Ice, Ice, Baby

Center Ice Arena in Sandy Springs, Georgia

When Atlanta has ice or snow, it either shuts down the city or it’s just a dusting. Either way, we usually don’t get out in it, and I really hate winter, so the only snow photos I have are from my yard. For the calendar project, they wanted ice or snow for January. So I had to come up with some options and that brought to mind the local ice rink. I was thinking I could photograph a recreational skating session.

As I did a little online research, I discovered we have a rather new rink and that they have a junior league hockey team, The Atlanta Capitals. Who knew? So I reached out, and Michelle, one of the owners, was so nice and let me come on Friday night.

This was the first hockey game I’ve ever seen in person. I’m not much of a sports fan, and did I tell you that I don’t like winter, but this is really a great facility—Center Ice Arena in Sandy Springs. The bleachers are raised above the rink, so you get a bird's-eye view, and I actually had to take my jacket off that I had taken in anticipation of it being cold inside. The other advantage of the raised seating is that you’re so high up, the “glass” stops at about four feet, so it’s really easy to take unobstructed photos.

Action photos, however, are not the easiest thing to do. I took 800 photos, no lie, and probably only got a dozen that were great. Well, I thought they were great, and I only submitted three, but none were chosen—turns out there was some sort of conflict of interest or something. But this was such a great experience for me, and if you like hockey, you really should go to this rink!

Love the puck standing on end. This shot was from the lower level.

Update: A friend said she went to a game there in November, and it was so cold that she was freezing, so maybe it was a fluke that it was so comfortable the night I went. But don't let that stop you, just bundle up and get ready for a fun night.

Have you been to Center Ice Arena for a hockey game?
What's your favorite place in Georgia to see a beautiful snowy scene in winter?