Meet Caliay Pratt | Medical Coder and Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caliay Pratt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caliay, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Edward Weston said “Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for an unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual.” Every time I take a picture I think about that saying, I strive to find that “thing” that makes my pictures pop, that makes someone stop and say WOW!.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a photographer; I try and capture images that make people stop and say wow. Or make them feel something, that’s what art has always been for me. I started out with a very basic DSLR camera and just started snapping photos, and then I started taking classes and reading every photography book I could get my hands on. Then I graduated to a bigger Nikon D500, which we aptly call “the baby” in our house. And I’m still learning something new every day. I don’t know if it was easy to make the transition between hobby photographer and professional photographer, but it was nerve racking. I was, and still am, my biggest critic, but with each day I gain a little more confidence. I think that doubting myself and my abilities was my biggest challenge. I just had to get out there and do it and try new things, weather I failed or succeeded. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if not for my support system though. I think what sets me apart from others is probably my location. That sounds funny, but I am so privileged to live in rural Colorado where there is so much to photograph. We have so different types of animals and plants and ecosystems. I try and capture the beauty of rural Colorado, so much of it is still wild and that is what I want to share with people.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t live in Denver, but I will answer the questions as if a person were visiting me in Springfield Colorado where I currently live. I would have to take them to Baca Brew for some great coffee, maybe lunch at Main Street Bistro and Dinner at the Longhorn Cafe. All of the food options in Springfield are locally owned and everything is delicious.
I would take someone hiking into Picket Wire canyon. No one thinks of canyon systems when the visit the plains, but we have them! This is about a 12 mile hike in but at the bottom they have some of the largest Dino track site in North America. Tons of history in this canyon as well and wildlife.
If it’s wintertime then you can go check out the snow goose migration, if you have never seen one you should add it to your bucket list, it’s incredible.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My boyfriend, Zach, deserves a whole lot of credit in my story! He really helped me step out of my comfort zone and start trying different things. Without him I would have never taken the first step to sharing my photographs with the world. My Nana and my mom deserve credit also, they are my biggest supporters of my endeavors.
And a huge shoutout to Marc Silber for writing the book Advancing your Photography. I cannot recommend this book enough to people that want to create outstanding photographs.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PhotosbyCaliay?ref=profile_header

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosbycaliay/