Straight from the heart

Sep 23, 2015

American-born photographer Thomas Ives has worked for international news and feature magazines for over 38 years. His photo essays and images have appeared in National Geographic, Time, Geo, Stern, Newsweek, Life, Smithsonian, and many others publications. He currently lives in Vilcabamba with his Ecuadorian partner.

Women carrying earthen pots. Cuenca , Ecuador

Women with pots, Cuenca 1974
I fell in love with Cuenca during my first visit to Ecuador in 1974. Little if any traffic, virtually no pollution, and a sense of calm that is unusual for any large city.

Often, the day-to-day machinations of an agrarian-based culture would simply walk into my life and present the reality of utility, folk art and hard labor.

These women carrying earthenware pots, to market I assume, were moving so quickly I only had time for two images. I remember I was on my way for an appointment at the office of the Ecuadorian Department of Tourism, which eventually gave me a shooting list of their needs, and a letter of introduction, so off I went for two months to explore Ecuador.

The picture was taken from Parque Calderon, looking across Calle Mariscal Sucre, toward the municipal government building.

— Thomas Ives

To read the article about Thomas Ives, click here.

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