koitz | Basque-American Queer Photographer Documenting LGBTQ+ Life on Fire Island
koitz is a Basque-American queer photographer, filmmaker, and journalist best known for documenting more than three decades of LGBTQ+ life in Fire Island Pines, Cherry Grove, and New York City's queer community. Through photography, documentary filmmaking, books, and journalism, his work preserves the history, culture, and evolution of queer life while celebrating the people and places that have shaped LGBTQ+ identity.
Born and raised in the Basque Country, koitz moved to New York City in 1994, where he began his visual career. For two decades as a resident of Fire Island, he photographed the unique culture of Fire Island's two historic LGBTQ+ communities—Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. His photographs capture everything from iconic beach landscapes and legendary parties to intimate portraits and everyday moments, creating one of the most extensive visual archives of queer life on Fire Island.
Today, his archive spans thousands of photographs documenting Pride celebrations, drag performers, artists, activists, nightlife, community events, and the changing social history of one of the world's most important LGBTQ+ destinations.
A Photographer of Fire Island's Queer History
For over twenty years, koitz has documented the people, traditions, and celebrations that define Fire Island.
His photographs explore:
- LGBTQ+ culture and community
- Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove
- Queer nightlife in New York City
- Pride celebrations
- Drag performance
- Portrait photography
- Beach culture
- Performance art
- LGBTQ+ history and preservation
His work balances documentary photography with vibrant portraiture, emphasizing beauty, joy, intimacy, and community rather than sensationalism.
Portraits of Artists and Cultural Icons
Throughout his career, koitz has photographed internationally recognized artists, writers, performers, and cultural figures, including Jeff Koons, Marina Abramović, Elena del Rivero, Patrick Ryan, Clifford Chase, Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, Alan Cumming, Chita Rivera, Sergio Bernal, Darren Criss, John Waters, Marilyn May, Bridget Everett, Sandra Bernhard, Amber Martin and Margaret Cho.
He has also photographed theater productions, dance performances, musicals, visual artists, and New York's thriving queer nightlife for magazines, newspapers, and cultural organizations.
koitz Gay Fire Island
In 2020, koitz published his first photography book, koitz Gay Fire Island, documenting fourteen years of life in Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove.
The monograph was recognized by photography curator Elizabeth Avedon as one of the best photography books of 2020 and has become an important visual record of contemporary LGBTQ+ history.
Exhibitions
koitz's photographs have been exhibited in museums, galleries, and cultural institutions, including:
- Fire Island: Fun in the Sun (Verle Annis Gallery, University of Southern California)
- Cherry Grove Community House and Theater
- Arts Project of Cherry Grove
- Cherry Grove Archives Collection
In the summer of 2025, thirty-three large-scale photographs were featured throughout Cherry Grove as part of The Artist Walking Tours, an outdoor exhibition combining photography, historical interpretation, QR codes, audio recordings, and video to create an interactive experience celebrating Fire Island's LGBTQ+ heritage.
Documentary Filmmaking
In 2022, koitz co-directed, with Parker Sargent, the award-winning documentary In the Meat Rack, exploring the history, mythology, and cultural significance of Fire Island's legendary cruising area.
The documentary premiered at the Cherry Grove Archives Film Festival and has received awards from film festivals in the United States, Europe, and Australia.
Podcast
Alongside Parker Sargent, koitz co-produced the podcast What Is Queer, exploring LGBTQ+ identity, history, and culture through conversations with artists, activists, performers, and community leaders.
Journalism
Before becoming widely recognized for his photography, koitz spent more than thirteen years as the United States correspondent for Radio Euskadi, the Basque public radio broadcaster.
He has also worked in post-production at Paramount Global in New York and continues to contribute to Radio Euskadi and Antena 3 television network.
Critical Reception
Curator Nicholas Davis describes koitz as a contemporary successor to the Fire Island artistic tradition established by Paul Cadmus, Jared French, Margaret Hoening, and the PaJaMa collective.
Another critic wrote:
"koitz's photography bypasses, or rebounds from, forty years of emphasis on gritty reality... their best. That's what he seeks to capture, so his pictures are, in a word, beautiful."
Why koitz's Photography Matters
More than documentary photography, koitz's work serves as a visual archive of LGBTQ+ history.
His images preserve decades of community life, artistic expression, activism, intimacy, and celebration, ensuring that future generations can experience the people and places that helped shape queer culture in New York and beyond.
As Fire Island continues to evolve, his archive has become an increasingly important historical record of one of America's most influential LGBTQ+ communities.
Contact koitz: [email protected]