The San Francisco Exposure Gallery presents the work of Brian L. Frank, a Bay Area-based photojournalist. The exhibit features photographs made in the U.S. and Mexico over the last year. In the words of the photographer, “The Colorado River, a waterway that stretches over 1400 miles from its origins in the Rocky Mountains to the Sea of Cortez, is a dying river. The waterway is now a shell of it's former self as overpopulation, pollution, over-damning, and global warming all combine to deteriorate not only the natural habitat, but degrade the cultures that historically relied upon its bounty for life. This extended photo essay chronicles my journey along its shores focusing on the American Southwest and the Northern Baja and Sonora regions of Mexico. From Las Vegas to San Luis del Rio Colorado, a thread of sorrow being suffered by the common people stands in stark contrast to the occasional vein of plenty being enjoyed by the wealthy few.”

A San Francisco native, Brian L. Frank studied photojournalism at San Francisco State University, where he was surrounded and inspired by a group of amazing colleagues that push him to this day. During his university years, he often found himself drawn to take a semester away from school to work on social documentary projects throughout Latin America, mainly focusing on workers’ rights and social injustice. His inspiration for this was always his parents, his mother a first-generation immigrant from Trinidad, and his father a paramedic and staunch union activist. During a long break from school, he drove an old 1972 VW bug across Mexico and landed in Mexico City, where he was based until August 2009. He is now based back home in San Francisco Ca, and frequently works in Los Angeles and Mexico.

Frank was awarded the 2010 Global Vision Award by POYi for “Downstream, The Death of the Colorado” and won the 2009 NPPA Domestic News Picture Story for “La Guerra Mexicana.” He placed second overall in the Hearst Photojournalism Championship for 2009, and was recognized for best single image. He is also a 2008 Eddie Adams Workshop alumnus. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The San Francisco Chronicle, and his editorial clients have included Esquire, Newsweek, TIME, Photo District News, The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, Getty and the Associated Press, in addition to many others. His archive is syndicated through Redux Pictures, New York, New York.

You can see more of his work at his personal website: www.brianfrankphoto.com or at the website for the Razon collective, of which he is a member: www.razoncollective.com

The San Francisco Exposure Gallery presents the work of Black Boots Ink, a Bay Area-based collective. From their mission statement: "Black Boots Ink was created in 2007 as a multi-voice, visual narrative about the rituals of life in the pursuit of happiness. Each theme-based issue is presented as an introduction to an extended conversation using images as a language everyone can understand. BBI is about the curiosity that makes us walk into a new situation on purpose. It is about wandering in the company of strangers – it is about all of us."

Emilio Bañuelos earned his degree from the Missouri School of Journalism in 2001. Since then he has worked as a photographer and consultant for newspapers in Mexico and Panama and as an editorial photographer for publications in Illinois, Hawaii and California. Emilio has worked in the San Francisco Bay Area as an Arts Educator for the San Jose Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and has conducted workshops for the University of Coahuila’s School of Communication and University of California Santa Cruz Extension. Currently he teaches undergraduate documentary photography at the Academy of Art University and works with supplemental art programs as a youth mentor and photography instructor. Emilio is co-founder of Black Boots Ink.

Elena Carrasco earned her B.F.A. degree in photography from San Jose State University in 2000. She has since exhibited her work at galleries throughout California and Mexico. Along with working on her photographic projects, she has been busy cultivating young artists as the Director of Youth Programs at the San Jose Museum of Art and Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana. Elena is co-founder of Black Boots Ink.

Ibarionex Perello is a photographer, writer and educator with nearly 20 years of experience in the photo industry. His images and articles have been published in magazines including Digital Photo Pro, Shutterbug and Outdoor Photographer. He currently teaches at the Art Center College of Design, Better Photo and Black Boots Ink. He is also the host and producer of the popular podcast, The Candid Frame. He lives in Los Angeles.

More information about Black Boots Ink, including galleries of contributed photography and workshop schedules, can be found on their website, www.blackbootsink.com.