Seattle Hockey Photog Takes Pride In Their Work

Caroline Anne Created An Inclusive Ice Sports Website

The arrival of the Seattle Kraken has spawned a cottage industry of regional hockey blogs, but none quite like Come As You Are Hockey.com.

Professional photographer Caroline Anne, who identifies as non-binary, created the site to be "Inclusive and inviting, for people that don't fit the demographic of most sports groups, that don't usually feel welcome in larger sports groups."

Caroline Anne created the website's logo. "I decided to use the inclusive Pride colors, with the Trans Safe Space logo, on a hockey puck."

The site launched last November, and really took off around February. Although hockey is in the title, "We've covered figure skating recently, sled hockey. Eventually, I'm hoping to cover some curling events, because there are curling groups in Seattle.

"The blog is fun, and it's voluntary, so I knew I would have to have more than one photographer." A team of writers and photo journalists now share their work on the website. "For the most part, we're all professionals, but we volunteer our time because we really love hockey, we love ice sports. Most want to have the experience for their own professional portfolio, or just because they love hockey."

The site's name has a regional origin, borrowing a song title, "Come As You Are," from 1980s Seattle grunge band Nirvana. It also fits because Caroline Anne first made their professional name photographing musical acts.

"If you already know how to photograph a concert, you can pick up sports photography pretty fast," they explain. Both their concert and hockey work have been featured on the KOMO-4 magazine show, Seattle Refined. (You can see more of Caroline Anne's concert snaps here.)

Challenges behind the lens for Caroline Anne go beyond trying to keep up with a speeding puck. "I have a condition called hypermobility syndrome, so my joints don't stay in place. And I have another condition called mast cell disease, which makes me allergic to, well, pretty much everything."

Those sensitivities include one which is particularly tough on a hockey photog - cold.

"Let me tell you, they keep it plenty cold at Climate Pledge Arena," they say. "I sometimes can't feel my hands when I'm photographing. I was like, okay, I'm going to have to wear a scarf or a mask, and wear some gloves and get some wool socks, but I think I can handle this.

"After a couple of years, I have it pretty well controlled. I have a lot of tricks and a lot of hacks."

They're not only a regular at many Kraken practices, they even were credentialed to shoot the team's playoff series against Colorado. "I heard through the grapevine that they like our blog and they read our articles, and that's important to us."

Since Caroline Anne prefers not to stray from their in-game shooting location, their pregame routine includes a bathroom visit, and a bag of berries and nuts brought from home to munch on. "It's like being in the window seat of a plane."

Caroline Anne hopes comeasyouarehockey.com can encourage others to follow their path. "I don't know too many non-binary disabled photographers. That was the other goal that I wanted to have for the blog. Maybe (inspire) somebody else that doesn't fit the 'normal' demographic of what most photographers look like."