to work with. My employees ha...
ve a lot of fun when it’s photo shoot day! He listens to your ideas and goals and discusses creative options to execute them. His attention to detail is incredible and the finished product always came in ahead of schedule. In the end, he will not only meet but exceed your expectations.
When it came time to planning our wedding, Jackson was our obvious choice. Needless to say, he captured truly amazing photos! He captured everything we could have wanted and more for our wedding day. We received numerous compliments about Jackson from our family and friends that day and again after sharing the finished product. I would highly recommend Ray Nard Imagemaker for all your professional photography needs!
Kimberly Z
5.0
9/03/2023
We worked with Jackson for our engagement and wedding photos. It was such an enjoyable experience having him as part of our wedding journey. For our engagement shoot Jackson went a...
bove and beyond to help us feel natural in front of the camera and get a variety of beautiful photos. By the day of our wedding we felt confident in front of the camera and Jackson got so many amazing, creative shots! We can’t wait to share our wedding photos with our friends and family. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience working with Jackson to capture these incredible life moments.
Tarynn S
5.0
9/01/2023
We’ve been so fortunate to have Ray Nard Imagemaker photograph the big milestones in our life (engagement, wedding, 5 year anniversary, and family photos) and he exceeds our expect...
ations every time! He has a way of capturing candid moments and getting our personalities to show during the photo shoot. Posing can feel awkward (we never know what to do with our hands) but he’s amazing at getting us into poses that look great in photos. We can’t wait to have him photograph many more moments.
Amanda F
5.0
8/30/2023
Jackson was a pleasure to work with. He was helpful from the start and accommodated our shorter timeframe and distance to our wedding location. He took the time to get an understan...
ding of what we were looking for, but in style and in what we wanted shot. The day of, he came prepped with various great ideas. He even surprised us with his drone and polaroid photos. He made us feel comfortable and directed us just the right amount, as this was our first time having professional photos taken. The photo turn around was very fast and they turned out even better than expected. Amazing bang for your buck. His rates were lower than other options we looked at, but I did not feel like we got a lower quality product in any way. We would truly recommend Jackson to anyone looking to have photos taken!
Sarah D
5.0
8/28/2023
Jackson went above and beyond for our wedding. He was extremely flexible with the changing of events for the day and worked with us with different ideas we had, some being last min...
ute. He was professional, courteous, timely and made everyone feel comfortable when taking photos.
