ABOUT
Cris Toala Olivares is an award-winning Ecuadorian photographer, journalist, and storyteller with expertise in ground and aerial photography of natural and urban settings.
Following his approach, he remains enough of an outsider to be fascinated by his subjects, while also becoming enough of an insider to deeply understand them.
Through his work and media reach, Toala Olivares aims to inspire people to look at places in a different way, and also to appreciate the familiar, by giving them the opportunity to observe their surroundings from another perspective.
After working for several years with news agencies including Reuters and the Associated Press, Toala Olivares embarked on an independent career focusing on three key projects: a book capturing life along the canals of Amsterdam in the Netherlands where he is based, a study of some of the world’s most active volcanoes and the people who coexist with them, and an exploration of the wildlife and landscapes of the Wadden Sea tidal area in northern Europe.
His vision and perspective have earned him countless prizes, such as a Magnum Photography Award, and he has been invited to speak at several events including TED Talks.
AWARDS & HONOURS
• 2019: Xposure Sharjah UAE
• 2016: Magnum Photography Award
• 2015: MIFA Honorable Mention Edotorial-Environmental
• 2014: Zilveren Camera: Third Price Nature and Environment
• 2013: Young photography talent, selected by National Geographic, presented in issue October 2013
• 2013: New, Dutch Photography Talent 2013
• 2012: CPN (Canon Professional Network) Overall Favourite Image, Editor’s Choice
• 2009: Zilveren Camera: First Price foreign news
• 2009: Zilveren Camera: Third Price Portrait
BOOKS
• 2022: Book Living With Volcanoes
• 2014: Book The Amsterdam Canals
• 2013: Museum van Loon, book Gardens of Amsterdam Canals
• 2010 - present: Anne Frank House, Several documentation and publications
EXHIBITS
• 2019: International Photography Festival - Xposure Sharjah UAE
• 2017: Art Miami whit Cranio
• 2016: International Photoreporter Festival Saint-Brieuc France
• 2015: Fotofestival Naarden
• 2013: Museum Het Grachtenhuis , Amsterdam, The Netherlands, solo exhibition ‘The Amsterdam Canals’, presented by
National Geographic
• 2012: Look For Art Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, duo exhibition ‘Fijne Hanen’ with Alice Wielinga
• 2012: Concordia, Enschede, The Netherlands, duo exhibition ‘Fijne Hanen’ with Alice Wielinga
CLIENTS
Reuters, Anne Frank Museum, Tenuta Luce Wine, Iamsterdam, Den Helder, National Geographic, GEO, The Guardian, Finale Ligure, De Jong Groep, El Universo Ecuador, Der Spiegel, Sony Japan, National Geographic Italia, Fjallraven, Waddensea World Heritage, , HanWag.