Shooting for
life: Luna Luis Ortiz

I was born in the Bronx, N.Y., in 1972. My father was a photographer, and I became fascinated with his work at a young age. I remember when he would ask me to take pictures of the family and I would try to make them pose like old Hollywood starlets. My childhood was pretty perfect. Unfortunately, I was not informed about safe sex, and in 1986 at the age of 14, I became infected with HIV from my first sexual experience.

Many of the young people I came out with in New York City's gay scene in the late '80s now exist only in memory--AIDS took them away from me. Over the years HIV has made me think about how I wanted to be remembered. After graduating from Harvey Milk High School, I decided to embark on a career in photography and the arts.

In 1991 I began to work for QW magazine, where I met David LaChapelle. With David, I learned to go forward and take chances with my creative mind. Determined more than ever to make art, I began to live through photography. Realizing that I was losing many of my friends before they reached adulthood, I began photographing them as they moved through my life. Drag queens, butches, gay boys, butch queens, and hustlers were treated like Hollywood stars through my lens.

After I attended the School of Visual Arts, my work was featured in many publications, including Vibe, Out, and The New York Times.

I now teach black-and-white photography at the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School. I tell my students what AIDS was like in the '80s and early '90s. I always tell them to imagine everyone they know dead. It helps them understand a little about life and gives them a clear picture about what they need to do to be positive about life and remain HIV-negative.

I give these kids the opportunity to express themselves with a camera--the same opportunity my father provided me. Some of them don't have a real family, and Hetrick-Martin feels like home. It's amazing what a photograph can reveal to teenagers about themselves. I see kids come in as if they're lost children and watch them bloom into beautiful teenagers filled with joy and life. This is my goal.