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
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