ABOUT

Until 2021, if one were to search for images of black girls surfing on major commercial image archives, they would find an unbelievable lack of representation: among the millions of available images, there were hardly any images of young black female surfers. To address this incredible inclusion gap, Betclic, in partnership with Shutterstock Studios, decided to launch "Surfing Through the Odds," the first collection of images of black girls surfing available in a major commercial image bank. The collection was produced with assistance from Soma Surf, the NGO that is changing the lives of hundreds of girls in São Tomé (Africa) through surf therapy. The collection, comprised of 33 videos and over 100 photos - all produced with Soma students - has been available on Shutterstock and has already attracted buyers from over 35 countries. Part of the funds raised from the sale of the images goes to finance Soma’s work.