charley star photo

FAMILY PORTRAITS: HALLWAY CAMPING + 14/52

we have three big hallways in our house. they get a lot of play.

as a kid, i remember shutting all the doors to make the hallway pitch black, and playing "space" or "rocket ship" or whatever else me and my sis's little imaginations could dream up.

so happy to see my three littles now doing the same. i found them like this one day, to my surprise, cuddled up in the hallway. they pleaded for me to shut the door 'cause i was "letting the light in!"  (that thing in satine's hand is a penguin flashlight.) i had to run get my camera before i ruined the moment for them.

i strive to get the kids (ahem, myself) out of the house most days to play and discover, but it's always so nice to have a relaxing day at home, and give them space to unfold into the day...

they usually create far better playtimes for themselves than i could ever dream up.

simple really. 

for hallways camping all they needed were

sleeping bags (or blankets) and some pillows
flashlight
balloon
books
and a daydream....

i mean, just look at navia, above, contemplating the whole world.... 

 

xxo

FAMILY PORTRAITS: 13/52

tini + navi:  mesmerized

my two girls...  

a rare moment of stillness and captivation....  

we save screen time for the weekends, and as you sat and watched our go-to-family-fave in the late-afternoon glow, i sat on the floor and watched you...   also mesmerized.

mr. keats in joyful exuberation

you simply cannot get enough of being thrown into the air.  

this week you are loving being thrown, your cow, and most of all, your toothbrush.

also, keats took his first 2 steps this week! not long before i'll be chasing you all over creation. oh wait, i'm already doing that. :)

HEY, YOU. STOP GROWING UP SO FAST.

hey, you. stop growing up so fast.

it's been 7 months since i last posted photos of you. though i take them quite frequently, i hardly have time to blog them.  but such is the pace of life today... with three, especially with you and your sister both being so young. life has been whirling by-- whirling! -- i can't stand it -- days whizzing by like bullets and me, observing all that you are and have become and i can't even believe my luck to get to be your mama.

sometimes, when i look at photos of you after you are asleep, my heart breaks into crackling fissures for all the new discoveries i find there in the photos, for fear that i missed them during the day when i was actually with you.  and then i will go and peer into your crib, see your rump in the air, knees tucked beneath you, and i'll reach down, squeeze your plump, squishy fingers with my finger tips, or rub your sack-o-potatoes back...

and for just a second, i'll be sad... sad in that my-heart's-so-full, motherly kind of way, sad that trying to take in all the details of your uniqueness and specialness is like trying to observe all of the stars-- you're bound to miss some. there's just So Much Good Stuff, and life is so full, and so fast, and i can't keep up, and there's three of you now, and, and, and..

I'm trying to absorb, to be present, and mirror back to you all that you are, and all the countless ways that i see you deeply and am on this ride with you, right here, right here with you.

so forgive me, little one, if i miss something.

now, you are talking. babbling, really, listening to your own voice, but i like to think that the other day in the crib you said your first word:  Mama.

MVI 7939 KEATS BABBLING from charleystar on Vimeo.

you are standing up really well on your own and attempted one (unassisted) step. your first. but you are making tracks down the hallway with your walker.

you grab everything. everything!  out of drawers. off tables. glasses off faces. anything you can get your hands on, you want to touch it, feel it, throw it, and sometimes even still, taste it.

you love to explore and you are superfast. and strong! and sometimes, when you're frustrated, you'll just THROW yourself in adorable exasperation, face down, onto the floor, palms slapping against the hardwood.

here you are lately:

your chubby cheeks and sometimes crazy eyebrow:

the wisps of your hair, which flare out on the sides:

your triumphant moves:

gleaming in the sun, that hair, again: 

your strawberry patch birthmark, about to be covered for good by your growing hair until at some future point you might decide to shave your head...

your smirk. the way your toe looks looks like a "thumbs up" symbol:

getting into, under, and behind everything:

and those eyes, which just kill me everytime...

your little chicklet teeth, which came in early at 4 months and have been non-stop ever since...

grabbing everything down,

pulling everything out:

your sweet li'l birthday suit:

(your dad thinks your smile is like Calvin's from Calvin and Hobbes, so we got out the book to compare.)

i love you, keats. every day. for the rest of my life. and then some.

thank you for coming into our family.

 

xxo

 

Portrait // Isabelle

 

 

 

Life Lessons from a Toddler

As I am striving to slow down, be present and soak in all of this time with my Littles, I find that I'm at my best when I follow her lead... when I stop the whirlwind of To-Do lists and mental clutter, and just be present.  My toddler does this so well, and everyday reminds me:

Slow down.
Be Present. 
Stop trying to do so much, but whatever you are doing, do it fully....
Then move on.
And when you are feeling overwhelmed, or tired, or 'hongy' (her word for hungry)?  

Simply grab an orange, sit on the floor, and take in the wonder outside your window.

I guarantee it will be the best moment of your day. 

xxo

WOO HOO I'M IN KINDERGARDEN!

big days around here... KINDERGARTEN officially starts this week! 

satine can't wait to be in "big school" and to have homework like the big kids do. (hate to disappoint her, but i don't think she'll have much homework in kindergarten, but hey, a girl can dream, right?) so we are winding down from Summer and ramping up for Fall. but one thing we're not ramping up for and that's "back to school shopping" for a new school wardrobe. which brings me to my point: 

one day over the summer satine was in this dress above. i bought it from here and it's been great, we've gotten a lot of life out of it.  she loves this dress-- it's her go-to.  and even though i bought it for a special ocassion, i love that she wears it wherever, whenever.  i'm not precious about it and neither is she. if i were, she'd only get to wear it once and then it'd be too small.  besides, there's something precious in itself --and awesome!-- about the dichotomy of her wearing a lovely, silky dress while collecting bugs, playing with catepillars, and doing cartwheels in the grass.  

but i digress.  so one day satine is wearing this dress and she announces, "hey mom! maybe i can wear this dress to the first day of school!  well, i said, probably not, because at your school they wear uniforms.

did you hear that people? uniforms. holy cuteness.

now, i confess that as a kid, i hated uniforms.  hated them in all their creativity-restricting-imprisonment. not that i wore them myself, i just looked with pity upon  those poor souls forced to wear them. oh foolish me.  i must have somehow missed those sweet peter pan collars, those awesome little jumpers, those knee high socks that just scream childhood. i seriously can't stop oohing and aahing at the sweetness of it. 

if i can get satine to sit still long enough for a photo, i'll try to post a pic of the uniform after school starts. but for now, here's to dressing up!

 

KEATON, 3 MONTHS

Oh, little one, you've charmed us with your ways...

you are strong now, and you are drooling! you can flip over now and love your tummy time.

you wake up with a smile, a coo, and a laugh every morning... and i love that your happy little face is the first thing i see when i awake.

you are starting to look more and more like your daddy. i think he's pretty stoked about that, and with your handsome li'l face who can blame him?

your sisters absolutely adore you, as do i.  although navia doesn't know the strength of her hugs, and she's made you cry more than a few times with her, um, love pats. sorry about that.  

navia has dubbed you:  "Bah-yeee" (her attempt at "buddy").  it's so cute how she says it, that we all call you that now. Bahyee.    

thank you for coming into our little family.  can't imagine me without you.

 

some self portraits of me and keats...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MY LIFE IN A INSTAGRAM (april/may)

been a while since i've gone through my IG pics... life is so full, and so superfast for everyone these days that it's hard to get the full impact of the amazingness of a life, all of these wonderful moments, except for in reflection. anyone else feel like that? like, you know it's pretty cool, this moment you're living in...  maybe it measures a 6 on a 1-10 scale.  but in reflection, it's somehow become a 10.5 moment. i dunno, maybe that's just me. but that's why i love looking back on all these pictures... so that i can more fully feel that tenderness, that sweetness, that beauty and joy of life. soak it in a little more fully... (except that my littles are growing up so fast it make me wanna cry! sniff sniff!)

i think most of these are from end of april/may, starting from when Keats came home. and if it weren't for having a camera in my back pocket (the one on my phone) i would've probably forgotten these already. sigh. thank you iphone.

hope you are having a good week!

xxo

FROM NEW SERIES I'M WORKING ON... // sneak peek

my life in an Insta-gram

one of the downsides about working as a photographer, is that i hardly ever want to pull out my "big camera," (as it's become known around my house) to take photos of my own life when we're just hanging out. and isnt' that when the best photo ops occur?  as soon as that black beast is in my hands, i'm in "work" mode  and out of the moment that inspired me to want to take the photo in the first place.

thank goodness for iPhone + Instagram. 

here are some highlights from the past month or so:

- satine lost her first tooth -- and a second one 2 days later!  
- the bun in the oven is cooking away. i'm 32 weeks now.
- navia grace is 15 months, more and more engaged and alert and curious with wonder about every. single. thing. and such a sweetpea. 

are you on Instagram? come find me & say hello. my username is:  charleystar
Let's connect! 

LIVE IT UP // happy weekend { kids portrait }

 

It's a holiday weekend-- live it up & get crazy!

many of my friends will be heading off to WPPI, but i'll be home nursing my fast-growing baby bump and partying with my Littles...

whatever the weekend brings you, hope you enjoy!

xxo

 

 

DON'T FORGET TO DREAM // kids + family session

be quiet, and learn the whispers of your soul... 
for that's where dreams are born.

 

 

 

 

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that goes for you too, dreamer.  

for ME, too, i should say... been feelin a little out of sorts lately. 

think i need some quiet time to stare off into the mist, to listen to the silence and reconnect to those quiet stirrings inside that make me feel centered, purposeful and on track.

hopefully that's just what the weekend will bring.

hope you are enjoying your day.

xxo

 

 

kid portaits // client shout out // small shop

Huh? What's that you say? Small Shop?!?

Yep, that's right. our client Sage Raval has started the most phenom art experience for kids:  Small Shop. something i wish i'd had when i was a a kid.

you see, even when i was a freshy in college trying to find my peeps in this strange new world, i'd wonder around campus feeling like the outsider i was, and then I'd spot some cool kids hangin out, and i'd think, "who are they? they're so cool and interesting looking, i wanna hang out with them. i wanna BE them... those are my peeps!"  (see, total loser-freshmen vibe, but that's seriously the way i felt.) well turns out those peeps were the art students.  the cool kids, in my book.

i never had any formal training in art -- i'm a DIY girl in that department.  but if i had one do-over or parallel life to live, i'd go to art school! Fun, right?! i'd learn how to draw and paint and do sculpture and screen printing and and and and...   i mean, doesn't everyone need to know how to draw beyond stick figures? besides, you could kill in Pictionary! 

well, now that i'm all growed up with kids of my own... it turns out i have now found my way into the visual arts through photography, and graphic design before that... but i still wish i could take formal art lessons. art is just cool. 

But ya know what's even cooler?
Private art lessons.
In your home.
For your kids! (ok, you can probably hover if you want and pick up a trick or two). But seriously, no driving? no hauling my Smalls into their car seats and fighting traffic and rushing to get back home in time for dinner? Sold already.

That's what Small Shop offers.  They will send a fine artist out to your home for individual or small-group art lessons for workshops, special events, or on-going weekly lessons. 

Small Shop was founded by our client Sage Raval. She's uber-awesome, and an amazing artist herself.  Check it out.

and so fun seeing some kids portraits by yours truly up on the site here and here.

more info here.

 

 

 

 

perfect days look a li'l something like this

remember when you were a kid and you could spend hours upon hours at the seashore?  perfect days, right?

if you're trying to reach me, i'm out of town for a little bit, doing exactly that...watching my daughter chasing waves, running from waves, and letting the sand fall though our fingertips...

 

hope you are enjoying + and soaking up the last days of summer.

 

xxo

 

 

Believe! // sneak peek Leigh's Birthday

...because what goes better with Summer than birthdays and magical thinking?

Happy summer everyone!

(and Happy Birthday Leigh!)

xxo

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Summer everyone!

a li'l bit of sugar // sneak peek Rome's 1st Bday

Oh Rome, you little drop of sugar, you.... 

happy birthday.
happy year.
happy life.

so glad i was there to capture your first birthday. thanks for staring at me with your big blues and melting my heart.

more to come....

 

xxo

sleep softly, sugarplum /// los angeles newborn photography

good night, sweet lamb, good night

 

xxo

Friendship /// The Sleepover {second place winner}

The Sleepover

 

a couple of months ago, satine's friend, ocean, came for a sleepover.  when it was time for bed, i asked them if they wanted to sleep together in satine's bed, or if I should make a pallet on the floor for ocean to sleep in so they could both have their own 'bed.'  they both insisted on sleeping together in satine's toddler bed.

after the requisite talking and giggling from behind the closed door had died down and i'd heard nothing but silence for a sufficient amount of time, i tiptoed in to check on them... and quickly scurried out to go grab my camera! take a look at that sweet tenderness i found-- it was too precious not to capture!

when i learned that the uber-talented duo, deb and leah, of wallflower friends, were holding a photo contest with a FRIENDSHIP theme, i immediately went to find these yet-to-be-edited photos, and got to work so that i could submit to the contest (and hopefully win myself a new lensbaby to replace my recently broken one). :)

and... YAY, my image won second place! ;) 

thanks deb and leah!

*

ps.  if you are a photographer that has been thinking about attending a workshop... if you are looking for some inspiration and creative rejuvenation, check out deb and leah's wallflower friends retreat!  these two ladies create beautiful, beautiful images, so i can only imagine that their workshop will be full of inspiration and creative juiciness! i think there is only a day or two to register for their winter retreat, so hurry! check it here.

xxo

home life /// the sunday sessions

sunday mornings.

snuggling in.

home life.

something about these three things together rate as one of my all time favorite things.  in the early morning light, my daughter comes crawling into bed with us, squeezing and squirming her way in between me and her dad (and now her sister, too), finding her rightful place in this family dynamic. with eyes still closed, my arms reach out and guide her into the snuggle fest.  tired as i may be, especially now with the nighttime nursing marathon, i know that these are those times... the times when memories are being formed... the times that, when they're grown, i'll remember with such sentiment that it'll bring me to tears i'll cherish it so.

and as i lay there absorbing all this amazingness that is my family -- as im sure you feel about your family -- i hugged and snuggled my daughters, and my husband, and i rejoiced in their glow, and i willed myself to open my eyes, and put my feet on the floor, and go grab my camera...

so that i wouldn't forget.

so that i wouldn't take for granted the specialness of this time:

the beginning bonds of sisterhood...

the curl of her body...

the sleepy, tired, handsome face of my husband...



the complexity of this child that i discover anew each day...

and the discoveries awaiting me in this one...


i reached for my camera so that i could fall in love again and again and again....

and could forever cherish the landscape of her face

and the joy de vivre beaming from hers....

and her dirty feet and goofy smile and her delicious heart and her pride at being a sister... and the angelic Navia who makes my heart burst from tenderness...

i reached for my camera so i could discover the new dynamic of my family... and because it was warm beneath the covers, and it was sunday morning, and the light was coming in just so....  and i knew in 2 months, or 2 years, or 2 decades, i would need to remember this particular morning on this particular day during this particular time.

xxo

 

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* T H E  S U N D A Y  S E S S I O N S *

i n t i m a t e  f a m i l y  p o r t r a i t s

N O W  B O O K I N G   A P P O I N T M E N T S  F O R   J A N U A R Y .

CALL OR EMAIL FOR DETAILS.

213. 278. 9656 /// hello@charleystarphoto.com

a dream /// raval family portrait session

 

*

sometimes
you just get it right.

sage + manish get it right.

the love
the fun
the perfect-together-ness
the kids
the life
the music, the art
the heart
the dream...

xxo

today's photo /// satine

why i love my job.

some people, you just click with.
some days, you're just on your game.
and some days, the stars collide, and magic happens on a shoot.

it's the third element, almost, where something else takes over beyond your logical mind.  it's like in acting (my first career), when you are no longer conscious of the fact that you are you, the actor, or even you, the character.  you just ARE. you're there, and you're there on the stage or in the scene in the moment, living a life.  It's a fleeting feeling, and one that actors constantly chase for it's exhilaration and effectiveness in performance.  It's simultaneously total abandonment, and yet, whole-hearted present-ness.

i am still chasing this feeling. sometimes through spiritual realms, sometimes through my daughter, or laughter, or my husband or friendships. but mostly, through some sort of art or creativity on my part.   and since photography has been my primary tool of late, it is now primarily through photography. The actress Juliette Binoche, i believe it was, was once asked how it was that she was able to so convincingly and movingly play her role.  She said (and i paraphrase), "It's not me. It's as if, something comes through me. My job is just to allow it." A voice teacher drilled into me, "Get out of your own way!" Another: "Stop holding on to it, Megan! ("it" being the thought/feeling)... all incredible credos not only for acting, but for any artistic endeavor, and most importantly, for life in general.  Get out of your own way. Stop holding on. Live in the moment. ... and when the muse strikes, allow it.

On the day I shot Samantha and her lovely mom, Tiffany, i think this third element, this muse, was at play.  and as much as i'd like to think that any great picture i take is all due to my own phtographic brilliance :),  i know that in fact, for me, it feels more like something moving through me. something happening in front of me... and if i'm lucky, i'm able to show up with some modicum of technical expertise to know what to do with the camera in order to record it... and then just get out of my own way so i can  truly see and nurture the magic.

On this day, the magic was called Samantha. we played, i got out of my own way, and this is what we created...

 

see the full slideshow here.

thanks tiffany and samantha.

xxo,

charley*star

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.

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! **