Gary Ranos: Design and Photography

I'll Pin That

2012-02-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

I've set up a Pinterest account (http://pinterest.com/garyranos/) and I'll be posting images I take and then some I like or would like to try. Feel free to repin, like, or share my images with people you know.

New Portfolio Site!

2012-02-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

I'm starting off the new year with a new portfolio site. (http://www.garyranos.com/photography.html)

There are new prices and packages on there along with updated photos. Still follow me here or on my facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/garyranosphotos) for the most recent updates.

Bingaman Christmas Session

2011-12-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics from the Bingaman's Christmas session. The kids loved the chance to play around the tree and get their hands on the decorations. Even the dog got in on the family pics. It was a fun, quick session and it was good to have Luke back. I hope they and all of you have a great holiday season.

Ken & Sara's Wedding - Wilmington, DE

2011-11-23T14:25:00.000-08:00

After spending a few awesome days walking around Philadelphia, we headed out to Wilmington, DE for our friends Ken and Sara's wedding. Friday we had dinner and were shown a few places and had a great night. The wedding day itself could not have been better. The location was so nice, the weather was great, drink were flowing, and the reception was fantastic. Here are the pics I took at the Friday dinner and then the wedding.

Fall Pics - Molly & Sam

2011-10-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

In the second part of the 2 year session for Sam we had her sister Molly join in for some fall pictures. The sun actually showed up for a little while and we got a change of outfits in right before it started to rain again. Lucky for all of us (and my camera equipment) we were in the grandparents backyard. So we were able to get all of us and the gear out of the rain quickly.

Noah's Christening Outfit

2011-10-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics from that Saturday morning shoot. He did have a lot of fun running around Helen's Garden. We were the only ones there so he had the run of the lot. On the way from the garden to a really fun park (practically across the street) we stopped for a few pics at a great looking old church. By then he was done wanting to be in front of the camera but we still managed to get a few good ones.

Sam's 2 year Session

2011-10-24T13:03:00.001-07:00

Sunday the 9th started out with the ever so needed rain. My lawn and foundation were rejoicing, but I was hoping for just a break in the weather. I had planned Sam's 2 year session early thinking we could avoid the rain. But stepping outside it looked like the session would be a rain out.

I still packed and drove over to the agreed upon location. The place was flooded. Not even the towels and blankets I brought would make a difference. So after a quick call I was on my way to her grandparents house. Their backyard has to have amazing drainage because when I arrived it was barley damp.

As we were setting up for the session it was still thundering, but the clouds had lightened up and incredibly we managed to get the session between the rain. Here are a few pics from that fun filled morning.

Sneak Peek - Noah's Christening Outfit

2011-10-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek of Noah's christening outfit session from this past weekend. He gave me a good cardio workout chasing him around.

Nevin Beach Session

2011-09-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

I had a great time shooting down at the beach with Nevin and his dad. It was a cooler morning compared to the recent 100+ temperatures that we've had. Even without the Flagship Hotel for the background, the pier still was a great backdrop. Since we were there so early we didn't have to avoid many people and the lifeguard tower was open. Nevin seemed like a seasoned pro and was posing before I had to say anything. All said and done we came away with some great pics and I had a tone of sand to get off me before getting back into my car.

Sneak Peek - Nevin Beach Session

2011-08-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek at Nevin's beach session down in Galveston by the old Flagship Hotel pier.

Nevin's Senior Session

2011-08-22T18:09:00.001-07:00

I had such an awesome time with Nevin and his parents. We started off the session at Challenger Park with some shots by the woods. As I was setting up his phone rang. I told him to go ahead and answer it. So while he was talking I took a few shots.

Now while I don't think that shot will make it up on a wall somewhere, I took it with the intention of capturing him at this stage in his life. I though of the difference between my senior year and his. Phones are such a necessity this day and age. So I hope some day in the future when there is a new norm he will look back at this and have a laugh.

After some tree shots we set up by the lake, then another part of the park. We finished up the session at Old League City. The buildings were great backdrops for the change in outfit he had. By the end of the day I barely had to guide him. We had some good laughs and I really enjoyed spending time with Nevin and his parents.

A special thanks to his sister Natalie for the recommendation.

Visiting Chicago

2011-08-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my family and I visited Chicago. And on our final day there the kids got to spend some time with their grandparents and cousins at the park I used to play at. Overall it was a great trip and the weather, even with the rain, felt so good.

Sneak Peek - Nevin's Senior Portraits

2011-08-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek at Nevin's senior portraits from this weekend.

FLag Football - Summer 2011

2011-07-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

AT the last practice I took some team pics for my oldest son's summer flag football league. They were a handful to try and get to stand still but it was all in good fun. They didn't have the best season in terms of wins, but many were new to flag football and they forgot anything about the game when it came time for the snacks and drinks afterward.

Sam & Molly Part 2

2011-07-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the other pictures we took during the 4th of July session.

Samantha & Molly 4th of July Session

2011-07-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I had a session with Sarah's daughters Samantha and Molly. They had these adorable matching tops that worked great for the holiday and the shoes were awesome. Samantha loved the bubbles and at the end Sarah let her pick eat her favorite fruit, yes it's a fruit.

Ken & Sara Preview

2011-06-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

Over this past weekend my wife and I joint two other couples in Wilmington, DE for Ken and Sara's wedding. It was a great few days leading up to the wedding. We spent 2 days taking in all the historical sites of Philadelphia, then drove down to Wilmington to join Ken and Sara for a great dinner and a crazy night out. I'll be posting more from the trip but here are a few pics from the wedding.

Calista & Jarad Wedding

2011-06-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Lovely wedding at an awesome location: Las Brisas Farm in Fayetteville, TX. There were so many opportunities for detail shots. The bride and groom were very fun along with their bridesmaids and groomsmen. The ceremony was very nice, the DJ was really good, and their friends tore up the dance floor.

Natalie & Dustin Engagement Session

2011-06-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

We started out the session at Centennial Park in Friendswood, TX. Then we moved to Challenger Seven Memorial Park for the lake, the larger hill, and the interesting trees. We finished up the session at the Kemah boardwalk. Natalie & Dustin were so fun to shoot. Dustin's face lit up as soon as he pulled out the fishing pole. He even got to climb up in one of the trees. I can't wait for their wedding.

Sneak Peek - Natalie & Dustin Engagement Session

2011-05-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've been so excited to do this engagement shoot. I met Natalie & Dustin through the O'Day family (our son's are cub scouts together) They are are such a nice couple and fun loving. Here is one of the shots they really wanted so to tease them a bit I'm using it as the sneak peek. The full session will be posted soon.

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Just a few shots from Easter. It was the littlest one's first.

Shadow Creek Soccer - Gold Team Session

2011-04-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Mathews family, I had the opportunity to take some team and individual pictures of the soccer team they coach and that their son plays for. On a bright and early Saturday morning the kids came ready to play and were great for the pregame session. I then stayed to capture some action shots of the team. It was a great morning shoot topped of by a stop at Buc-ee's on the way back. Only a few wanted individual pictures so I posted some after the team pics.

Lopez Triplets Communion Session

2011-04-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

I had an impromptu session this weekend with our good friends the Lopez family. They have triplets that are a few months older than our oldest son. They are getting ready to make their first Holy Communion and wanted to take pictures in their outfits. I met them at Helen's Garden in League City for the session and tried my hardest not to have them stand in the plats since it was damp and they are all in white. You can definitely tell each has their own personality and it shows in their faces.

Mathews Family Session

2011-01-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to shoot my friend Jared's family right before Christmas. Their neighborhood had a few spots that worked out great for a background and open space for the kids (and parents) to play.

Lindsey & Jeremy Engagement Session

2010-09-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

I helped out a friend of mine with Lindsey & Jeremy's engagement session. I'll be the second shooter for the wedding later this year. Here are a few from the evening.

Sister-In-Law Rena & Tony's Wedding

2010-09-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

All but one of my family of 5 were in the wedding. My wife joined her other 3 sisters as bridesmaids, my oldest son and I were groomsmen, and our middle son was the ring bearer. The suits were awesome and were complimented by the Chuck T's we got to wear. Here are a few shots I got because of course I brought my camera.

Noah the Hat Model

2010-08-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

We were going through the older 2's cloth that they have out grown and came across the hats. So as you can see some are too small others too big, but I think they might come in handy if people want them for newborn/infant shoots.

San Antonio

2010-07-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

We met up with our college friends in San Antonio. Had fun in the sun at Sea World and then the Alamo the next day.

Robby & Pam's Wedding

2010-07-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Robbie works with my wife and we had the opportunity to go to the wedding and reception. With it being down here it was nice to have the older sons being watched while we took the youngest one (who was about 2 1/1 months). I don't think we held him at all during the reception. It's always a good time hanging out with my wife's co-workers and their wives who love babies. Here are a few shots I took at the reception.

Alana's B-day

2010-07-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Adin's friend had a birthday party at a local gymnastic training facility. The kids and adults had fun on all the equipment.

Bobby & Alice's Wedding

2010-06-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Another weekend back in Chicago. My wife's cousin got married and of course I took the camera. They had a great wedding and reception.

Family Time 6-27-10

2010-06-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

While back in Chicago for a wedding, we got to spend some time with my family.

Hall Fun Day

2010-05-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

My parents, wife, Noah, and I joined Adin at Hall for they're end of year "Fun Day." It was a carnival filled with activities for the younger grades. It was really sunny and hot out that day. Glad I was behind the camera. I was way too sweaty carrying the camera case and the diaper bag.

Parents Weekend

2010-05-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

My parents came to visit this weekend. Got to see all 3 of the boys. We all had a lot of time relaxing at home and the pool. I added some effects from the new actions I got.

Family Visit #1 of May

2010-05-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend my sister-in-laws and niece visited. The kids had a blast. Adin showed his cousin his favorite thing to do. She was quite brave to do that in flip flops. I took the older ones for some ice cream, and then we celebrated our niece's birthday before they left.

Noah Alexander has arrived!

2010-05-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

On 4/30/10 at 8:41 a.m. came the newest addition, Noah Alexander! This is our 3rd boy and probably the easiest, as far as shortest time, labor at ~4 hrs and 10 min from the start of contractions. The process went smoothly, although his little nose was quite bruised, and he was the tallest and heaviest of out sons.

Pam and Jake's Wedding

2010-04-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

I had a great time attending my cousin Pam's wedding over the weekend. The church was beautiful along with the bride, the reception was a lot of fun, and even the after party was a blast. I just tried to take a few good pics without getting in the way of the pros. Hope you enjoy.

Old School

2010-04-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

While at my parents house, waiting for my cousin's wedding, I decided to pull out some old toys I had just to show what I grew up with. First is the evolution of y nerf collection. Starting with the single ball blaster, to the bow, then the smaller dart single shots, then came the fun of rapid fire arrows then the ballzuka. Good times with those. And who could forget the board games. And look what I found, Yes still stored in the original boxes, TMNT.

Flight Home

2010-04-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

On my flight back to Chicago for my cousin's wedding I decided to get a few shots. Mainly to try and wear down the battery to charge fully for the next day, but it turned out to be pretty occupying of my time. Tested my patients with the shadows and then everyone else moving in the rows blocking the light then letting it through. Had fun though and it kept me wake.

Conor's B-Day

2010-03-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Had a good time at our neighbor and friend Conor's b-day party. Was a nice sunny day ad what more fun can you have have than a pinata and a trampoline! Yes I did get in there and and got to do some flips.

Hall Spring Carnival

2010-03-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

Spent all day at the school's spring carnival. Although he didn't make the football toss, hit the tire 3 of 4 times, he managed to nail the dunk booth and get his art teacher on the 2nd and 3rd try.

No your not seeing double, those are the girls of the triplets we know.

Adin Skateboarding

2010-02-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

I'm lucky for two reasons. 1) This was February and it was in the 50's and not too sunny out. 2) I always have a personal model in my oldest son. It's good to see he's gotten over his shy of the camera stage.

Random Items

2010-02-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Just going through my pics folder and decided to post a few random shots I've taken. A few at work and others just out and about.

Kemah on V-Day

2010-02-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

Since-laws were in town, we all went to Kemah for lunch. Walked around a bit then spent some time at the little playground.

Adin and Liam's B-Day

2009-11-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

A little fun at Chuck's house o' Cheese. It's a lot better doing the party early, trust me. Had some fun and the kids enjoyed themselves.

NASA Baloon Fest 09

2009-10-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

The family and I went to the Balloon Fest at NASA. Was great weather. Not too warm with a slight breeze. The sun really lit up the balloons.

Fun Weekend

2009-10-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

My parents visited from Chicago, so of course we had to play some hockey. Then we went down to Galveston and did some sight seeing.

Johnson Space Center trip

2009-07-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

My family and I visited the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo missions. There just so happened to be a George Lucas exhibit going on.

Chicago July 09

2009-07-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

So many pics, so hard to choose. I love going home. So much downtown and on the south side to take pictures of. This trip was unique that my wife and I, having never been in, took the trip up to the 103rd story observatory deck of the Sears Tower. I refuse to call it the new name because to a true native that's what it'll always be. So on the 103rd floor I took a bunch of pics and then we ventured out onto the new floating rooms. So that's our feet on glass 103 floors up just hanging out over the street. It was an awsome experience. On the way back to out parents homes I took some pics of our much used Metra line and my fave place to get my dogs, which just so happens to be where my wife worked in high school.

Alice's Surprise 50th

2009-07-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

My wife threw her mom a surprise 50th birthday party with a Hawaiian Elvis theme. It was a colorful good time.

Chicago 06

2009-05-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Back in 06 I was downtown around Millenium Park just enjoying a nice day. This was one of the last times there before the big move to Houston.

Memorial Day 06

2009-05-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from Memorial Day 2006 on the south side of Chicago. On is particular day my father-in-law was receiving his medals from his services during Vietnam.