Leonard Frank Leonard Frank is the classic immigrant success story. A young man who came to Canada from a small German town searching for gold, yet struck it rich in a different field. Overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of his adopted land, Frank started taking pictures on prospecting trips, selling photos to locals in his hometown of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. He soon became an official government photographer preserving the unique beauty of a landscape now largely transformed. At the onset of World War I, Frank was caught up in a wave of anti-German sentiment. He was forced off Vancouver Island through false accusations that could have destroyed his life. Frank relocated to Vancouver and quickly established himself as a photographer of international renown. His work appeared in such prestigious publications as National Geographic, the New York Times and the Saturday Evening Post. His images put British Columbia on the map, creating a living legacy used by academics, archivists, researchers and journalists. Leonard Frank has helped create a visual history of our country. Top of page.