Why Diversity and Inclusivity Matters To Me

I’d been sitting on the idea of writing this article and my story down for a minute. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what I wanted to say, but all I knew was that with the current state of the world I couldn’t just sit by and say nothing. I’m not going to be sharing this article with images of my clients and how diverse they are, because that feels like I’m using them for my own gain and that’s not what this is about. So if you’d like to see my work then please peruse my website! But this is just an opportunity for me to share my story…

My name is Marcela Garcia Pulido.  I am a first generation, American-born daughter of Mexican immigrants. I grew up in San Bernardino, California, literally on the wrong side of the tracks. I vividly remember as a kid being jealous of the kids that I knew that lived in the suburbs, in their beautiful and safe homes. Whereas I was not allowed to walk anywhere alone and always had to be back home before dark. I once asked my dad why we couldn’t live in those nice neighborhoods and he told me, “If we move there, all the white people will move away.” The weight of this statement wouldn’t hit me until decades later, when I moved to another state.

Spanish is my native tongue, but English is my primary language. For my entire adolescence my parents encouraged me to focus on my studies, as a means to keep me and my sisters out of trouble and to help prepare us to build a better future for ourselves. There was never a question about it, knowing the weight of the sacrifices and hard work that my parents went through in order to create a new life in a new country where they didn’t even speak the language… to do anything less than what they asked of me would be to spit in the face of what they’d gone through. 

All this to say, I was very much Americanized. But having grown up in Southern California, surrounded by Mexicans and Chicanos alike, this wasn’t really something I ever thought about or even considered. It wasn’t until I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2013 that I had my first taste at what it actually meant to be a minority. Whereas back in California I was just a girl, all of a sudden in Portland I became “other,” at every opportunity I was reminded that I was now the “brown girl.” The amount of times that someone on the street stops me while I’m walking my dog Rupert just to ask me, “Where are you from?” with the quizzical look on their faces as they’re trying to figure out my heritage is just absolutely astounding. I don’t even want to begin with the sheer amount of microaggressions and blatant racism that I’ve experienced firsthand since I moved out here. But I will just stop to say that yeah, I have been the victim of those skeptical side-eyes and even had security follow me around at a Goodwill to make sure I wasn’t stealing anything.

I realized that I lived in my own little bubble when I was in California and moving to Portland definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. For a long time I struggled with it and considered moving back… but something kept me here. I can’t explain it much more than to say that leaving would have felt like I was retreating with my tail between my legs, and my parents did not raise a quitter. But over the past few years I started to notice something.

Historically speaking, photography has never been a particularly inclusive industry until very, very recently. Look back at all the waifs, blonde models of yesteryear and let’s appreciate the diversity and inclusivity that’s been happening thanks to social media, our Queen Rihanna and the Fenty line. Seriously, what an incredible sight to behold! But what I noticed was that a lot of the clients that I were working with had somewhat similar backgrounds to my own, of feeling like outsiders or “others” here in the Pacific Northwest. 

I began to hear stories about clients being concerned about their photographer being able to photograph darker skin tones (cameras were not originally built to capture the true beauty of melanin skin, it’s true), about how some photographers went so far as to say they didn’t know how to photograph black skin, about how they experienced microaggressions during the planning process of their own weddings… I can’t even tell you the level of anger that I experienced on their behalf and how much I wanted to protect them at all costs. NO ONE should experience this bullshit when they’re planning inarguably one of the biggest and happiest days of their lives! Pardon my language but also just, fuck it. 

I’m not here writing this in order to call anyone out in the industry because that is just not my cross to bear. But I exist here in this place for the sole reason of showcasing and embracing diversity and inclusivity as much as my small body can possibly handle. Because this is something that I’ve experienced firsthand myself and I don’t want anyone to feel that way when they’re planning their wedding. I just don’t.

For everyone who may feel underrepresented in the wedding industry, I am here because I want to cheer you on and celebrate you, to really and truly fucking SEE you, help make you feel seen, and capture you at your best and most beautiful self. 

You deserve damn good photos. Let me help you with that.