Professional Services in Rio Linda

The growl of lions and tigers will be replaced by the growls of guitars as the Sactopalooza Spring Party lights up the Sacramento Zoo with music from tribute bands and DJ Rigatony. No Duh blasts a high-energy pop set based on the music of No Doubt with a number of visuals, costumes, and props from the band’s music videos. Nominated for Best Tribute Band at the 2010 San Diego Music Awards, the Red Not Chili Peppers fill the air with classic funk-rock melodies and the four-chord password that grants entry to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to the concerts, attendees can partake in hands-on activities such as mechanical bull riding and gladiator jousting with foam poles.

The Sactopalooza Spring Party is the largest annual fundraising event for the Active 20-30 Club of Sacramento. This group of 20- to 30-year-old volunteers works year-round to improve the lives of local children with special needs. In addition to raising funds for children, the group organizes hands-on events to interact with children at an annual picnic, winter clothing drives, and a holiday party at the UC Davis cancer center. Proceeds from the party helps support these events and the organization’s work with children throughout the region.

Looking back, Mischa and Brianne Purcell seem destined to have become photographers: Mischa was bitten by the shutterbug at the age of 8, when a family friend and photography professor first introduced him to the camera lens. Brianne started even earlier—when she was just 7, she put a camera on her Christmas list right when Santa had just secured the rights to manufacture celluloid. All these years later, the Purcells’ love of the art form hasn’t waned. They bring their enthusiasm and smiles to important events in people’s lives, including weddings.

As Mischa puts it in a video on his website, “It’s a true honor to be paid to create art around people’s love stories. It’s the best thing I could ever imagine doing.” This genuine passion comes through in his photographs. To capture the essence of each couple, the photographer thinks outside of the box. Aside from photos at the church, Mischa might have newlyweds pose in front of old buildings, on a truck bed, or simply in front of a bright blue sky. The photographers extend this sort of creativity to other types of sessions. They can photograph families in fields dotted by wildflowers or stay in their studio to carefully capture senior portraits. Mischa also shares his expertise during workshops, which teach the ins and outs of photography and postproduction.

Yakety Yak Wireless specializes in cell phones. The shop stocks new and used models from brands such as Verizon, Samsung and Apple; the technicians inside it, meanwhile, can draw on more than two decades of combined experience to fix old phones. Their repairs address problems from cracked screens and water damage to faulty sensors and speakers that blast the chicken dance during important calls. Yakety Yak Wireless also vends accessories such as cases and earbuds.

Picture It On Canvas takes customer-uploaded photographs and prints them on archival-quality material such as canvas, metal, and hand-chiseled slate, forging a durable keepsake for customers to hang on their walls or dangle from the grills of their automobiles. Buyers can also blend several images into a collage. Picture It On Canvas strives to appease all clients with approachable customer service and a no-questions-asked return policy.

With a centralized location, easy access to I-80, and proximity to several hotels that provide complimentary transportation, Oak Point Events is ideally situated to host special occasions. An intimate outdoor area holds wedding ceremonies, and a 1,700-square-foot main hall accommodates up to 180 guests for receptions, seminars, proms, and other events. The recently remodeled reception hall features a new sound system and video projector, and opens its doors to outside caterers or agencies that rent out dance floors or limbo sticks. At each wedding reception, an onsite host oversees the details and gives particular attention to the bride's happiness. Upon request, Oak Point Events outfits its facilities with rental equipment, including microphones, disco balls, and pianos. Additionally, a 700-square-foot meeting space with high-speed wireless Internet and U.S. long-distance telephone services facilitates corporate events.

The bride stood under the photographer’s lights, resplendent in her wedding gown, as her family looked on from a distance. As she and her photographer, M. Chen, prepared for the shoot, she was handed a package—a prewedding gift from her soon-to-be husband. When she lifted the lid, she immediately burst into tears. Inside laid a photo of a great dane puppy—the dog she’d always wanted, which her husband planned to give her on their wedding day. As she ran to hug her mother, Mr. Chen ran after, shooting image after image, capturing the exact moment she fell into her mother’s arms. These quick reflexes have been honed through his nearly 30 years as a sports photographer and professional fly swatter, and he draws on photojournalistic techniques to compose a traditional portrait or snap once-in-a-lifetime, candid moments.

Regardless of specific approaches, he consistently draws from the landscape style of Ansel Adams and the dramatic lighting techniques of Monte Zucker. His work as a photojournalist and private portrait photographer has earned him more than 300 publications in the glossy pages of New York Daily News, Popular Photography, ESPN Magazine, and Professional Photographers of America magazine. When not snapping on-location engagement shoots, family portraits, or boudoir sessions, he passes on his technique through traveling photography seminars, hands-on workshops, and by gently tapping the heads of his students. Though formerly designed only for professional-level photographers, these classes instill confidence and camera basics in beginners. As he frequently finds new class examples and takes feedback from his students, Mr. Chen frequently fine-tunes the curriculum after each seminar.