“Becoming @wildginaa wasn’t the plan. None of this was the plan. The plan was...become a successful live sports producer. The end. But, my beginning started in 2017 in the climbing section of my local outdoor retailer. I was purchasing my first pair as I started climbing at a local New Jersey gym weeks prior. An outdoor investment that I was truly excited about. I began trying on the pair I knew I would purchase when a white man walked up to me. We chatted about climbing and how his son had the same pair I was trying on. Then, he said something that left a sour taste in my mouth. “Ya know, don’t take this the wrong way but...it’s weird to see you in here because Black people don’t hike or climb.” He walked away shaking his head as I sat there with the climbing shoes on my hand. My bare feet being comforted by the carpet below me couldn’t take away the anger I felt in my heart. I looked around at the advertisements around the store: no one looked like me. I pushed the shoes back in the box and walked out the store; hiding the tears in my eyes. I sat in my car and felt something change in my heart. I walked back in the store, bought the shoes, then returned to the same sitting position in my car. This was the first step to changing what was in the outdoors to what it should be. Whether I am shooting commercial or nature / wildlife photography, I am making sure I see the change not only in front of the camera but all around me. And, I am doing it. Today, everyday - forever on.” Self-portraits and photography by @wildginaa

thenorthface