Ashly Stohl Captures Super Hero Son

Photographer Ashly Stohl, best known for her images of skateboarders in Southern California and Cuba, recently started photographing her Darth Vader-obsessed son Charlie, a.k.a. “Charth Vader,” and posting the images on Instagram (@thereal charthvader) and on Tumblr (charth-vader.tumblr.com). 

Photo © Ashly Stohl

The series has really taken off and is now in the process of being published in book form, with the profits being donated to the Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. I recently asked Stohl how the “Charth Vader” project took shape. 

“Charlie is my third and youngest child, the baby of the family,” Stohl explains. “He’s sweet and funny and lighthearted, and has always been obsessed with the Star Wars Darth Vader character—it’s a way for him to express his dark side.” 

Stohl adds that Charlie has a condition called ocular albinism, which means that even with glasses, his vision is limited. “Things that are simple for others can be difficult for him. Like Charlie, Charth Vader is constantly frustrated by how little power he has. He is willing to use his Jedi powers to get what he wants. I think Charlie is going to need that kind of persistence in life—hopefully for good, not evil.”

While Stohl started taking these pictures for fun and as a departure from her more known work, she says they have rapidly taken on a life of their own. “Now we take a mask with us and shoot as we are going about our daily lives,” she says. “I let Charlie art direct since he comes up with things I could never think of. That’s the beauty of a child’s imagination!” 

To see more of the Charth Vader series, visit Stohl’s website.