About Me A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF ME
My name is Joan Manuel Baliellas (Barcelona 1964), even that almost everybody know me by the name "Bali" in a friendly way. I managed to have my photographs published in newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Times, The Telegraph, Paris Match, Le Monde, El Periódico de Cataluña, El Mundo and way more others, as well than in magazines as Solo Moto, Primera Línea, Le Point, Fotosistema. Magazine or MagazineLV. I have also created video for TV channels as well, and for private companies and international institutions. I have participated in several collective exhibitions, always on photojournalism, and my work has been published in different books.
When I was almost 18 years old, I began to work as a 'Bellboy', always buying sandwiches for others and distributing teletypes in El Periódico de Cataluña, where I published my first photographs. Later I worked on the newspaper Record and on the Diario de Barcelona, being part of the staff later in this journal.
In 1993 I started to work in the newspaper El Mundo as a freelance photographer, but soon after I had to hire all the other photographers. After some time as a regular photographer, I began a new stage at El Mundo as Director of Photography and Graphic Editor between 1996 and 2011, at the Barcelona offices for the entire region of Catalonia.
During that time, in 2007, I received the City of Barcelona Award, in the Press section.
It was in 2011 when I moved to Bangkok to expand my knowledge and to be able to work with other major international agencies of photographers and filmmakers. In Asia, I worked for AFP (France-Presse), The European Union (EU), FAO, Cuatro Televisión and others. In 2013 I returned to Spain and I started to collaborate for AP (Associated Press), El Mundo and NurPhoto, among others. And I took part in several activities for non-profit charities. Nowadays,
I do photography and video. And, most importantly, I enjoy my life and my time with my family.
Work Experience
Present
Independent Photojournalist
Photography, video and graphic edition. Specialist in Photoshop and Adobe Premiere.
2013 - 2016
Associated Press
Contributing photographer for the Spanish delegation of the agency.
2013 - 2016
NUR Photo
Contributing photographer.
2011 - 2013
Agence France Presse
Photo Stringer for the Asian delegation based in Bangkok, Thailand, and doing work for the agency throughout Southeast Asia.
2011 - 2013
European Union
Official photographer of the delegations of the European Union in his visits to the South-East Asian countries: Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, etc.
1996 - 2011
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR
GRAPHIC EDITOR
El Mundo
Photography director and graphic editor at the Barcelona offices for the entire autonomous community of Catalonia. Leading a team of 15 photographs throughout Catalonia, and specializing in working with Photoshop.
1993 - 1996
El Mundo
First I was a freelance photographer and later hired in the Staff on the newspaper.
1987 - 1993
Diari de Barcelona
Photographer hired staff of the newspaper.
What do they say about me?
(Sorry, the texts are only in Spanish)
Fotosistema Magazine, dedicates three pages to me in a special about the specialties of photographers, mine: photojournalism.
The City Council of Barcelona awarded me, together with two colleagues, the Ciutat de Barcelona prize for discovering a former leader of the Triple-A hidden in Spain.
This newspaper explains how 31 photojournalists got together to photograph every day the year 2014 in Catalonia, from there came theexhibition and the book: