San Diegan Joey Guzzino is a full-time fashion, portrait, and event photographer who specializes in profiling the fiercest performers that hold center stage in Hillcrest’s bustling drag circuit. Since the easing of COVID lockdown restrictions four years ago, he has charted his way up and down the coast to document the most audacious gender non-conforming artists that make up the contemporary drag pantheon.

For centuries, drag culture has stood in defiance of the constrained expectations of gender, race, class, and identity. William Dorsey Swan, an African-American drag performer emancipated from slavery in 1862, was the first self-described “queen of drag” in 19th-century Washington D.C. In 1860s Harlem, the drag ball was born in secret at Hamilton Lodge as a refuge for queer people to celebrate their differences and reclaim their power from an unaccepting mainstream society.

As gay liberation catalyzed at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 Greenwich Village, it became impossible to deny visibility to nonbinary expression and its inevitable effects on pop culture. Eventually, drag icons, such as Divine, Crystal LaBeija, and San Diegan RuPaul, strutted and posed their way into the light with their indelible influence on American culture. Without drag, Madonna would have never learned how to “vogue,” and Beyoncé would have never learned how to “throw shade.”

Drag represents a metamorphosis in art and self. Thanks to photographers like Joey Guzzino, drag will never be pushed back into the shadows and will continue to be synonymous with the evolution of popular culture.

Safelight: Drag is an art form built for transcending the gender binary. What motivates you to photograph artists that feel empowered to do so?

Joey: Photography can be a powerful tool for challenging conformity. It can display power, presence, and transformation.

Portrait session with RuPaul’s Drag Race All Star Chad Michaels

There’s an unapologetic confidence about drag that deserves to be documented. The ability to shift and defy convention is amazing to capture, and every performer brings a different energy while onstage.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Contestant Daya Betty

My work is about immortalizing these special moments.

RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Nymphia Wind at Rich’s San Diego

Safelight: In approaching drag show photography, what’s your method for shining a light on the X-factor of each performer and the way they interact with their audiences?

Joey: It comes down to anticipation and understanding what the performer wants to convey. The thematic elements must be able to show themselves through a small glimpse—an expression, a movement, a reaction.

Grotesqua performing at Slaygent Provocateur

I want the photo to tell the whole story. I watch the performer's rhythm, their rapport with the stage, and how they command the room. I try to physically position myself as the key crowd member. As close to the action as possible.

The closeness can create a sense of trust and connection, which is important for viewers outside of the scene. If their views on drag are outdated, it can bring an opportunity to redefine what the scene means to them and what drag signifies, which I consider really important during this political climate.

Safelight: Modern drag performances seem to defy genre—ranging from the golden age of glamour to b-movie grotesque to even cyberpunk. What’s your favorite style to capture on camera and why?

Joey: I've never had interest in capturing anything other than extremes—either uber-glam or unapologetic and raw. There's something about the retro Hollywood references that queens use to make lasting, powerful images.

But I adore the glamor in punk, grotesque, and experimental genres.

That’s my favorite style right now. And the most powerful photos come when an artist bets everything, whether that is movement, style, or traditional appearance.

I like to be there for the moments when drag is unpredictable.

Safelight: Lips on El Cajon Boulevard was integral to bringing drag performance to a broader audience in San Diego. How do you describe drag’s appeal in the city, and where you continue to see your role in it?

Joey: San Diego drag has traditional roots but is constantly evolving. There's a fusion of camp, couture, and counterculture that makes it feel distinguished from other places I’ve worked.

The audience is active and enjoys risk-taking performances. It pushes artists to constantly evolve. My role is to document their evolution and to ensure these artists and their art aren't just seen but remembered.

Drag should be documented the same way we document mainstream music and film —drag is the catalyst for their evolutions anyway.

Joey Guzzino's Instagram

The Art of Standing Out: Questions for Joey Guzzino

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