Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Bernice Parra.
Kristin Bernice, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Photography is not only a job that I love doing but also my artistic passion. I can remember loving everything about the medium all the way back to my childhood. My first film camera was a neon orange, teenage mutant ninja turtle, point and shoot that went everywhere that I went. Even then at such a young age, I knew the importance of capturing a moment in time, ‘The Decisive Moment.”
However, it wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I realized I wanted to follow in the footsteps of the women in my family and pursue a career in the arts. Under the guidance of my very encouraging Fine Arts Director, Mr. Harkema at Timothy Christian High School in Elmhurst, I learned the fundamentals of photography. Throughout my high school years, I won several Scholastic Awards and my thirst to master photographic excellence was so unquenchable that I often traded any free time that I had during the school day to leave campus and find new places to shoot or work in the darkroom, developing film and making prints. By my senior year, I had already taken every course available, so I signed up to study at a local college to take courses before I enrolled at Columbia College Chicago. Once accepted to Columbia, I knew that with technical guidance from one of the nation’s top Fine Art Colleges, my love for people, places, and things would result in images that were of the highest quality.
After I graduated with honors from Columbia, I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and started working for a local Fine Art wedding and portrait studio in my area. There, I was given real-life experience about the importance of telling a client’s story through photographs. Even today, I still think about many of the people that I met year after year as their lives transitioned and grew and I wonder what journey life has taken them on. Hopefully, we’ll have the chance to reconnect someday!
In the summer of 2008, I was asked to join the Cage and Aquarium team. By sharing many responsibilities at my previous studio, from editing and retouching to assisting and learning specialized shooting techniques, I became confident that I could be an asset to their budding company. I’m happy to say that our professional relationship has only grown stronger over the course of the decade.
Most of my work has been centered in Chicago – either in its many neighborhoods, downtown or the nearby suburbs. I love to travel and have made my way to southern Illinois where the sunsets are magnificent, to Michigan’s lovely vineyards, to the lush landscapes of Wisconsin as well as the majestic Colorado mountains and sprawling sandy beaches of Mexico. One of my closest friends is getting married in Boston, MA soon and I’m thrilled to be able to experience an East Coast wedding for the first time! Who wouldn’t want to expand their horizons and travel to your destination wedding?
Being a passionate photographer, however, is only part of my story. In 2017, I gained a new position meeting newly engaged couples for in-studio sales meetings as Shelley and Tyler expand their amazing company on the West Coast. I absolutely love that I now have the opportunity to meet couples in the first stages of wedding planning. My experience has taken me behind the scenes to so many different events between many diverse groups and locations. As a recent newlywed myself, I know wedding planning can be extremely challenging at times. Every detail has to fit together into a tapestry of beauty and joy. I love helping steer couple’s in the right direction by offering suggestions that can enhance the good times and avoid most complications. I’m always happy to suggest helpful ‘save the day’ tricks and tools of the trade.
Please tell us about Cage and Aquarium Productions.
Like my all-time favorite photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, I love capturing moments spontaneously, as they happen, as opposed to re-creating them afterward for the camera. To do that successfully, however, it takes a lot of energy, vision, and fortitude and I’m always up for a challenge! I absolutely love to take pictures, and I strive to capture every detail that I notice- even some that you may not even see yourself! Everything captures my attention- a beautiful wedding bouquet, the innocent smile of a flower girl at her first real wedding, the look on your grandparent’s face when they see you walk down the aisle, or that wild friend from college who has the best dance moves ever! It’s such an honor to be present at these special moments of happiness, love, and life.
My attention to detail especially comes in handy during a wedding day. Whether Grandma needs an easier location for family photos, a rambunctious nephew needs time to stop wiggling or we need to wait for the constantly tardy Aunt Jane to join us for a group photo, even difficult moments are treated with patience, respect, and ingenuity. I also believe that by paying special attention to crucial details- from photographic lighting and composition to expression and posturing, I’m able to help create a photographic experience that everyone will enjoy remembering for generations to come. Not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera (I’m certainly one of those people, which is why I stay behind the lens), so I definitely understand the need for direction and posing during specific moments. Should you need it, I aim to help you look as comfortable as possible during portraits and family photos. This is your day and everyone has the right to cherish every moment of the experience. After all, the photos will be around to prove it.
Photography is my full-time career, and when I’m not lead shooting Cage and Aquarium weddings on the weekends, I have clients of my own booking me to capture their families’ next big milestone or companies hiring me to take photos at their next big event. When you choose me as your photographer for any reason, I am committed to you 100%. Even if you don’t need my consultation or feedback, you can rest assured that I am behind the scenes keeping an eye on changes in the weather and scouting your locations for the perfect photographic opportunities. I have a knack for removing obstacles so that I can ensure that you are able to stay stress-free and actually enjoy your event.
Who am I when I am not spending my day as your photographer? I enjoy spending time with my friends and family trying new restaurants, visiting beautiful museums and conservatories and going to rock concerts. I have lived in the Chicagoland area my whole life and enjoy the variety each season brings. I go swimming any chance I can and I love really snowy days during the holiday season. I’m an avid animal lover and currently have three cats, Penelope, Gordon, and Steven who keep me entertained on a daily basis. I am an only child and I recently got married to my middle school sweetheart at the Morton Arboretum where we had the wedding of our dreams. I’m a very family oriented person and I love spending time with my mom and dad, and my husband, Raul. They are my best friends and I feel truly blessed to have people in my life who cherish me and support my love of the arts.
It’s such a privilege to be a part of each and every one of my couple’s lives for even a short moment in time. Thank you so much for reading this little snippet about my career. Whoever you choose, please know that you deserve to have all your dreams come true, and to have an excellent love-filled day celebrating your relationship. After all, it is the beginning of your brand new life, together!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Since I come from a fairly small family, weddings weren’t an event that I grew up attending. In fact, the only union that I had ever been to was at a small church ceremony and reception when I was a flower girl at my grandfather’s wedding at the age of 6 years old. I still remember fighting with my mom about putting the beautiful, but itchy, dress that she has picked out for me to wear that day! My photographic passion quickly extended to wedding photography at the end of the night of my first wedding with Cage and Aquarium. From the intricate design of a bride’s dress to the happy couple cheering with their loved ones on the dance floor, I experienced the thrill of capturing purposeful beauty at one of the most important events in a person’s lifetime. I was hooked!
Contact Info:
- Address: 935 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60622 - Website: http://www.cageandaquarium.com
- Phone: 312.725.2243
- Email: kristin@cageandaquarium.com
- Instagram: kristinbernicephoto
- Facebook: @kristinbernicephoto
- Twitter: @RageKaige
- Other: https://www.kristinbernicephotography.com
Image Credit:
Kristin Bernice Parra, Cage and Aquarium Productions
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
