REAL STORIES

Dan & Rachel's Engagement Session - Chicago, IL

2008-07-21T21:38:00.004-05:00

Dan and Rachel’s ultra stylin’ wedding at the Ballroom – School of the Art Institute in Chicago is in less than 2 months and we are getting totally excited to photograph in such an amazing metropolitan location!

Last weekend it had been pouring rain all morning (the Midwest thunderstorms are AMAZING!) and then the sky opened up for a brief, beautiful and very humid hour! So we took Dan and Rachel outside and walked around the neighborhood near our Bucktown studio for a quick impromptu session.

We were so amazed at their charisma and fun, outgoing energy!

Here is a peek at some of their images and more to be viewed soon at Real Weddings.

BTW - All of these images were processed in our digital darkroom using the oh-so-killer-and-we-can’t-live-without-them TOTALLY RAD ACTIONS and TRA2 – THE REVENGE. These actions are a MUST-MUST-MUST have for every photographer’s Photoshop arsenal!

Olivia, Will and Maggie at Lincoln Park - Chicago IL

2008-07-21T21:32:00.002-05:00

One of our good friends in Chicago, Joy, wanted to do something special for her husband, Bill, for Father’s Day this year. She brought fun props and had their kids - Olivia, Will and Maggie - play in front of our lenses at Lincoln Park – they had so much fun and it was all we could do not to hula-hoop and swing along side them!

The photo shoot ended with a watermelon feast and potato sack race!

Ain’t nothin’ like eatin’ watermelon on a hot day.
Makes you wanna’ run and skip and swing and giggle.
It’s nice and cold so ya’ know you won’t sizzle!
(poem by Cory – heeheehee!)

On Fathers Day Joy and the kids presented Bill with one of our signature DVD movies of their photo adventure and framed prints, finishing off their family room art.

They tell us the kids ask every day to “watch the movie of us!”

This was by far, one of our favorite all time experiences in Chicago! Thank you Joy, Bill and kids!

Happy Birthday Lynae!

2008-06-22T21:00:00.003-05:00

Today is my beautiful big sister, Lynae’s birthday!

This morning in Chicago, I received a picture text from her: she was chillin’ by the pool in Las Vegas! Now that’s how to celebrate your birthday in style!

I have been thinking of her all day: about how she let me hang out with her and her older friends, how she helped teach me to drive, how I used to help her with her homework (hehehe couldn’t help sneak that one in!) and how now she is most fun and hip mom I know!

But what amazes me the most about Lynae is her abounding love for everyone in her life – she is the sweetest and most understanding woman I know. Thank you, Nae-Nae for being such a wonderful influence to me and teaching me to be a beautiful woman inside and out!

Happy Birthday Sis! Love ya’!

-Rae Rae

Summer Solstice Wedding Photography Special

2008-06-18T23:40:00.002-05:00

Wedding Photojournalism by Lifework Images - we still have dates available in 2008 and are starting to book for 2009!

To celebrate the official summer, we are currently running a "Summer Solstice" special through the month of June. All weddings booked through June 30th, 2008 receive 2 complimentary hours to add to any photography package and all your high-resolution digital files!

Everyone has a unique vision of their perfect wedding. From dress to details, food to fun, diamonds to dancing, weddings are the perfect way for you to show off your style and express your love.We have been capturing wedding day stories and creating poignant,truthful photographs for couples all across the world since 1998 with our relaxed,artistic style of wedding photojournalism.

Tell us your wedding day vision and let us bring it to life!

Best Wishes,

LaRae and Cory Lobdell
Lifework Images

Chicago / 773.414.5527
Seattle / 206.261.6300
Email / larae@lifeworkimages.com
Web / www.lifeworkimages.com
Blog / www.lifeworkrealstories.com

Fleet Foxes... My New Favorite Band

2008-06-06T16:21:00.012-05:00

Every morning before I even check my email, I have to turn on my Rhapsody and get “tuned in” for the day. This little ritual is really important to me because it sets my mood, gets me hoppin’ in my chair (kids - do to not try this at home) and excited about my day!

Well today was a really special day because Fleet Foxes from Seattle (go Emerald City!) came out with their self-titled debut album and it is a stunning piece of art. I haven’t stopped listing to it over and over all day!

“White Winter Hymnal” brought me back to my childhood: at five-years-old running through my grandmother’s field looking for honeysuckle while the wild grass glowed gold in the afternoon sun and grasshoppers flew around me. Every single song sent me back to all my favorite sweet, happy memories…

Their music makes me so happy I added their music to My - laraejan - Space page!

Listen to Fleet Foxes on MySpace!

Order “Fleet Foxes” through Sub Pop!

BTW Pitchfork gave it a 9.0!

Destination Wedding Winner... TYNEKA AND DAVID!!!

2008-06-04T13:31:00.003-05:00

Congratulations Tyneka and David!

They will be married on December 5th in the Dominican Republic!

We are so excited for you and honored to be a part of your wedding and can’t wait to visit the DR and help make your destination wedding dreams come to life!

-LaRae and Cory Lobdell
Lifework Images

12 Year Anniversary Toast

2008-06-04T13:20:00.007-05:00

Here are a few of our favorite pics from our 12-year anniversary toast!

2 Minute Countdown!!!

2008-05-18T20:58:00.001-05:00

Toast to Love! Laughter! and Leaping through Life in 2 MINUTES!!!

Love, Live, Laugh, Leap!

2008-05-17T17:14:00.009-05:00

Today is going to be such a great day!

We will be at the Westin Hotel River North-Luxury Fashion & Trend Show all day displaying our Renaissance Albums, Coffee Table Books, Canvas Prints and Metallic enlargements which look oh so yummy on your wall! Our new wedding promo postcards will also be handed out. Stop by and visit us if you are in downtown Chicago 12:30-4:30pm (fashion show is at 2:30).

The other great thing about today - May 18th - is that it is our 12-year anniversary! Over the last 12 years our love has grown stronger and friendship has remained fast and true. We will toast to love, laughter and leaping through life at 9:00pm – join us in toasting life wherever you are!

Kite Flying!

2008-05-17T15:42:00.036-05:00

One of our favorite days:

Trip to Gasworks Kite Shop: $24.37...
Dinner for 6 at Ivar’s Salmon House: $58.23…
Perfect fall day in the sun flying kites at Gasworks Park: PRICELESS.

Coloursoul

2008-04-29T12:47:00.023-05:00

Cooper Smith of Coloursoul contacted us one day to talk about the photo of “The Gum Wall” we shot in the “Year of Life” essay and how it would look super awesome in their new upcoming album. (Super Sweet!)

We talked more about how he and fellow member, Ben Walters, would like Seattle-looking images for their promotional material.

Turns out LaRae was in Seattle the same weekend Ben was visiting from India to finish their upcoming album. She captured the guys of Coloursoul around Pike Place Market, one of Seattle’s most well known hangouts.

Click here or on any of the images to view more of our favorite pics from the shoot.

Destination Wedding Photography GIVEAWAY!

2008-04-14T15:49:00.025-05:00

Seattle and Chicago based photographers LaRae and Cory Lobdell, Lifework Images, are giving away a wedding photography package for a destination wedding!

The winnning package includes:

• All day photography by LaRae and Cory for your destination wedding.
• “The morning after” photo adventure in your dress and tux on the beach, at the local market or where ever your destination takes us.
• A password protected Web Viewing and Ordering Service for you to share all your images with friends and family.
• 11x14 Lifework Images Signature Coffee Table Book with up to 100 pages!

All the winner has to provide are the travel and accommodations for LaRae and Cory!

TO ENTER: send an email to larae@lifeworkimages.com and include:
1. your names
2. wedding date and location
3. your love story
4. a picture of you and your honey - show us your style
5. tell us what will make your wedding fun!

Entries must be received by Saturday, May 31st, 2008 midnight. (EXTENDED!)
The lucky couple will be announced on Monday, June 2nd, 2008. (EXTENDED!)

Life is sweet as Candy

2008-04-11T23:37:00.019-05:00

On LaRae’s recent trip to Seattle to catch up on business and the Fremont First Friday Art Walk, she took a few days off to visit her mom in Ocean Shores, WA. Through a series of fateful events, she met a sweet dog in need of adopting through the North Beach Paws (a no-kill shelter).

A long story short, LaRae arrived in Chicago with a 1 year old dog named Candy. Cory drove to O’Hare International Airport to meet them in their friend’s convertible (thanks Mandy!). So on the first day warm enough to have the top down, Candy rolled in style into our Bucktown neighborhood.

Anyone interested in adopting a pet, we highly recommend going through your local PAWS shelter (all across the U.S.). They always have a ‘trial adoption’ that allows you to take the pet home to make sure you are all a great fit for one another.

Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom FEATURE!

2008-02-13T20:02:00.010-06:00

We are so excited that Brian and Andrea’s wedding was chosen to be featured in the current edition of Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom!

Their wedding was absolutely amazing and we had so much fun touring Seattle's historic Pioneer Square neighborhood with the bride and groom in a horse-drawn carriage.

Their cosmopolitan urban style wedding took place in a room filled with natural light pouring through the Court in the Square's five-story glass-enclosed architecture. The emotional and spirit filled ceremony took place in front of the reflecting pond with gerbera daisies and floating candles adding to the dreamy atmosphere.

Check out their wedding images by clicking here or on the image below:

The Knot.com FEATURE!

2008-02-13T18:58:00.032-06:00

Last May we had the great honor of photographing the wedding of Tim and Sara in South Caseco, Maine. Their wedding was so beautiful it was chosen to be featured on The Knot.com!

Their three day wedding event took place at Migis Lodge, on Sebago Lake in South Casco Maine. This beautiful location created the rustic setting Tim and Sara had dreamed of for their Memorial Day wedding. Small, intimate cabins connected by firewood-lined trails provided adequate lodging for all during the weekend-long event.

Check out their wedding images by clicking here or on the image below:

Life is Truth

2008-02-09T00:57:00.000-06:00

Life is genuine experience. Being caught in the rain and the only one around to see the rainbow. Running out of gas on a down-slope and rolling to the gas pump. Bumping into a good friend on the street that you were just thinking about and changing your plans to catch up. Swimming in the ocean with a horse.

Life is rock and roll. Listening to vinyl on your own Zenith consol. Our favorite vinyl album is Bob Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline.” Our favorite band of all time is Ween. Cory still has his “Thriller” album. LaRae still has “Like a Virgin”.

Life is the 80s. When hangin’ with us you will hear words like: awesome, dude, totally, extreme, that rocks, and like wicked – can you dig? We both wear Converse All Stars. We remember needing a quarter and a phone booth to check in with parental units. Our first game system was an Atari. Pitfall rocks! Cory wore parachute pants.

Life is preserving all the truthful, funny, poignant, or just plain real moments in life. We feel that by sharing ourselves with others we are rewarded with a unique glimpse of life through our lens.

Life is being children of the 70s growing up in suburban America meeting at a doughnut shop. If that’s not sweet, what is? LaRae was 15, Cory was 17. The year was 1991. We first danced to “More Than Words” by Extreme; LaRae donning braces, Cory’s recently removed (don’t laugh). We married 5 years later and have been collaborating as a team since then. Our photography business has been growing since our start in Puyallup, Washington in 1998. In 2003 LaRae discovered our future in the Center of the Universe. Fremont, a vibrant artist neighborhood north of downtown Seattle, nestled next to the Lake Washington Ship Canal, is a community where we have found our home and are continually growing roots.

Life is community. We are members of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce and Fremont Arts Council. We’ve recently moved into a new office space located in the brand new Fremont Space Building, a building filled with a dynamic mix of professional artists and businesses. We are active chairpersons and volunteers of the Fremont First Friday Art Walk.

Life is freedom. We sold our car in November 2007 to get more exercise and we use the Zipcar/Flexcar program for some errands and we utilize it for all photography assignments. Zaip/Flexcar vehicles are all within a 1-3 block walking distance of our home and we totally dig being a part of a community car program.

We are a wife and husband team and have photographed all photography sessions together since 1998. We believe that our collaboration with our clients and subjects and our strong professional relationship is what makes our work stand out.

We work from our home in Chicago, Illinois and Seattle, Washington and our office in the Fremont Space Building. We both actively pursue various editorial projects. Our assignments, including wedding photography, have taken us from Washington State to Idaho, Oregon, Texas, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Hawaii, France, Italy, Mexico, and 34 of the continental United States during a 10,053-mile, four-week road trip.

LaRae & Cory Lobdell

Art Shows

2008-02-09T00:31:00.000-06:00

Lifework Images Cooperative Exhibits

Mexico, custom hand finished digital images in restored antiqued frames - Cafe Flora, Seattle, WA. August 2007
Year of Life, 18x12 inch custom hand finished digital images from the ongoing current essay - Lifework Images studio, Seattle, WA.
Yelapa - Jalisco, Mexico, Fremont Starbucks, Seattle, WA. April 2006
Lifework: Weddings, Fremont Starbucks, Seattle, WA. February 2005

Lifework Images Cooperative Projects

Year of Life, OUR YEAR IN 2007 - Sparked by a bloody accident and the new possibilities of digital photography, we attempted to capture a year of our life in images.
See Sad Cedric, a children’s art book about a Dalmatian named Cedric, is currently in progress and features a decade (1996-2006) of LaRae and Cory’s images of their dog.
America 2002, May 19 – June 14, 2002. In less than four weeks, the couple travel 10,053-miles of road throughout 34 of the continental United States in less than four weeks by means of their small car packed with food, an Atlas, two cameras, 16 rolls of B&W film and no plan.
Seattle to Vegas and Back in 77 Hours, May 17th 10:00 pm –May 21st 3:00 am, 2001. LaRae and Cory’s 77-hour road-trip adventure in their small sports coupe lead them through country back roads through Death Valley and on to the City of Sin.

LaRae’s Solo Exhibits

Dreaming of Italy, Fremont Starbucks, Seattle, WA. June 2005
Working Artists of Fremont, Fremont Starbucks, Seattle, WA. October 2003
Salsa, “A dizzying glimpse into Seattle's Latin dance scene.” – Cory Lobdell. Three showings: Fremont Starbucks, Seattle, WA. October 2003, Suite G, Seattle, WA. January – May 2004, and Marcus’ Martini Heaven, Seattle, WA. June 2004
Risk, “Photographs of uninhibited women, in their many manifestations.” – Emily Hall, The Stranger. Marcus’ Martini Heaven, Seattle, WA. June 2004
The Movement, Suite G, Seattle, WA. January-June 2004
Chicago Inner-City School Garden Project, 2004

Cory’s Solo Exhibits

Modern Expressionism, Fremont Starbucks, Seattle, WA. April 2005