Karen Pike Photography

ADOBE FLASH PLAYER 11.7 causing havoc with my slideshows!

Apr 25th, 2013

I’ve received several emails from clients and followers lately, telling me that they cant get the music to play on any of my blog slideshows. UGH!

After doing some research, I found out that Adobe has an active bug report listed on their site and they will hopefully fix the issue shortly.

So, while we wait for Adobe to fix Flash Player with a NEW update, the only option, if you are using version 11.7, is to revert to Flash Player 11.6, which you can download HERE.

Since I LOVE all of music I choose for my slideshows and I want everyone visiting my site to enjoy the shows synchronized to the music I pick, I encourage you all to revert to FLASH Player 11.6! The bug is not just messing with my slideshows, by the way. It is a apparently affecting a much larger base of flash users.

Sorry for the inconvenience but, as my daughter likes to say, “Put it in perspective; This is such a 1st world problem!”

Amen. Have a great day!

Posted in: FAQs, Photo Potpourri, video slideshows.
Tagged: adobe · flash player bug · slideshow problem

Iris’ Bat Mitzvah

Apr 20th, 2013

by kpikephoto.

2 comments

Iris celebrated her Bat Mitzvah two weeks ago at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, helping to lead the morning Shabbat service and beautifully chanting her haftarah. Her family and friends supported her on this day, by first attending the service and then, later, celebrating with her at a dinner reception held at the Sheraton in South Burlington.

Iris looked poised and beautiful, regardless of the purple cast that accessorized her outfit because of a broken leg. At least the color went nicely with Iris’ Tallit (prayer shawl), which belonged to her late mother, Laura Mann. Laura was warm and generous and loving and also the first nurse midwife in Vermont to assist in home birth deliveries. She was an extraordinary woman who’s life was cut way too short, in 2009, from Breast cancer. And as I photographed Iris on this day celebrating her glorious right of passage into Jewish adulthood, I smiled at the thought of how proud Laura would be of her lovely daughter.

The Saturday night party was a time for love and laughter, music and dancing. And while Iris had some difficulty maneuvering on the dance floor, she had no trouble being raised in a chair during the traditional Hora!

Whats a party without a cake! After the candle lighting ceremony, Iris’ friends (above) helped her blow out the candles.

I hope you enjoy this slideshow recapping Iris‘ celebration, to the song “DREAMS” by the Cranberries. (note: the slideshow is made in FLASH, so you cant see it on your IPHONE or IPAD. Please send all complaints to APPLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.)

-
If you’d like to see all of the pictures in Iris’ photo gallery, please click HERE (You’ll need to get the password from Iris or her family to enter).

.
Mazel Tov, Iris. I hope you always look back at this day with pride and joy. Your family and friends surely will.

Posted in: Bnai Mitzvah, Photo Potpourri.

Lyric Theater presents “OLIVER”

Apr 12th, 2013

by kpikephoto.

5 comments

Lyric Theater‘s OLIVER opened last night at the Flynn Theater and it was a truly magical night for both the audience and for the theater company. As the production photographer, it was joy to be in the audience and see the results of months of hard work by both cast and crew. The sets and costumes were gorgeous, hair and make up perfect, and the performances were practically Broadway worthy (in my opinion!)

BRAVO to artistic director Timothy Maynes, choreographer Kim Nowlan and music director Martin Hain for the work they did with this large and predominantly young cast.

Lyric Theatre Company is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization celebrating its 39th season. OLIVER‘s 55-member cast includes 32 local youth and teens from 17 Vermont communities; 26 cast are new to Lyric. Jonny Barden, below, played Oliver and he rocked the house!

Mr Bumble, below, was played by Jonny’s father, Tim Barden. Barden and Margaret Garofalo, as the widow Corney, perform, “I shall Scream”.

Mr and Mrs Sowerberry, played by Don O’Connell and Martha Alexander, take in Oliver to help in their undertaker’s shop. They stole the show with their song, That’s Your Funeral:

16-yr-old Timothy Lewis was the Artful Dodger, and was so good, he has replaced Jack Wild as my favorite little pick pocket!

Fagan’s gang show Oliver how to get the job done.

Below: Fagan (Patrick Clow), Bill Sykes (Mark Cranmer) and Nancy (Serena Magnan O’Connell) were all so powerful, it was hard to believe this was community theater!I’m a huge fan of all of their work!

There are hundreds of pictures to view on my Karen Pike Photography Facebook page, but the following slideshow will give you a taste of the show in just under four minutes, to the memorable act 1 song, “Consider Yourself At Home” (note: the slideshow is made in FLASH, so you cant see it on your IPHONE or IPAD. Please send all complaints to APPLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.)

-
I loved working with this amazing team, including Production supervisor Rob Parzych and stage manager Freda Tutt. Thank you all for letting me be a part of the Lyric Theater MAGIC!

If you want to see (or order reprints of) the hundreds of pictures I took of the production since the kickoff meeting last January, please click HERE

Posted in: Community Events, Photo Potpourri.
Tagged: theater

Debra and Michelle’s mud season wedding!

Apr 7th, 2013

by kpikephoto.

8 comments

They came from all the way from Texas to be legally married. Trading blue bonnets for bare trees, enduring non-direct flights & baggage restrictions, and arriving at the peak of Vermont’s mud season– all in the name of love and marriage equality!

Four years ago today, Vermont became the first state in the country to embrace Marriage equality via the legislative process. Since the law past, hundreds of couples have flocked to our Green Mountain state to share their vows and get that all-important marriage license that is still illegal in all but nine states and Washington D.C.

And on Friday, Debra and Michelle celebrated with their own Vermont wedding– on the bank of a stream, near a beautiful covered bridge and just a stone’s throw from Mount Philo. Not a bad setting, even in mud season!

And, even though it was mud season, Debra and Michelle were lucky enough to have the ceremony officiated by the wonderful Kathryn Blume. Kathryn is warm and giving, and she invited the couple to get ready at her Charlotte home and then helped Debra dress, tie and bustle! The creek, the covered bridge and the awesome weathered barn that we used for taking portraits were all part of the scenery near the house and Kathryn’s neighbor, Julie Almond of Caketopia Cakes, even made the AMAZING wedding cake (so YUMMY!). Talk about full service! Kathryn even dresses in the colors that match each couple she marries, so that she doesnt clash in pictures. I love that!

I really enjoyed the time I spent with Debra and Michelle, who were actually a referral from another of my favorite Texas couples, Brandi and Jennifer, married in Vermont last Fall. I’m thinking that Texas definitely has an active gay community and some very cool women. I’ve never been, but I guess I need to visit (during bluebonnet season, for sure!)

So beautiful.

So in love.

So fun,

and playful with each other.

And finally, the cutting of the cake,

and a toast to the happy couple.

“I do” really love my job.

Congratulations, Debra and Michelle, on your most cherished and very legal Vermont marriage. Now, let’s just wait and see what happens with DOMA.

Posted in: Photo Potpourri.

From Girls to Men: OLIVER cast members get a gender makeover!

Apr 7th, 2013

by kpikephoto.

No comments yet

Eight young female members of the cast of Lyric Theater‘s production of OLIVER, had their hair cut short Saturday, for their roles as boys from the workhouse and Fagin’s gang. They waited as long as possible, but with the show opening at the Flynn Theater Thursday night, it was time for them to begin their (theatrical) gender bending.

So, with family, friends and members of the production team cheering them on, the group arrived together at O’M Salon (owned by cast members Don Patrick O’Connell and Serena Magnan O’Connell) to meet the group of talented stylists who would help them transform into their male characters. They each decided to donate their “locks” to one of a handful of organizations: Locks of Love, Matter of Trust, Wigs for Kids, or Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

There was a lot of nervous laughter, a few tears, supportive hand-holding and group hugs, and in the end, the girls were all pleasantly pleased with their new moptops, pageboys and pixies.

Oliver runs from Thursday, April 11 through Sunday April 14 and tickets are on sale at the Flynn Box Office.

Posted in: Community Events, Photo Potpourri.

And baby makes 3

Apr 2nd, 2013

by kpikephoto.

2 comments

Families come in all flavors and this family is DELICIOUS! I don’t have the time to do blog posts from all of the family portrait sessions I shoot, but given that DOMA and PROP 8 went to the Supreme Court last week, it seems like a good opportunity to display these beautiful, loving portraits of a two-mom family.

I am fortunate to live in Vermont, a state that recognizes Marriage Equality and seems to really honor it. My wife and I were married in 2009, “upgraded”, as we like to say, from our “civil union” in 2002.

Of course, as a same-sex couple, we are still denied the 1,100 federal marriage benefits that our straight counterparts enjoy. DOMA clearly violates our “equal protection”, so the Supreme Court’s ruling on this issue is a hugely personal to me.

I can only hope that when you look at these portraits, you see a loving family– no different than any other family trying to do the best they can for each other, their child, their community and their country. love is love is love is love is love. (OK, soap box over)…

NOTE: If you want to learn more about the arguments presented to the Supreme Court on DOMA and PROP 8, I encourage you to read Paul Hogarth’s article on www.Huffington Post.com . It’s so clearly written and lays everything out in an easy to read way. Well worth the look.

Posted in: Portrait Sessions.

Peter and Lisa’s E session

Mar 31st, 2013

by kpikephoto.

2 comments

Peter and Lisa cozy up for a portrait session at Oakledge Beach in BUrlington, Vermont

Lisa and Peter are gearing up for their wedding in June, being held at one of my most favorite places in the world for an event, Mountain Meadows Lodge in Killington. I have blogged before about the super adorable Alice the pot-bellied pig, and how she and her fellow farm animals wander around the property during the cocktail hour at weddings so they can visit with guests.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to photographing Lisa and Peter’s upcoming nuptials and all the fun that is sure to be included in the celebration. This beautiful couple has been planning their Vermont destination wedding from their home in Bermuda. Actually, Peter is English and Lisa is from Texas, and their guests are coming from every direction to attend the ceremony. A highlight for me will be making pictures of Lisa and Peter on their wedding day, surrounded by their children, Lisa’s mother and Lisa’s 1-hr-old grand daughter- Four generations all together. Really, This is the kind of event that already has me grinning ear to ear, and it’s still two months away.

I was able to spend some time with Peter and Lisa on their recent trip to Vermont to meet with vendors. It was one of those rainy, but warm March days and after doing some portraits in the studio, the skies cleared so we headed down to the Burlington waterfront to do some gorgeous, romantic pictures.

The couple enjoys a warm March day at the Burlington Waterfront

On the way back to the studio, we stopped at one of my favorite haunts, Vintage Inspired Lifestyle Marketplace, one of the coolest of cool antique warehouses in Vermont. After poking around and exploring some great things, Peter presented his bride-to-be with the best souvenir! It perfectly completed the afternoon and we went back to the studio so Peter and Lisa could get on their way.

What an awesome find at Vintage Inspired near Karen’s studio.

-
I hope you enjoy Lisa and Peter‘s slideshow, accompanied by the sexy Lou Rawls and Dianne Reeves rendition of “At Last“: (note: the slideshow is made in FLASH, so you cant see it on your IPHONE or IPAD. Please send all complaints to APPLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.)

If you’d like to see all of the pictures from Peter and Lisa’s engagement portrait session, ask the couple for the secret gallery password and then click HERE

Posted in: E sessions, Photo Potpourri, video slideshows.
Tagged: engagement session · portraits · wedding

Jake & Allie’s E Session

Mar 24th, 2013

by kpikephoto.

1 comment

After almost two years engaged, Jake and Allie are finally getting married this May and I am thrilled to be the lucky photographer for this awesome and long awaited celebration.

I first met this super sweet couple in my role as “chick clicker”, photographing for the Green Mountain Derby Dames. Their neighbors “Bruise and Bot” were both Derby skaters and Jake and Allie were supportive fans, so I’d see them at every bout.

Recently, on a kinda-sorta-cold March Saturday, we spent a few hours together, and I got to know them better as a couple. We started at their apartment in Burlington, where they live with their dog and 2 cats and hundreds of books ( so many that their main book shelf reminded me of the Leaning Tower of Pisa!)

Animal crazy as I am, I had to keep my attention on the engaged couple, but I couldn’t help incorporating the furry babies into at least a few pictures…

We later visited a few of their favorite haunts–the waterfront, Fletcher Free library and Speeder and Earl’s on Pine Street, and I love the pictures I took of them along the way.

Here’s a totally fun slideshow recapping my afternoon with Jake and Allie, accompanied by the equally-as-fun tune, Uh Oh, I’m Falling , by Shelley Fraley. Since the slideshow is in FLASH, you’ll need to leave your IPAD and find a laptop so you can view it (sorry! Im working on it!!)
-

-
If you’d like to see all of the photos from Jake and Allie‘s E session, grab the secret password from the couple and THEN you can just click HERE

Posted in: E sessions, same sex wedding, video slideshows.

ONE Fashion Event 2013

Mar 11th, 2013
by kpikephoto.
3 comments

Once again, the place to be Saturday night was at Higher Ground for the annual “fashionista extraordinaire” that benefits the amazing kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington I have the joy and privilege of photographing this yearly feel good event and this was the best year yet, with both the club kids and the adult models and volunteers outdoing themselves in every area.

This is one of the major fundraising events of the year for the club and I try to help out in every way I can. I dont just shoot this for the annual report-I want to raise $$ for them! So enjoy the pictures and, know that All high res images are available through my website storefront and 100% of the proceeds from the $20 digital download sales go right to the Boys and Girls’ Club.

Enjoy the show and order your pictures! (sorry IPAD users, but the slideshow is in flash- quick, go find a computer so you can view it!)
-

-

To see all 600 plus images from this awesome event or order enlargements and digital downloads, click HERE

Posted in: Community Events.

Zaq’s Bar Mitzvah

Jan 2nd, 2013
by kpikephoto.
No comments yet

Zaq became a Bar Mitzvah on the morning of December 8th and then, later that evening, he celebrated both his coming of age in the Jewish Religion AND the first night of Hanukkah with a party at The Round Barn at Sleepy Hollow.

Zaq’s Hanukkah-themed party commemorated both joyous occasions with music, laughter and fun. From Latkes, dreidel and lighting the Menorah to dancing, sparklers and roasting marshmallows over a fire pit, there was something for everyone.

It was an amazing day for Zaq and his family and there are so many fun pictures that I’ll just let the images tell the story… Enjoy the slideshow-with some rockin’ music from Journey and Red Hot Chili Peppers (NOTE: THIS SLIDESHOW IS CREATED IN FLASH so it cannot be viewed on an iPad or iPhone. RUN as quick as you can and find a computer or laptop!!):

-
If you want to see all of the picture from Zaq’s celebratory day, please click HERE (but make sure you get the secret password from the family!)

Posted in: Bnai Mitzvah, video slideshows.

← Earlier Posts