charley star photo

the refreshingly not over-designed wedding. (sneak peak)

in a day where gorgeous, swoon-producing wedding & event design is everywhere, and seems more accessible than ever, where even a DIY approach can yield magazine-quality results, it is easy to get caught up in design enthusiasm.

and i love it when it's done in a way that seems effortless, in a way where the design does not seem superimposed upon the event, but rather, seems to be rising up from within it, as a perfect expression -- and elevation -- of each individual element (the location, the flowers, the layout, the colors, the graphics, the everything).

but often i see events that are over-designed and heavy-handed.  it seems that the elements are not a natural fit for the environment, there is no subtlety or nuance, and individual design elements get lost in a big conglomeration of DESIGN FLUFF, rather than allowing each element to sing it's own unique note in a beautifully harmonized aesthetic. not to mention that great design is practical, too. form + function = good design, and all that.

so it was incredibly refreshing that my AWESOME CLIENTS (more about them in the full post to come, but seriously, loved them! love you matt + kara if you are reading this!) did not over-design, which allowed their beautiful location to sing it's lovesong in all it's glory. granted, they got married in a very inspired location in beautiful carmel. check it out here (and i do just want to note that if you check out the website, go under events--you will see another wedding at this location, photographed by max wanger whose work is always inspired and inspiring). matt + kara said 'i do' under a blanket of fog and trees.  no archway of flowers or anything -- just them, the trees, their family and friends, and a sprinkling of flower petals by the flower girls... 

so beautiful and sophisticated in it's simplicity!

this was really a great wedding to be a part of, wonderful textures and the cool of fall, awesome couple, great guests, amazing carmel location, and i got to work it with my awesome hubby!

here is a small sneak peak of their wedding. i wanted to show some of the textures, and a little mystery peek at the couple. can't wait to post the photos we took in the woods.  man.  gorgeous woods. i want more woodsy weddings!
 
 


 

 

 

thoughts about my daughter.

(click to enlarge)

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THINGS I WANT TO TEACH MY DAUGHTER.
   these are the things that come to mind now.

* believe in magic.

* dream big.

* courage.

* honesty.

* be kind.

* trust yourself. respect too. discipline. fun.

* know God. there is no other version other than "your version," because that's the only one whose whispers you can hear. listen.

* let your Soul live it's journey. get out of your own way.

* live from the Heart.

(i'm sure tomorrow there will be a new list.)

 

PICS FROM SATINE'S PARTY

it's hard to take pictures at your own party... but i did manage to get a few keepers, mostly in the beginning when only a few people were there...  was so good to see all our friends who came out. thanks for making the day special for satine. (and me! :) )

 

oh, lindsey.

i have been working on album designs from this and this event, and so i thought i would post some images that i have been lingering over that never made it to the blog...  i'm loving the intensity little lindsey's throwing at the lens here, contrasted by the warm smile of her beautiful mom...



diptych or triptych of this li'l pirate?

 

and this, below, was taken of me by Matt Cali who was my 2nd shooter that day, and perfectly captures why i love my job. :)

happy weekend everyone, and happy halloween...  and to matt + kara who are so patiently awaiting your sneak peak from their gorgeous carmel wedding, pics are coming soon i promise! ;)

xxo

girl on the beach.

learning to see.

Satine with Ball

my life has been so unbalanced lately, no rest time, no rejuvenation time, no reflection time.  i feel i've stopped seeing, i've stopped soaking in the moments. work has been great and steady, which i'm grateful for, but has completely taken over my life -- not just my work time, but what former downtime i've had.. for this and other reasons, myself and my marriage has taken a hit.  we've had no time for each other. i've had no time for myself.  we're stressed and overworked.  we have to take time to care for ourselves and each other. 

it's been hard, but we are finding our way and stepping forward with a new understanding, a new gentleness, a better care, and a stronger vision. the balance is coming... but when i am in that space sometimes, in the rapture + struggle of my drama, i will happen upon a moment that stops me in my tracks, that breaks my internal boiling reverie (which is where i've been lately, churning it over, working it out, holding on and getting hard and sinking into a space i didn't really want to be but couldn't find the way out when there are other parties involved) and demands that i put down my baggage, tuck my sad sap story of hurt away, and choose once again to be in awe of what i have, these small treasures of living, to let it go, to take life on all of its messy wonderful intriguing complicated fronts and begin to see again, to find the richness of the moment, to trust -- in myself, in the moment, in each other, to trust that all this internal churning i've been doing lately is a sort of spiritual skin-shedding, a re-processing, a way to keep equilibrium, and Authenticity.

breathe deep, and the moment will save you. if i truly see, if i really discover, and awaken to that one small moment of wonder and awe right in front of me.... everything unnecessary  melts away and all i am left with is all that i need. not the anger. not the stress. not the hurt. it can change my perspective in an instant, and i can reconstruct my story. it's like i've learned to see again. satine is the one thing to always do this for me, to lead me back to the path...

(the image above is from a new Satine series i'm working on.)

and this, the brilliance of bedtime now:  she tells me stories, every night, after i read to her.

here, a monster burps up a little girl.

Download 20090916_8 47 PM_satine tells story once upon a time monster burps lil girl

and here, satine sings in the bath.

Download 20090925 200446_satine sings in bath

this makes me happy.

this little gem of love was pure preciousness to soothe my soul today...
thank you, luke prins flexner + welcome to the world!  xxo

*

{newborn shoots are one of my faves (!) and are best done within the first week. so if you're a preggy momma wanting to have photos taken when your li'l nugget is born, contact me to pencil in your date.  :)   }

congrats, trish + matt! :::: santa monica wedding photography

getting ready venue: Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey
ceremony/reception venue: BelAir Bay Club
Wedding Coordination/Design: Amber Events
Florals:  Flower Fusion
DJ:  DJ Nahchey of Dash Entertainment

bouquet

 

... coming soon:  trish + matt's wedding....

Children. Childhood. Portraits.

last week i had the pleasure of photographing a kid's birthday party for Lindsey, who was turning 4.  Her adorable mom threw her a mom-n-daughter party at chi nail bar + organic salon. the kids got hello kitty (and kid & eco friendly) mani's and pedis, while the moms got to do the same, only while sipping cocktails instead of fruit smoothies. to complete the dress-up fun, the kids'-- and at least one spunky, beautiful elder's-- hair was decorated with braids, beads, sparkly glitter and colored spray.  throw in some delish cake, smoothies, pizza, and a few cocktails for the moms, and you've got yourself a full-blown birthday bash!

somewhere between the nail painting, the glitter, the cake, and the hair braids -- and the rambunctious, delightful hopping from one station to the next -- i aimed to find  those magical camera-connections...   and i was reminded all over again to what drew me into photography in the first place:  the magic and mystery and intrigue and wonder of CHILDREN. seriously, could photograph them forever.

here's just a little taste of what i found... hope you enjoy.

xxo,
charleystar

(usually for events, i will do more of a storyboard blog post, a photographic progression of the event. but i was so drawn into these little darlings, i had to show you this small sampling of children's portraits from the day.}

** Happy Birthday Lindsey! **

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utterly Engaged

i'm honored that my photos from Kevin & Paige's wedding are featured on the fabulous wedding e-zine, Utterly Engaged. this site is my new fave, and not just because i'm featured here. :)  U.E. offers tons of inspiration for the "budget savvy brides with style."  check it out here.

melissa celebrates!

______________________________________________________________________________

happy birthday melissa!
thank you for a fabulous and lovely evening as you rang in your birthday. it was so much fun being there to capture it all and working on your images afterward. kudos to the Ambassador of Fun, Paige, of Bash Eco Events for making it all happen with spot-on event design + coordination, and to stephanie of seed for the fabulous florals.  dash entertainment kept everyone moving with tunes that covered the decades.  moonlight and sound of the waves were compliments of the jonathan beach club, and, well, God.  :)

xxo.

summer nights.

from the project i'm editing now... sneak peak coming soon.

 

K+P GET HITCHED!

cong

coming soon / sneak peak.

i know P+K are dying to see some of their photos...  i was going to wait until i was finished editing to do a blog post, but since it's going to take some time to finish editing,  thought i'd give them this little teaser.... just a 'lil hint of what's to come.

xxo.

rise up.

i'm really really behind on blog posts, but there's one i've been meaning to do for a while, and since they are having a sample sale tomorrow, i knew it was now or never...  a while back i was lucky enough to be asked to shoot the men's line for the amazing California Rising. California Rising's pieces are seriously the most comfortable thing you will ever put on your body. it is all organic, super-soft, sexy-comfy luxurious sportswear.  trust me when i say that once you put these clothes on, you will NEVER want to take them off -- they're that comfortable. these are truly clothes you can live in... for days! and their hats are great, too. on top of that, jules and josh who run/own the company, are incredible!

here are some of the outtakes and a couple of photos below, or check out the full line here. 

 

and of course... the kids, who came in at the tail end so of course i had to snap some shots :)

>>if you happen to be in LA, they are having a sample sale tomorrow (Friday 6/26). run.  details here.<<

visit online here.
women's line here.

xxo.

childhood.

K + P... continued

k + p .... a love story.

satine now.

celebrating gabby.

every event has a story. here is gabby's:

 



 




 

happy birthday gabby!

xxo,

charley star

{farmer's market made with love artisinal catering by renaissance mama}

baby arianna.

i'm saving most of the better ones to surprise mom, but here is a sneak peak of my shoot with baby Arianna.
welcome to the world, wee one... just look at those little dangling legs... and that sweet face...

so sweet:

her lovely sis whom i had the pleasure of shooting last summer. i can't believe how big she is now!

 

and lovely Mom

the required compression of photos for the blog really dilutes the photo (i gotta change blog platforms), but not of lil baby arianna, or this lovely family. i'm so glad when i get to see a family grow from 1 child to 2... and up.  big congrats, Mom!

xxo

into the blur

i am loving the ethereal, poetic feel of a soft focus portrait...  i've been trying to capture it more and more in my photo shoots, the mood and feeling it adds to an image... especially with children, who are so frequently photographed in these neon-happy, boosted-to-florescent-never-to-be-seen-in-nature colors.  not that there isn't a place for that, there is... but if that is all we capture i think we are missing something. something deeper and more quiet, more truthful somehow -- or at least as equally truthful--  and therefore deserves to be captured, framed, and hung on our walls as accurate representations of our children to help us see and remember them them for who they really are.

Portraits, photographs, are like memories... often, we remember things/people/experiences as feelings more so than we do the actual details of it.   I think about my trip to Barcelona with Nahchey. "Oh that trip to Spain was great!" -- and this whole... feeling... washes over me. I think of an old friend i love but haven't seen in a while:  it's the feeling, the essence, of her that hits me first.  Then, the details of her physicality  slip into my head secondly.  i guess that's what i'm trying to capture in my soft focus portraiture-- to capture the emotion or essence of a person, a time... and then, secondly, the details of their physicality.  it is a heightening, an extraction, of the moment, and freezing it there.  i guess that's what i like about it.

what do you think? if you click on the images below, you can enlarge them enough to study them better.  or take your own portraits, one soft, one in focus-- and see how the soft-focus one has a new layer of identity, or a tweaking of the reality transposed upon it that may not be there in the in-focus shot.

(click to enlarge images)

*

the above images were taken from:

the last trunkshow, a traveling, intimate shopping experience of the most beautiful collection
of luxury organic goods.  Trunkshow was founded by this lovely lady and this lovely lady; and was pulled together by the amazing paige of bash eco events.

more info here
and here.

if you're in santa monica on sunday, come check out the organic glow show!

 

and if you have children, bring them. i'll be there taking photos, and if i happen to click a few of your little buttercup, i'll be sending complimentary digital copies like i did here    (takes a sec to download, and then should start to play automatically).

email me if you plan to stop by. :)

TRUNKSHOW.  THE ORGANIC GLOW SHOW
chocolate sun
137 bay street
santa monica
mar 1, 2009
noon - four

cheers~

be mine, valentine

Satiney Valentine

(click any to enlarge)

*

and one of my fave from the incomparable pablo neruda:

Love Sonett XVII

I do not love you as if you were a salt rose, or topaz
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
So I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

*

happy valentine's day everyone... wishing your heart love....

xxo

INDEPENDENCE.

all the ways to love a belly

goofy
serious
sexy
playful
bursting with color,
or b&w or sepia.
grainy
or sharp
with puppy love, pappa love or just mom by herself.

i swear, a prego belly is gorgeous. Gorgeous! isn't it?!  the shot of jenn's belly below shows you what i'm talking about.
i shot the amazing jenn + tom just before the holidays but, because we left so early, didn't have time to post them until now... Jennifer looks so beautiful pregnant, and tom, well, you look pretty great, too, as a pops-to-be!  now their little munchkin is already a few weeks old, but i hope these photos will serve as great memories for you...

xxo

embracing (and capturing) it all

now that the holidays are upon us, i keep hearing more and more talk, especially with the economy this year, about giving gifts of value -- real value.  then yesterday, as i was finishing up some photo editing, i received this link from parenting perspectives about how to give our *kids* gifts that really matter:  downtime, the gift of struggle, of rules and limits, of disappointment, and empathy.... gifts that help children develop coping skills, self confidence and self esteem.

which, i realized, is one of the reasons i was being drawn over and over again to these photographs:

i love how gentle and present laura and jack are with their daughter in these photos above....

images of upset children are not typically the images parents think of when they hire me to photograph their children. but as a family & children's lifestyle photographer, i want to expand what parents may think of as a "good" portrait of their children/family.  i want to include the tears and the dirt and the tantrums,  as well as the smiles and laughter.  i want moments that are real and raw, family portraits that feel genuine and dynamic, that tell a story of who this gathering of people is, and how they live and play together.  

ever since i had my daughter, i have found it beautiful when she cries.  there is something so honest and powerful about children's emotions, before they learn to hold back, control or hide them...  and then just as quickly, the emotion morphs.  rage becomes a contagious joyful giggling.  no hanging on, no festering. (it's no wonder that so many of my acting teachers over the years have referred to children as a model to emulate when handling emotions.)

so when i see photos of these moments of children, with their parents holding or gently guiding them, being present with them in the face of whatever frustration/disappointment... i am reminded of what a gift this is for parents to give their child, to help them develop coping mechanisms to deal with disappointment, and to help them become the kind of adults who can handle and be present for another's pain or emotional intensity.  this is huge.

laura is a friend of mine i met through Mom's Club when satine was just a few months old.  Her oldest daughter, shelby, is about the same age as satine, so we've shared our kids growing from babes into toddlers. Laura just had her second baby, brooke.... 

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the lovely little brooke:

 

 

 

 

*

thanks, laura + jack, for letting me share the morning with you and spend time with your beautiful family!

xxo

 

family.

every now and then you have a photo shoot where everything aligns, and somehow all the muses strike at once and i'm able to capture something transcendent, something i don't even completely realize until i start editing the photos later.   that's the way i feel about these pictures...  that the beautiful Heyari family becomes in these photos the epitome of "FAMILY" -- beautiful, young, loving, blessed family.... that michaeline, the lovely mom, becomes somehow "every mom" in new love with her child...  that's what i see here, and i hope these photos will always remind michaeline of these precious moments.... her handsome husband, nate, so loving toward them both, with the confident fragility of a new father at the beginning of his journey with his son....  and precious little ollie, with your big big eyes and curious smile... i hope you will look back upon these pictures and see how the malibu sun flared for you this day, and may the love of family always envelop you.

thank you, michaeline and nate, for letting me in to your beautiful circle.  ollie is a treasure, and he is blessed to have you two to guide him through his life.

xxo
charley * star

three's a charm

the other week, i had the pleasure of getting out of LA...  I headed up to Portland, OR for a photoshoot.  The weather was beautiful.  Finally! A real taste of Fall.  Crisp breeze, refreshing rain and autumn leaves so fluorescent they looked unnatural... it was just what i needed.

And then i met Isaac, Dylan, and Levy, three of the most awesome kids, and their parents Katie and Spero.  I had so much fun (!) spending the morning with this lovely family, getting glimpses into each of their personalities, then trying to capture another side of them, and another, and another....  they had such a beautiful dynamic, this family; and each of the kids had their own distinct personality. 

Whenever i do a shoot, I like to spend time photographing all of the family together {i'm not showing most of those, as real estate below is given to the children. sorry mom + dad :) }, and then with all of the children together, without mom and dad if possible, and then one-on-one time with each of the kids.  this way i feel i get to capture them in different group dynamics and also get to spend time with them individually.   i gotta tell ya, these pics don't even do them justice. there were so many selects, that even here on the blog i'm showing you more than usual.

i'm realizing more and more how much i love family and children's photograhy. with each shoot i feel that i am glimpsing into magic. and this is no credit to me or my photography, certainly not. all credit goes to the children i am blessed to spend time with, and i am there merely to document it.... and if i've done my job well, to perhaps give the family a tangible product of the transient, poetic, magical moments of childhood.

thanks Katie & Spero, and  dylan, isaac, and levy:  it was a such a pleasure meeting, photographing, and hanging out with you!  here's just a little teaser from our photoshoot....

xxo,

charleystar

a walk on the beach.

my favorite lifestyle shoots

are those i am actually, well, living!  just like cooking for family and friends is always better, photographing those you love is just so so fun. there's an ease, especially when it's packaged in a 2 day camping trip of good company, great food, a 2 minute walk to the beach, my sis's birthday... music... campfire...   need i say more?   here's a few highlights from team kee weekend:

tbone on gee-tar

satine and her new bff, ocean

ocean love

just like her father

twender cool

libs and the bean

 

lovely libs

and the beautiful kee. i wanted some birthday photos of my sis, so we went for a little walk, talk, sisterly bonding, and she indulged me by letting me snap some photos.   it's a great new location, too-- minus the mosquitos.

 

 

   

 

 

thanks kee! it was a great weekend.

big love~

coming soon

 ... photos from my amazing shoot with the lovely lovely mom to be, silvi. but in the meantime, i thought i would post these lil teasers today in honor of your baby shower! 

 

 






 

sleep while you can...

x.

charley

priya

... a wonderful time behind the lens looking at this little valentine!~

 

Priya Valentine, 6 mos.

xxo.

charley