Joana Biarnés i Florensa was the first woman photojournalist in the Spanish media at a time when Spanish society, immersed in the Franco dictatorship, was deeply sexist. This context did not diminish her determination as she learnt photography from her father, the sports photographer Joan Biarnés, and completed her journalistic studies at the Escola de Periodisme in Barcelona. In 1963, following a chance collaboration with the magazine Pueblo, its director, Emilio Romero, offered her employment on its editorial team, which she accepted and subsequently moved to Madrid. This was the start of a sensational professional career. Biarnés contributed a new perspective to the press of the time and her determination and persistence in getting the image just as she wanted it, without any frills, meant she was often offered some of the most sought-after exclusive commissions. She moved on to work for ABC and set up her own news agency, Sincro Press, in 1974. This was a time when the commercial objectives of the paparazzi and the sensationalist tabloid press overrode the ethics of journalism and Biarnés ceased to feel comfortable in her profession and she retired. Her decision showed great wisdom, commitment, and an indisputable loyalty to the profession she had learnt from her father. Joana Biarnés was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2014) and the Medalla de la Ciutat de Terrassa (2017).
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