I had such a great experience with Chantel. She was professional, helpful and talented. She made me feel very comfortable and explained her process along the way. The finished product went above and beyond my expectations. I used her for business photos that I needed, but would definitely go back for my family photos. I cannot recommend her enough. read more

I enjoy discovering new and exciting documentation or photo's about my family history. So I contacted my cousin in Japan ( on my fathers side of the family) and asked if they had any photos of my father as a child. My father is "Kibei" meaning born in USA , then at a young age returning to Japan to be raised. A few months had passed since my conversation with my cousin. I received an package from Japan containing photo copies of my father as a child, and original studio photo's of my father in school uniform. The pictures were taken in 1931 and we're fading fast from being so old. I was quite hesitant in trying to have these pictures restored mainly because of the high cost of restoring photo's. But I knew that if I don't restore them now, they would be gone forever! My decision in picking the right photo studio to do the job was ( the business had to be local and have great reviews on "Yelp". My wife and I had no idea as to the cost of restoring old photos so we brought them in for an estimate. There are times when everyone is on assignments and the business in closed. Fortunately the sign read open as we drove by! (Yah !) Roger was quite helpful in explaining the pricing process and proceeded to scan the photo's. In this way he can see the extent of the damage and determine the price. Even though the pictures were faded, the damage was minimal. Roger restore the photos on the spot. "Great" ! And the price was far less than I expected. Thanks to Roger I have restored photos of my father that will last a lifetime and generations to come ! Thanks for reading! read more

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The best photographer to document the important moments of your life. The photos are beautiful & lasting. I highly recommend Eleakis & Elder Photography. read more

Top-notch photo restoration services. This place is incredible in terms of quality of worksmanship, value, and overal customer service. This operation is the epitome of professionalism, class, and talent. And it's a great value! If you're thinking about digitalizing photo prints or restoring old (and even really damaged) photos, Eleakis & Elder is the way to go. read more

Roger was amazing! I am a very picky and critical person when it comes to pictures of myself. I am also part of the social media generation that overanalyzes every picture. Roger was great to work with and offered suggestions that were thoughtful. I had second guesses on the shot I originally chose and he totally understood and worked with me to find one I absolutely loved. He is professional and took the best pictures of me. I cannot wait to have them for my website photo and LinkedIn! Cannot recommend enough... fabulous! read more

This was an amazing experience, they are one of the only Canadian/international passport photographers in the area. They were on time, efficient, friendly, and the passport photo turned out perfectly. Thank you read more

I went through all the hassle of having to renew my British passport from here in the states. It's not as simple to get photos as you might think. With strict rules and regulations and American passports having much larger photos. After my first set done through regular channels were refused without specific reason. I decided to bite the bullet and use a proper photographer to produce my passport photos. I made an appointment with Roger and came a little early. Roger was very laid back and easy going and took photo's for both my passport and my wife's US passport. His computer in the front office had templates to over a dozen foreign countries specifications and he had our photos and printed in no time at all. They were clear with a backlight and fill light for nice even lighting which proved much better than the ones I paid $16 for at Kinkos. In photoshop he tweaked the photo backdrop to make sure my white shirt stood out against a white background and trimmed my photos to the exact specifications with his guillotine. Needless to say I was impressed and wished I hadn't wasted my time with the usual places like UPS, Kinkos, Rite Aid etc. Eleakis produced excellent photos without any fuss. Took the time to make sure everything was in order and only charged $10 more. A very reasonable price. Almost two weeks later and I have a shiny new passport. No further problems. My wife actually considered getting some regular portrait photos done but it was late in the day so something for next time. Thanks for the excellent service Roger. read more

Preface: I have yet to see the finished product of photographs, so this is an initial review based solely on my experience with Chantel during a recent shoot. I talked my non-picture-inclined boyfriend into getting some couple photos taken to commemorate our recent one year anniversary. I spoke with Chantel and decided that Old Sac would be a cute backdrop for the type of lifestyle pics I was hoping for. Although I have never had professional photos taken and didn't know what to expect, Chantel made the experience a lot more comfortable than I imagined. She is friendly and engaging and it kinda feels like she's one of your old friends once you get into talking. She led us around Old Sac and snapped pics where ever she found good light/unique spots. My boyfriend and I both felt silly trying to look natural while posing, but Chantel put us at ease (even though we probably looked like goobers!) We even stopped at Backdoor Lounge and Chantel bought us drinks. Totally not necessary for her to have paid, but very nice. We're very excited to see how all the pictures come out and I'm even more excited to have found a fun photographer for all of life's picture perfect events! =) read more

I'm writing this review to say that I recently received the best Christmas present I could ever hope to receive in a lifetime! It was a portrait of my beloved dog, Zoomer, who passed away a few years ago. What made this photo so special was that it was a restoration from a photo so badly torn, I really wasn't sure that much could be done. (The picture was ripped to shreds by our current doggy, who, it should be mentioned, has never chewed up anything before or since.) I really felt lost not having a good, representative photo of my best friend sitting somewhere nearby. Now I have it. This is one of those amazing, unique gifts that make you burst into tears when you open it. I thank Eleakis and Elder Photography for being the best photo restorers around! read more

Bought a groupon for some portraits and we used them for our family pictures that went on our holiday cards. We did the shoot at Land Park with our dog and he was so patient with our rambunctious puppy. The photos came out so great and we couldn't be happier and our holiday cards were a hit. read more

Eleakis & Elder Photography - Event Photography Near Me - Sacramento, California

If I could use more stars to rate them, I would. After having all sorts of issues getting a photo correctly sized and exposed for an international passport, I turned up on their doorstep and said "help!" They were true professionals and not only took the photo and resized it correctly, but were more than happy to help me work with the embassy when it became apparent that there was an issue with their scanner. They then followed up daily with the consulate to make sure that there was nothing else they could do to speed up the process. Because they were willing to go the extra mile for just a passport photo, they have gained in me, a customer for life! read more

As I headed back into the job market after a year-long sabbatical, I needed to have my head shot updated for my LinkedIn profile. Eleakis & Elder Photography quickly responded to my email requests for more information including pricing and openings on their calendar. The session began on time and the result was good as it gets at my age. Better, in fact. Overall, a very good experience. read more

Yes! I had my doubts about finding the right photographer via Yelp. Every studio I found seemed to have many good reviews mixed in with one or two so bad that I worried I'd never find anyone I could trust. Among the horror stories I've heard - taking over a year to get picture books, photographers that were unresponsive to months of emails, flirtatious, or else priced so high I couldn't even consider them. I found Chantel Elder through a mutual friend. I admired the shots Chantel had done of her on Facebook and reached out via email. Almost immediately, she responded back with a friendliness and familiarity that was so comforting. I knew right away she would be the only choice for our wedding photography. Additionally, I found Eleakis & Elder's packages and pricing to be reasonable. Working with Chantel was always easy - of all our vendors, she was always the one to contact me first, follow up right away, respond to emails timely, etc. I had complete faith that she was fully prepared and on top of everything. On the day of our wedding she and Roger worked seamlessly together, getting the kind of romantic and intimate shots of us that I had been hoping for. We just laughed and had fun the whole time, and they made us look great in the process! If you are seeking a photographer not only for their professionalism, but also for the warm and friendly atmosphere they create, you must contact Chantel! read more

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Chantel and Roger are amazing! When we decided to have a smallish ceremony in San Francisco at City Hall we were concerned about finding a photography who was a bit less traditional. Not only were they willing to travel they were able to really capture my and my husbands style. They both made my super stressful day run smoothly and had our family photos done quickly (thanks to the shot list we created the week before together) so we could also enjoy our party. I highly recommend Eleakis and Elder Photography for their professionalism and eye for flair. read more

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Rarely does someone call me shy; but camera shy I am. Yes, it's all the typical insecurities, but I realize our family has NO pictures of all four of us in them. So, whenever my New England-based dad begged me for a family picture, I had nothing. This year, I finally bit the bullet, embracing everything I am... I did an outdoor session with Chantel Elder, my spouse, almost 12 yo daughter and rambunctious (some might say obnoxious) 4 year old son. Chantel was INCREDIBLE. She was understanding and complimentary. She was low pressure and professional. She very successfully chatted up my son, flattered my daughter, and took some dynamic and lovely pictures that I'll be proudly giving to my dad for Father's Day. Eleakis & Elder feature a great online picture review service that you can see from home and an in-studio picture consultation that helps pick the best of hundreds of images. I love our pictures. THANKS CHANTEL! I plan to do this at least once a year from now on and capture the growth of my children! read more

We had such a wonderful session with Chantel on Saturday! We took advantage of the "A Photography Benefit for Hungry Pups" fundraiser - where we brought a bag of dog food - as generous as we wanted, for a free photo session for our puppy and one free 5x7. Chantel was great with us - super patient with our puppy - who is about 1.5 years old and really not the most obedient lol. She recommended we take him for a walk before our session and to bring some treats - which we did both and it truly made the session that much better. She was just so great at using the light and really looking for great shots of our puppy. I cannot wait to see how the photos turn out! We will be swinging by this Saturday to choose :) I cannot wait to do more sessions with Chantel! We absolutely will take advantage of this fundraiser each year - and also will be looking to schedule some additional time with Chantel just for me and hubby :) Huge success, we had so much fun! read more

Roger and Chantel photographed our wedding in Sept 2011. Their personalities, along with the superior quality and styling of the photos have kept us coming back for all of our professional pictures. However, while I knew that they went above and beyond, Roger truly sealed the deal when my grandfather passed away. At the time of my wedding, my grandfather had been too ill to come to the site where we had photos done after the ceremony, although he was in the bride photos from earlier in the day. I called Chantel and Roger, literally in tears, to see if there was any way they could photoshop one of my wedding photos to include my grandparents. He was not only able to do it, but everyone who saw the completed project was amazed at the wonderful job Roger did. This is the last family photo I have with my grandfather, and it is a cherished item in my home; this would not have been possible with out Roger. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Eleakis and Elder, and recommend them to anyone and everyone I know seeking high quality, beautiful pictures. read more

On their site they say they do passport photos U.S. and other countries and "make extra sure" that the photos they do match the country's specifications. I needed passport photos for my Dutch passport renewal and I brought in a printout of the specifications. The photos ended up not being accepted by the Dutch consulate in San Francisco (my head was too big in the picture) and I had to have them redone across the street from the consulate. $20 wasted. Update: worked with Roger to get a refund in the mail and ensured Dutch passport photos will come out perfectly next time. :) Upping my rating. read more

First off, I'm not one to like being in the spotlight but I'm pregnant with my first child and I wanted to have maternity photos done, and let me tell you Chantel was so awesome! She made me feel so comfortable, the shoot was fun and relaxed just the way I wanted it to be. I couldn't have asked for anyone better! read more

We used Eleakis Photography for our wedding in 2003- it was almost overwhelming to have so many good pictures to choose from afterward. Roger and Chantelle were able to capture every little detail that I would have forgotten about. Most of my favorite pictures were the ones where I didn't even know I was being photographed! We used them again in 2007 for family pictures with our 1 year old and our dog. Roger has a gift for working with children and animals- he lets them be themselves. He doesn't just capture them in pictures- he captures their personalities as well. In 2007 we also had an unfortunate accident with our wedding album where parts of it were ruined. They were able to repair it so that you couldn't even tell that it was ever damaged. read more

This review is for my experience with Eleakis & Elder in September 2011. Every several years, my family does a portrait with my grandmother. In July 2011, she turned 100 years old... and we started to plan what would probably be our last portrait with her. On the day of the portrait, the "photographer" my cousin had hired backed out because his wife was having a baby. (Okay, I understand that's a priority... but I say "photographer" because what professional would schedule a job near the due date and/or wouldn't have a back-up?) So we were left scrambling on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend to find a replacement. Rescheduling really wasn't an option, since some family members had flown in from across the country for this portrait. By the time I found out of the situation, it was around noon (we planned to do the portrait in front of gram's house before sunset.) In a panic, I called every single photography studio in Sacramento I could think of, and of course, all were closed. However, Eleakis & Elder had two cell phone numbers mentioned in their voicemail recording for "emergencies"... and this was one! I called the first number and explained the situation to a woman named Chantel. (I found out that she was away on vacation with her husband for their anniversary, which I was mortified to interrupt). She was very gracious and put me in touch with her partner, Roger. He called me very soon after. (I found out that he was at the hospital with his wife who was recovering from some surgery. Again, I was mortified.) Roger was equally as gracious and was willing to come do the shoot for us. A few hours later, we met as planned at gram's house. Roger was a truly a pro... accommodating all of our wants for various smaller group pictures, working with the fading light, and placing all 40+ of us (ages 3 to 100) for the big portrait. A few weeks later, two of my cousins and I went to their studio to review the proofs (which there were a lot to go through). Roger was very patient and helpful as we eliminated every closed eye and open mouth. In the end, we had some amazing pictures of our family... on the lawn of the house we've all gathered at for all of our lives. From start to finish, Eleakis & Elder provided above and beyond customer service. I can't emphasize how much they saved the day for our family. We don't know how much more time we'll have left with gram, but we have some beautiful photographs that will last forever. I will surely do business with them again. Thank-you so much Roger and Chantel. read more

Wanted to get a B/W photo reprinted. Took it in - hadn't heard back in almost 3 weeks. Said it would take 1-2 weeks. Went in to check today: poor service. Was told they usually call when the job is done. What? Not an apology - "sorry it took so long"; "excuse us" or nothing. They offered to do the reprint - I'd have to wait 10 minutes - if they could do it in 10 minutes - why hadn't it been done it 3 weeks? Just got bad vibes from these folks. Asked for my deposit back - will have the work done elsewhere. read more

We hired Chantel to do our maternity photo shoot and she was awesome to work with. Very friendly, makes you feel comfortable to be yourself. It felt natural and she was able to get some awesome shots for us. It was so difficult to choose which prints we wanted because they were all so great! Looking forward to working with her again once the baby comes! read more

Excellent studio that does creative work. They also take passport photos for any foreign passport in the required dimensions

This review is years overdue. I took advantage of a free session for pets at an event in Curtis Park. I brought both my labrador and my mastiff for the sitting but my mastiff was far too skiddish to enter the tent. So Roger took us for a walk further away from the commotion of people, he was able to line up both dogs so that it "looked" like they were sitting one directly in front of the other when in reality, the mastiff needed more space due to all that was going on around her. Roger captured the photo beautifully - and even went so far as to modify the image and remove the people walking in the background so that the print looked as though those two were the only dogs in the park. I was SO amazed at his work! And that portrait - even though my mastiff is no longer with us - I look at that portrait every day and it's a beautiful reminder of when she was here. #priceless read more

I wrote a review in 2008 and needed to write an update... THEY ARE STILL AMAZING! They have photographed almost every single pivotal moment in my life and captured those moments beautifully. Maternity, Birth Announcements, Christmas Cards, Family Portraits, Boudoir, Easter, you name the occasion in my life and they were there to capture it! I am most definitely a lifer, and will use them for everything and so should you. read more

We've used Eleakis over the years, and took advantage of the Hallowe'en photo shoot several times when our kids were young. We worked with Roger every time.He has always been a pleasure to do business with. The photos are lovely, and I remember taking my one-year-old son in, and he knew just how to distract my son and get a great shot. read more

I have used Eleakis Photography for about 6 years. They have done all my families portraits including 50th wedding anniversary party photos, baby photos, Senior portraits, family photos and pet photos. I have always been extremely pleased with every session. I really like the fact they are close to Williamland park. They know how to capture the special moments and they like to do candid portraits in natural light. They also specialize in Photo restoration. I have also had several damaged photos restored. One photo was literally only 2 x 2 inches and badly damaged. Chantel restored the photo and did an amazing job. I was astounded it could be done. I highly recommend Eleakis Photography for all your photo needs from Baby photos to Restoration and anything in between. read more

Chantel and Roger are absolutely amazing! They had done my cousin's wedding earlier this year and after seeing the results, there was no question who we wanted to shoot our wedding. We just got our photos back from our wedding and they look GREAT! They are very professional and work great as a team to cover every angle of your important day. I am camera shy and was feeling deathly ill on the day of our wedding, but you cannot tell from their photos. They made everybody feel comfortable and made sure they caught us at our best. For the posed photos they gave excellent direction while still allowing everybody to feel relaxed and comfortable. The candid shots are equally as beautiful and for most of them I never knew they were there. Our wedding photos include a mix a formal, artsy, action, and romantic shots all done equally well. I would absolutely recommend their services. read more

I wanted to get a portrait of my dog Sophie done. I found out that Sophie does not have long to live and I wanted to get a professional portrait done. I went in and Roger was my photographer. We drove to the nearby Land Park and stopped by a spot where Sophie's pictures could be taken. Now Sophie is a shy and reserved dog and she was not making things easy for Roger. She would not stand still and kept on walking around, sniffing the grass. You could tell that Roger was experienced photographing animals. He had tricks up his sleeve to get Sophie to look at the camera. Sophie did not make things easy for him. He was very patient and he would have stayed longer to keep on photographing Sophie but I felt that Sophie had enough when she walked far away and would not come back towards me right away. Then after we were done, Roger said that I could bring my dog into the studio since it was hot outside. I was very pleasantly surprised by this. Not a lot of studios would let dogs stay inside, while the doggy parent looks at the pictures. I went and picked up my pictures yesterday. The one big picture I purchased, is just amazing. The details are amazing. I have not looked at the CD yet but I am sure it is amazing also. FYI to the other customers wanting to purchase a high resolution CD, it is quite pricey. But you get what you paid for, especially if you want all the pictures on the CD. read more

I would highly recommend them for any photography you need. I had my son's senior portraits taken here and I loved the entire experience, pictures and mostly staff and photographers. They truely make you feel at ease, comfortable and mostly confident they will capture the that one of kind look. read more

My husband and I had our wedding photos taken by Roger Eleakis on June 5, 1993, almost 20 years ago. For 19 years we have yet to be more disappointed in a photo than we are with our wedding photos. I have never displayed them, or hung any on our walls. the majority of the photos taken during the wedding ceremony were not real clear and crisp, somewhat unfocused looking. All of the photos taken before the ceremony, the ones of us with our wedding party in the brides room, and grooms room were absolutely uncentered with horrible window blinds as our backdrop! That's what our eyes go to when we look at them...ugly mini blinds in the church dressing rooms. He did not once think to re-position us, or even move us outside for variety. I am sure he has grown as a photographer over the years, but for the $1500 we paid then, we wish we had beautiful photos of our beautiful day. read more

I recently decided to have my photograph taken professionally. I spent a great deal of time searching websites and online reviews looking for the right photographer. I chose Eleakis & Elder Photography, and I am very glad I did. Like so many people I am not naturally comfortable in front of a camera and I rarely like pictures of myself, but when I saw the photos Roger Eleakis took, I couldn't have been more pleased. I actually had a very difficult time choosing the best ones! The studio is so close to William Land Park, which is an ideal location for outdoor photos. I am so glad picked Eleakis & Elder Photography; I highly recommend them to anyone searching for an established, proven, and highly professional photography studio in the Sacramento area. read more

I've been going to Eleakis Photography for all different occasions over the years because I know I can expect great photos. Most recently they photographed my wedding and I couldn't be happier with the results. We get tons of compliments on our album! I'm glad I have such a beautiful collection of photos to remember the day! Roger and Chantel work great as a team and also bring their own individual strengths and talents to the job. I can't wait to visit them as our family grows. Highly recommended. read more

Chantel & Roger where both amazing, they shot for our wedding & they where both super professional & we both loved all of our pics, some images they captured just took our breath away! We where beyond impressed with our album, & we always get compliments and people raving on how awesome album cover pic is on the front 'metal' cover! I did not get around to asking for prints for such a long time from Chantel with our credit we had through them & when I did she was beyond awesome, sweet & accommodating. We just received our prints & we fell in love with our photos once again! The quality is superb & we cant wait to display such beautifully captured memories! read more