As a certified school librarian, stories have been my life. Through my photography, I'm able to tell some of the very best stories. 

My name is Cricket Pratt. I was born and raised in the hills of East Tennessee. My father gave me my first camera when I was 10 years old. He had a love of photography that he passed on to me. (That's Dad in the bottom photo with my two brothers and myself.) In 1982, he coached me in taking the shot you see below, of 2 World Trade Center (South Tower) in New York City. 

At the time, it was just a travel photo, something to remember that I'd been there; only a short sentence in the tale of my life. But like with all good stories, a tiny, little detail became more significant. On September 11, 2001, that photo, long forgotten, suddenly meant so much more to me. It said that I had been there when it still stood gleaming in the sun, a symbol of strength and wealth, in all its glory, long before the destruction of hate and evil turned it into a burning pile of rubble.

And what about that photo on the left, with my dad and two brothers? It was taken by my mom on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1978. (Notice the camera around Dad's neck.) Check out my stud brothers in their cut-off shorts, tube socks and sporting the no-shirt look!! OK, so I'm not tearing up the runway myself! But look beyond the details of the photo. You'll see my big story, the one that tells how I grew up in a loving family with parents who worked hard to give my brothers and I some amazing experiences.