Photography & Portraits in Sacramento

The team behind Eleakis & Elder Photography draws artistic inspiration from what is most important in their own lives: their human and four-legged family members. Roger Ele and his wife and part-time assistant, Joan Stathakis-Ele, founded the studio in 1986; since then, Roger has relied on low-light photography and his love for animals to capture countless families, brides, and beloved pets. Chantel Elder joined the staff in 2001 and became a partner in 2008. When she's not busy in the studio, she can be found cooking with her new husband, spending time in the garden, and hanging out with her two boston terriers. New crew member Mark Long has been a professional photographer for more than 30 years—about as long as he's been married. Though he studied commercial and underwater photography at the renowned Brooks Institute, he now looks no further than his two children and grandchild for a smiling subject.

In addition to snapping pictures of furry friends, the photographers support the Sacramento SPCA and other charitable animal causes. They can turn feline or canine portraits into wall art, a 30-page album, and gift cards, or shred them and weave the strips into a pet sweater. They are also fans of the performing arts: Roger has done work for The Sacramento Ballet and has been the official photographer of Sacramento Opera since 1984.

Started in 2005 as a way to capture tearful reunions between military members and their families, Pink Butterfly has expanded to portraiture, event, fashion, and boudoir photography that has been featured on CD covers and in press features. Debbie Torres, a certified photographer and member of the Professional Photographers of America, captures the heat in the room with her tasteful boudoir photo shoots in her cozy studio. A variety of flirty themes and concepts, such as holiday pinup and "fun around the house," guides Torres' photo sessions, which can also be held outdoors in the early morning, or in the evening before the sun goes down. The seasoned photographer, with more than 15 years of experience, also offers specialized boudoir shoots for athletes and dancers.

Torres's goal while she’s flashing her camera is to create a fun, comfortable atmosphere for her subjects. She welcomes all body types to her boudoir sessions. Using her sharp eye for detail, images of guests bloom under her direction as she expertly composes and captures each shot. Afterward, clients may choose favorite retouched photos for printing and to receive in digital form, allowing them to share framed versions with the mantel or brighten the day of a lonely laptop.

FastFrame memorializes art the world over with professional craftsmanship, a quick turnaround time, and a satisfaction guarantee. The store's owners, Tom and Teri, perform all their framing in accordance with the Preservation Plus program, which adheres to the Library of Congress's standards on extending the life of displayed items. They eagerly apply these technologies to all types of projects, from crafting shadowbox enclosures to creating collages of customers’ favorite tax returns. They can also create pieces on canvas, dry-mount favorite images, and preserve family photos behind glass.

The entrepreneurs behind Picture Perfect Photo Booth know that décor is an important part of any celebration. That's why they designed their sleek booths specifically to blend into festive environments. Once they've delivered and set up the booth, they welcome partygoers to dig into a collection of costumes before posing against a maroon backdrop for high-resolution that can be enlarged into candid prints or billboards. Patrons can choose from a variety of photo layouts, and can personalize photo strips with a customized logo.

Husband-and-wife team Ryan and Angie Bates man the shutters at Ryan Bates Photography, where Ryan draws on 15 years of experience as he snaps images that bring out individual personalities and family dynamics in every shot. Professional lighting shines down on subjects as they say cheese, eat cheese, or impersonate cheese in the boutique studio, and the natural light of the outdoors illuminates on-location shoots held amid trees or at the shore. Captures of candid smiles, playful interactions, and motion shots celebrate timeless family moments, and senior-portrait sessions—viewable afterward on a private online gallery—yield prints worthy of relatives' mantels or wallets. Ryan also occasionally leads basic to advanced workshops, where pupils learn to manipulate their own DSLR cameras with coy winks and promises of mink-lined camera cases.