One of my earliest memories of photography is probably Barcelona's Olympic Games in 1992, when I had my first reflex camera and went along as a spectator to shoot pictures. Even before that though, I remember being keen on photos. When we went on holiday when I was a child, I always wanted to be the one to take the pictures.
I learnt the technical side of photography during my university degree. I think they don't really offer programs like the one I took any more. It was entirely focused on photography, and you were just taking pictures for all three years, so you went really in depth.
My first assignment for Reuters was photographing the presidential elections of the soccer club, FC Barcelona. The photographer who would normally have done the job, Gustau Nacarino, was out of Barcelona shooting a tennis tournament. It was my big opportunity. Taking the pictures was fairly easy, because it was quite a straightforward assignment, but the challenge back in those days was choosing just one picture, developing it and sending it, all at top speed.
The job that left the biggest mark on me was probably covering the soccer World Cup in Germany. It was my first long assignment working closely with a team of colleagues, and we had a great experience.
In 2003, the world swimming championships came to Barcelona, and during the finals my boss Paul Hanna asked me: "Can you climb up to the San Jordi arena's roof?" I did it to cover Ian Thorpe's races, and took some good pictures, which were widely published around the world. Ten years later, I found myself shooting the World Swimming Championships again. I think I've learnt a lot of things over that time.
In photography, sometimes you have to plan carefully before an event, and look hard for the pictures. Other times you just have to react as things happen in front of you.
One day you might have a great picture and be on all the front pages; the next, you might get beaten by another photographer. Every day is a blank sheet of paper.
When I was a teenager, my father told me: "I don't have lots of money or property, so the only thing I can give you for your future is your education. I will make the effort to help you in what you have chosen to do." He believed in me, and now I am able to make a living as a photographer and enjoy my job.
