Who We Are

Who We Are

Hi, there! I’m Carrie Pratt, and I’m a documentary-style wedding and portrait photographer based in Bowling Green, KY and in Tampa Bay, FL. Call me a “wedding photojournalist.”

I love photographing and filming weddings with my camera and capturing spontaneous moments that tell the story of the day. I’ve been fortunate to document sweet couples and families and tell their stories through moments that represent all the joys and emotions that come from a very important day in their lives.

I first fell in love with photography and storytelling as a photojournalism major at Western Kentucky University. My career in photojournalism has taken me all around the world reporting on major news stories for the St. Petersburg Times/Tampa Bay Times as a staff photographer and later a senior multimedia producer. I’ve had the opportunity as a photojournalist to cover many major events such as the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, the NCAA National Championships and along with other major news events. I also regularly covered the Florida State Seminoles and the Florida Gators.

I like to joke with my clients that learning to chase a quarterback has allowed me to learn to chase a bride around her entire day, stay out of her way, blend in and put her at ease. I also have a master’s degree in visual communications from Ohio University in the study of multimedia storytelling. A few years ago I decided to return to Kentucky with my family to take a job advising students at Western Kentucky University’s College Heights Herald. It’s truly the best of both worlds for me. I get to work with students at the place that helped me so much and shoot weddings and document families. I couldn’t be happier!

In my personal life, I’m married to a triathlon coach named Hank, who makes me laugh every day. When I’m not photographing weddings or portraits on the weekend, I can be found at many races shooting images of Hank’s clients and trying to keep my camera dry! In the rest of my free time, I keep busy with running, painting, playing tennis, soccer or novice coding in WordPress. We have a son, a daughter and a cat named Frankie, who we refer to as our other child. We actually think Frankie might secretly be a dog in cat’s clothing but the DNA test is still undetermined.

What does this all mean for my clients? It means I’m a seasoned wedding photojournalist, and I care about each couple who hires me. I am an international award-winning photographer for the Wedding Photojournalism Association. I am professionally trained, experienced, and a true wedding photojournalist. I have been working as a photojournalist for almost twenty years and bring the expertise of that craft to each wedding.

Email: simplybluestudios@gmail.com

Who We Are

Hello. My name is Chris. I’m married with two children, and I enjoy telling stories about love.

I’ve photographed weddings for more than six years and produced wedding videos for about 3 years. My style is documentary photojournalism, so I focus on capturing the important slice-of-life moments at weddings that tell your wedding day story. Some of my favorite moments: the bride who sang to her husband before their first dance, the father of the bride who was overcome with emotions during his wedding toast to the couple, the bride who courageously pushed her ailing father down the aisle during the ceremony’s procession, the groom who threw a football instead of the garter.

While I covered major stories in my career — National Conventions, major hurricanes, a Super Bowl, a World Series, and hurricanes —  I love capturing the quiet, intimate moments that celebrate humanity. I believe that video and photography are wonderful ways to capture the day so you can relive the memories years later.

My background makes me well-suited for weddings. I worked professionally as a photojournalist for about 15 years. I spent 12 at the Tampa Bay Times (formerly St. Petersburg Times), where I was an early pioneer of using video for the web. I continue to tell  video and photo stories for clients, such as the Visit Florida, Moffitt Cancer Center, BluePearl Veterinary Partners, Tampa Bay Times, the American Legion, and others. My work’s been recognized in competitions that include the regional Emmy’s, Pictures of the Year International, Best of Photojournalism, National Headliners, the Florida Society of News Editors, and more.