8/7/2019 Brian Frank: One to Watch - American Photo Magazine March/April 2011

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the people behind the picS work in progress12 show plac

8/7/2019 Brian Frank: One to Watch - American Photo Magazine March/April 2011

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10 AMeRICAnPHotoMAg.CoM MARCH/APRIL 2011 MARCH/APRIL 2011 AMeRICAnPHo

sard aki juralism classs. Suddly, r

h rs im i his li, h was d a schl. I

was sm wh always sp my im h

srs alki ppl, h says. I lv hai

u i h ruhr pars w bcaus I ca

idiy wih ppl hr.

Alhuh alki cam asy Frak, h acual

wrii par juralism did . Wh h k

his rs ph class, h las pic his carr

puzzl sappd i plac. I lik a lv, h

says phraphy. I was jus asy.

Phjuralism was als a way r Frak

xplr his idiy. His mhr, wh immirad

h U.S. rm triidad a 18, isilld i hr

s a sr wrk hic ad a irs i immi-ra issus. Fraks ahr is a wrir, acivis ad

paramdic whs ifuc is appar i Fraks

imas cmmuiis sciy wuld rahr ir.

Frak alrad his phjuralism classs

wih l sabbaicals i Mxic, drivi crss-

cury ad livi i smims sdy lcais

lss ha $500 a mh. thas wh h ba

h prjc ha ard his rs majr priz: rs

plac r Dmsic nws Picur Sry rm h

naial Prss Phraphrs Assciais Bs

Phjuralism 2009. thuh h sris is ild

La Guerra Mexicana (th Mxica War), Frak

says ha wh h sard i, h curys i

dru war had b h las hi his mid.

Duri his rs si livi i Mxic, Frak

bcam asciad wih h rwi wrship

Sai Dahspcially i h tpi ihbrhd

Mxic Ciy, h havis placs i Lai

Amrica, h says, bcaus dah is vrywhr.

I d wa say ppl l lik gd has aba-

dd hm, bu is pracically ha lvl. thy

ur, Ls alk dahhas bviusly ral.

Wh Frak rurd h Sas, h shwd

his Sai Dah wrk ad w hr Mxic prj-

cs his mrs: dirs a h Wall Street Jour-

nal ad Marcl Saba, h had Fraks acy,

Rdux Picurs. thy hlpd him s his wrk as

hr aspcs sry ha schws cvra

plic ad prss crcs ad rs a viw

rm h sr Mxics subculur vilc.

Fraks dsir shw h sris blw h

surac pus him i h radii scial dcu-mary phraphy, bu h rjcs h i

bjciviy ha il suss. Yu d

sar wih bjciviy, yu sar wih a sr

piicmi up wih a sry is a biasd ac, h

says. th bjciviy cms rm braki dw

my w prjudics as Im wrki h sry.

tha lss was driv hm whil Frak was

wrki his sris rivr phs calld Down-

stream, Death of the Mighty Colorado. H sard

wih sr piis abu wha h calls h vil

U.S. mpir crai w dus bwls suh

h brdr, bu wh h w lki r circum-

sacs h huh shuld b hr, h cam up

dry. As s as h sppd sarchi r sris i

a prccivd way, h ud hm. th hard par

is admii yu wr wr abu idas yuv

had mayb yur whl li, Frak says. Yu hav

shar hs assumpis wih a sldhammrr yull jus kp i i circls.

tha wrk paid wih his Downstream sris,

which h Library Crss addd is ph

cllci i July 2010. Wrki hs kids

prjcs is mially challi, Frak says. I

spd im wih ppl; I l pai wh hy l

pai. S i h wrk s u, ad yu l lik i

was i vaiI ca v dscrib h rlas.

nw hs ryi ach himsl a lss ha

may dcumary phraphrs

lar: hw d ra wrk wi

phraphy bcm a dsruciv

was di my bs wrk, may im

ially wrckd, Frak says. I

yuv vr d cam rm a hl

ha h ly plac yu ca wrk r

nw h is acivly ski h

Frak sp las yar wrki mrial assims, avidi h si

prjc wrk ha has csumd h

Mawhil, h hps ciu

Colorado River prjc by dcum

csidrs h hr hal h br

Ri gradwih a halhir app

I hik I ca lar wrk rm

plac, Frak says. I jus d k

yalk m i a yar r w.

Av: A x v s

s s t, a rug

gr Mx

cy. os: dasy Rjas

Gurz grvs vr r

4 yar augr,

as faay y a ar a

ra ar r m.

cloSe Up

Brian Frank

Lives In San Francisco,Caliornia

Studied At San Francisco State

University

Awards 2010 Global Vision

Award rom POYi; 2009 NPPA

Domestic News Picture Story

o the Year

ClientsWall Street Journal,

New York Times, Dallas Morn-

ing News, Time, Newsweekand

other publications

Infuences Photographer

Stanley Greene, who has given

me inspiration through his

approach to telling stories

and his insight into being

a minority photographer,

Frank says, as well as my

photography collective, Razn,

where I go or everything

rom editorial assistance to

girlriend advice.

Clockwisefromtopleft:IzabellaD

emavlys;BrianFrank(2)

one to watch