Q: Did you have any formal education in photography, with a mentor, or were you self taught.
A: I studied 3 years at the IEFC (Institut d’Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya) in Barcelona then I kept teaching myself by watching other photographers work. I had some mentora but what taught me more was working on the field with other colleagues and the often 24 hours discussion that erupted while with them… Most of the little I know, I learned from my friends…
Q: Was there a photographer or type of photography that influenced your work or inspired you?
A: At the very beginning, I was amazed by Nachtwey’s work and his character., I think both things are related. Then I discovered the guys at Magnum Photos and the way the have always mixed art and documentary photography. That influenced me the most, I think.
Now a days, I discover some new photographer I didn’t know but I like a lot and influences me pretty much.
I think is good to keep searching authors that might make you rethink your photography and make it evolve. And moreover, I thinks it is good to watch art and cinema, not just other photographers.
Q: When did you first become interested in photography as a mode of expression, and art form, a profession?
A: I think it was in a very naïve way. I went to Sarajevo in 1998 for a student exchange program. At that time, the city was still completely destroyed, NATO tanks were everywhere and people just started to return to their homes some months ago.
I started shooting instinctively with a camera I borrowed from my father. While there, I liked the feeling of being in an important place, portraying the situation. That simple. Afterward I started to develop much more the reasons why I wanted to do this job.

Q: How would you describe your photographic approach in shooting this Kurdish reportage?
A: First of all, I wanted to create a visual document of what is going on in that part of Syria. But as I told you before, I wanted not just to explain a story in a very descriptive way but to transmit also the idea of being there.
This story has gone pretty much unnoticed, (as much of the Kurdish issue in general), that gave me the sensation of something being hidden. While there, I discovered that most of my photographs were being taken in the darkness due to the lack of electricity. I wanted to use that lack of light to enhance that “hidden” sensation.
Q: What was your ultimate goal, or what did you hope to achieve, with shooting these images?
A: My main goal is to give another point of view of the war in Syria. The point of view of the Kurds who have stand up against the regime in their own way and that has brought a lot of troubles with rebel forces. In my opinion, Kurds have a very plausible political project that they are actually putting in practice right now and they have a lot to contribute to a possible post-Assad Syria.
At some point, I read something saying that the Kurds in Syria were supporting Bashar, something that I couldn’t believe. I started investigating and I soon realized that was totally wrong and that the very little information was being published were not very accurate. That leaded me to go there, try to understand, and try to make others understand.
On the other hand, it’s been 12 years now that I’m working in a long-term project about nations without state and this story is going to be a very important chapter of that project.
Q: Do you consider your photos to be a specific genre?
A: Yes, documentary photography.

Q: What cameras/lenses/equipment did you use to shoot this series?
A: I was using a Leica M9 with a 35mm f/2 Summicrom.
Q: Did you want the reader to have a specific reaction to these photos? Did you want to elicit a certain emotion from the viewer?
A: Yes, beside my first intention which is make others to know and understand a certain situation or event, I wanted also to transmit them that feeling of something is going on but is being hidden at the same time.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the idea to do this series? Basically, where did the idea come from?
A: Well, as I said before, I realized that this story was not very broad told so I wanted to drag people’s attention to it while I was trying to understand it at the same time. On the other hand, Kurdistan is a very important chapter of my Stateless Nations project so everything matched.
Q: I noticed that the images are all in black & white. Do you always shoot in B&W and is there a reason behind shooting this reportage in B&W?
I pretty much like shooting in black and white. I feel more comfortable. I think black and white gives you more options in order to evoke sensations. However, I shoot color too. I think that every story must have it’s own language though to me, it’s hard to figure out.

Q:  Is there any Leica equipment (the new M, Monochrom, etc) that you would like to get your hands on to try?
A: Yes, the new M and the 35 mm f/1,4 Summilux!
Q: Photographers often go into combat zones or on humanitarian missions and show what is happening to the people involved. Do you think photography can change the world? Make a difference in the subjects’ lives?
A: I don’t think photography can change the world though I believed it when I started. You might be lucky and have some sort of direct impact on subject’s lives but I think is something very random and I’m not even sure.
However, I think it’s important to document what’s going on in our world cause at the end, we all are creating memory. And I say we, not just referring to other professionals but referring to everybody in general cause nowadays, many people has a camera and knows how to use it.
What I mean is that documenting the story while it’s unfolding helps to rise awareness and opinion among people. The fact of creating a document helps also to rise knowledge among the upcoming generations. At the end, I think journalism (good journalism) can help to make people less stupid and less prone to manipulation.
Q: Any other projects coming-up you’d like to share?
A: I think I’ll be working in this story for a while. I’m planning a third trip there though I can’t give many details yet.
As I said before, I’m working on a long-term project that investigates and documents the nature of Stateless nations around the world so most likely my next projects will be in the Middle East or eastern Europe. I’m preparing a Multimedia about it, a book and also thinking of a documentary film so I have now a lot of desk work ahead.
Thank you for your time, Guillem!
– Leica Internet Team
Please find Guillem’s full reportage in LFI 3/2013. Also available for the iPad. Find a reading sample here. Watch a video on the reportage too. To see more of Guillem visit his Facebook and Tumblr pages.